How do we pray for the afflicted? Remind me again.

 Trouble has come for many in this day- our hearts break for the hurting, our minds are silent. It is as if in a moment’s time the Lord allows many to experience an unexpected darkness.

And, often,there are no words when praying over the afflicted. Times like this, it seems like the Bible on the shelf weighs 100 pounds. It is just too heavy to pull off the shelf.
Yet, I have heard that for those who have lost their sight and live in physical darkness, they have ears that hear far above those that see light.
THAT is how I will pray. That the afflicted will HEAR during this time of darkness. That they can now hear God singing over them. Where is that verse? What verse is that? The weight of the Bible just decreased and there is a willingness to get it off the shelf.
Zephaniah 3:16,17, “In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear;
Zion, let not your hands be weak.
The LORD you God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you in His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Can you hear the words of an old Hymn? Reminding you:
“Through every change, He faithful will remain.”
Through EVERY change, He faithful WILL remain. That is true,
it’s in His Holy Word, maybe reading the Bible today isn’t so hard –
Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Everything may have just changed, but He remains the same.
“Through every change, He faithful will remain, Be still my soul…”
Perhaps the prayer of the afflicted today looks like Ps.6:6-8,
“I am weary with my groaning;
All night I make my bed swim;
I drench my couch with my tears.
My eye wastes away because of grief;
It grows old because of all my enemies.

But the song: “Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake.”
We are shaken! We become moved! But there is a Psalm, it’s in there about being moved – it’s Psalm 62. Perhaps this Psalm needs to become as familiar in our day as Psalm 23:
Ps. 62:1,2,
“Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved.”

so we remember the song and sing in our time of weakness and fear,
“Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake…”
And we pray for the afflicted, “Lord give them grace to ‘wait silently for God alone.’
Lord, that they hear Your song of faithfulness and that they wait on You as they heal:
Ps. 62:5-7,
“My soul, wait silently for God alone.
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.”

Yes, this is a time of darkness,
the Hymn reminds us of that, “All now mysterious”
So we pray that they may be strengthened to:
Ps. 62:8, “Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
and that they would know that,
God is a refuge for us. Selah
All now mysterious – most certainly:
Ps. 62:9,10, “Surely men of low degree are a vapor,
Men of high degree are a lie;
If they are weighed in the balances,
They are altogether lighter than vapor.
Do not trust in oppression,
Nor vainly hope in robbery;
If riches increase,
Do not set your heart on them.

God has spoken once,
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God.”

We are reminded yes, “All now mysterious” BUT they “shall be bright at last.”
We pray for ourselves and the afflicted,
“Be still my soul, the waves and wind still know
His voice who ruled them
while He dwelt below!”

Lord, our prayer for the afflicted is increased hearing during this time of darkness, an increase in hearing of Your song over them, hearing of Your Psalms and Hymns to enable them to Be still and know that
“God has spoken once,
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God.
Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy…”Psalm 62:11.

Lord, that this would be their response to Your song:
“In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.”

“In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
And may we continue to speak to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs so that we can let light in our hearts through the darkness of this world.

Author: Toni Rypkema

I'm a believer in Jesus. Because of this, I am married to a wonderful husband and the mom of a large family. For those who have battled cancer, or any other tragedy or disease, you might understand, I had a choice to get better or bitter. I chose to give thanks to Jesus for my every breath. For that reason alone, wanting to proclaim His goodness, do I write - Toni