Prodigal Joy

"Be joyful always,  pray at all times, be thankful in all circumstances. This is what God wants from you in your life in union with Christ Jesus." I Thessalonians 5:16-18

In our humanness, it is difficult, if not seemingly impossible, to be joyful always, but as a striving Christian people, we try hard to walk in gratitude and prayer to The Lord. Truth is, sometimes the best one can do is to cry out loud, "Heaven help me!" And yes, that simple, yet powerful prayer, may be sufficient to carry you until the fog of darkness, the "dark night of the soul" passes over, and you can see your life clearly once more.

For it is not really necessary to recite long, eloquent prayers to get God's attention, especially in challenging times. What is important is that we continually seek God with all our heart, even while under great duress; pray with confidence knowing that He will hear and answer our prayers as only He can. Clearly, it is a matter of praying fervently and then trusting Jesus to be your Savior, your Protector, your Counselor, your Healer, and your Consoler. In actuality, it's all about trusting the God who created you and Who knows you and your circumstances better than you do.

Reaching out to God during infirmity in mind or body is an act of strong faith that is to be repeated again and again in our lifetime, as this life is full of ups and downs. All of us have times when, in times of sickness, mired in the sadness of depression, being too busy, or whatever else is the case,  it is easy to 'forget about' our Lord, and focus on other things and depend solely on ourselves. However, He stands in wait for our "Prodigal return"--the time when we return to His loving arms knowing full well that He is first, the best, the only remedy for whatever pains us--He is The Way, The Truth and The Life, the source of unconditional love, enduring peace and sublime joy.

                                                   Adele M. Gill   2013  Copyright