“I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.”
Wow. This sentence from by Paul (Romans 15:30) from our reading in the Giving Thanks curriculum rocked my world. I have never really thought of prayer as a way to join somebody in their struggle. Yes, I pray for people who struggle. I pray for them a lot. I pray for them because they are struggling and I don’t want them to struggle. So why would I want to join their struggle? Why would I want to struggle?
But then I think of the times that I have struggled. The people who helped me were not the people who merely offered advice or felt sorry for me, the people that helped me were the ones who were present with me in the midst of it- struggling along with me because they loved me.
Love struggles with.
By the way praying for other people is one of the ways that we can give hope. This video helps us to understand what ELCA is doing for people who are struggling in places where Malaria is endemic. As you watch it, perhaps you can join in their struggle by praying for them. To watch it, click on this link: ELCA Malaria Film
Pastor Tim
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