When the Covid crisis began last Spring, my husband and I were expecting our first child. Dreams for that glorious day when we would meet our little girl were dashed when we learned of hospital restrictions, airline cancellations, and lockdown procedures. My husband and I were getting a taste of parenthood during a pandemic.
Just over 24 hours after delivering our little one, we were packing up and heading home where there were no visitors waiting, no extra hands to help out, and no hot meals being delivered. Isolated, sleep-deprived, and puzzled by all the unknowns with a newborn, my spirit struggled to call this joy. Streams of postpartum tears were the only expression I had left in me.
About halfway through the book of Acts, we find the apostle Paul in Philippi sharing the good news of Jesus. Paul encountered a slave girl with an evil spirit and he cast the spirit out. This cost the owners of the slave girl some fortune-telling money and they had Paul thrown in jail.
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.” (Acts 16:25-26 ESV)
When all is stripped away, we still have everything we need to praise and pray.
Paul lost his freedom but he didn’t let a dark place pull him down. When pressed, Paul responded to his trial with praise and prayer; two things that could never be taken away.
In his difficulty, Paul decided to sing. He didn’t dwell on his dire situation, the darkness, or the detour from his mission, but instead placed his thoughts in a position of praise and prayer.
A change of heart
This summer in the middle of isolation, my pastor stood on the stage of our empty sanctuary and begged the Church not to lose hope. He said, “fatigue is the great enemy of faith.” He urged us to grab a notebook and use entire sheets of paper to write out encouraging reminders to hold fast to our faith. He told us to tape them to our refrigerator where we would see them often. Two of those reminders included “sing a little louder” and “fill me Holy Spirit.”
For seven months my husband and I kept our reminders up. Daily we drew strength from singing praises and praying for the Holy Spirit to fill us up. We praised God for delivering a miracle and we prayed for the eyes to see it. We praised God for providing for our family and prayed for opportunities to share it. We praised God for our spiritual family and prayed for those living without it. Those praises and prayers purified our own hearts.
Praise and prayer are two of the most powerful privileges we possess that no circumstance can take away.
My heart, and my words, changed when I chose to live life from a place of praise despite the question marks looming over my circumstance. My prayers went from “save me, God” to “I trust you, Jesus.”
There is rest in my soul knowing the Lord will not let even the changing of a single dirty diaper go to waste. He is chiseling my character out of the trials of motherhood.
Friend, if you have stumbled into a dark place or are struggling through a difficult season, my hope is that your spirit will be lifted when you think about who Jesus is and how much He has saved you and me from. May you find the strength to lead your days and all the moments in between with praise. I pray you will find the courage to sing a little louder to our Creator, our Savior, our Truth, and Light. God sees you. He knows your situation. And He longs to be gracious to you. May you lean into His love with your prayers and rest in the assurance that He’s got you in the palm of His hands. And may your heart stay ready for the “immediately” or “suddenly” that typically follows close behind.
So where will you start with your praise? Your health? Your home? Our Faithful Father? Our Savior, Jesus?
What are you holding control of that needs to be surrendered in prayer? The choices your children make? The way your spouse expresses love? How a friend, family member, or neighbor responds or doesn’t respond to your request?
Not sure your prayers are making it to heaven? Here’s an article to remind you of the power behind a common man’s prayer: https://trishakeehn.com/the-miracle-in-a-common-mans-prayer/
© 2020 by Trisha Keehn. All rights reserved.
First Published on Empowered Women Faith Club
Dear Trisha as I read your article ..my heart was so sad for your and YET so GLAD that you are learning thru these heartaches (the pandemic ,etc) what it took me many years to learn… thru heartaches and rejections and abandonment from sources that ought to have been a source of comfort and peace & love but they all fell thru one right after another ,Sure there we small losses .. early in my life .. being married to a police officer and having 2 small sons.. and yet even with a husband & my beloved boys life still fell apart . slowly or sometime quickly but by the end of it ..which is where I am now as I turn 81 this May I NOW realize that GOD”S fingerprints were all over every ‘loss’., every rejection, every abandonment & disappointment …………and I have been able to say finally for the past 3-4 years that ‘thru it all I learned that ‘ when GOD is all I had -GOD was all I truly Needed”
as one of my 12 step program sayings go.'”” everybody and everything will eventually let you down’ therefore build such a relationship with your GOD that you won’t even hardly notice — when the room is empty but your heart is
completely filled with the Lord”
blessings to you dear one.. prayers abound from me to you & your family..
Joyce H
Joyce, what a remarkable testimony you have. I like that, “… build such a relationship with your God that you won’t even hardly notice when the room is empty but your heart is completely filled with the Lord.” Last April when it felt like the floor was pulled out from under me I needed the Word daily more than ever before. As you can imagine with a newborn, I wasn’t getting much sleep at night. Having a newborn with colic and severe acid reflux, I wasn’t getting much sleep during the day either. So to find time to crack open my bible seemed nearly impossible. I was desperate in my soul for Living Water. The Lord said to me, “I’ve given you everything you need. I’ve been preparing you for this moment. You’ve been soaking in my Word daily for weeks, months, and years. You have what you need to get through this. It’s in you.” Tears streamed down my face. He was right. And though I still longed to sit with His Word, I knew there would be a day that would come and it would be even sweeter. But in that moment and for the weeks to come, I had to trust and rely on what He had already planted inside. I rolled over the verses I knew and started reciting chapters in my mind. Everyday He’s preparing us for the next and the next. We have everything we need to get through the next moment if we would only learn to lean into Him and trust. I’m convinced that even if we only had a day in the Bible or even just a moment touched by the Holy Spirit, it would be enough to prepare us for that next moment in our lives. He is our Jehovah Jireh, our Provider. Thank you for sharing your story, Joyce. You have a rich testimony at (almost) 81. My life has been blessed hearing your story. I’m praying for your spirit tonight. All my love, Trisha.
Congrats for being parents. God has trusted this little’s one soul to you, despite the darkness of the times. “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light…” I hope this light shine in your lives.
Thank you so much! We receive that word!