"Why do you look so sad?" Meditation for chronic ill/pain
"...so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven" (Nehemiah 2:2-4 NIV)
Nehemiah was heartsick because he wanted to unite the Jews and remove the shame of Jerusalem's broken-down walls. In so doing this would bring honor and glory to God and restore the reality and power of God's presence among his people.
How many times have we been asked the same question by a friend or family member? "Why do you look so sad?" Out of fear of chastisement or even a nonchalant response we respond, "I'm not sad, there is nothing wrong, everything is just fine." Our heart cries out, "I am so distressed; I am in chronic pain; everything is going wrong. There is trouble all around me, there is….." But instead we say nothing.
Lately the Lord has been teaching me to share my heart with those who ask. The Word of God encourages us to bear one another's burdens. I realize there are those who ask how we are feeling or how things are going; in all reality they really do not want an honest answer. To them it's a figment of speech; they really do not want to hear our "woes". But there are others who are truly concerned and desire to know how they can pray for us or even assist us in our time of need.
These past few months have been extremely difficult for my family and me in numerous ways; at the same time we have been truly blessed as others have voiced their concern regarding my chronic illness and our needs. Some have even been able to supply our needs while others continue to storm the gates of heaven with our requests.
Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, May we boldly share our needs with one another and storm Your glorious throne of grace with supplications in love. In Jesus name, Amen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michele Williams currently lives in a small farming community in Pennsylvania with her husband of 35 years along with one dog and two cats. She enjoys spending time their beautiful grown daughter, son-in-law and an awesome teenage grandson.
And to act on this immediately, I'll tell you that tomorrow I am being admitted to hospice. No, I'm not terminally ill, but I have serious, chronic illness. I'll explain more tomorrow, privately.
Love...
QB