My prayer to cope with illness

Read John 11:4
"When Jesus heard that. he said, This sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby."

Dear our Father in heaven, please use my illness as a tool to glorify your heavenly name, to spread the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Please allow the illness to humble my heart and make me more conscious of the type of love you behold for me. Lord please allow this illness to draw me closer to you, to make me more aware of how much I must depend on you for strength, courage and ability to get through difficult periods in my life. Lord I hope that my trials will bring great praise to your name and my difficulties in life will lead me to bring glory to you. I hope that the way I respond to my situation will show others that my strength to endure comes from the most high, our wonderful God in heaven. I pray that my actions show that I am walking the path through this life along side my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and it is he who carries me when I am weary. Lord, I thank you for the medical doctors that have been given the ability to research this disease and ask that you be with them to open their eyes even more. Lord I thank you for the answered prayers I have seen time and time again. I thank you for all of the prayer warriors that day after day continue to pray for me. I give you all the honor and the glory for the wonderful results of those prayers. Lord, I ask you to be with those that are going through sad and difficult times. Lay your hand on them and give them the peace they need. Lord just wrap them in your arms and hold them close so they can feel your presence and glorify you by giving their situation over to you and relying on you to give them the strength they need to get through it. Please continue to use my situation to draw others closer to you Lord and to draw myself closer to you. Without you in my heart, without you in my life I wouldn't get through any of this. So thank you Lord for never forsaking me and always being along side me. I turn my life over to you Lord, you know the reasons behind what I am experiencing, you know the greater scheme and meaning of my life. Give me the patience to endure whatever I must, the courage to face whatever life gives me, the strength to hope for a brighter tomorrow and the love to share with others the blessings you have given to me. I ask all of this in the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. -amen

Standing by the Waters edge

Have you ever stood by the waters edge and felt the peaceful surroundings? You can feel serenity when standing near the rushing waves along an oceans beach, lying by the sunny seaside, boating in a lake cove or just sticking your feet into a creek bed. It is easy to sense the tranquility that the water brings if you open your heart to its glistening qualities.

As you stand at the edge of the water where it meets up with land that forms the shoreline an inner sensation overpowers you which impresses the emotional comprehension that there is no limit to harmony in the world. Sadly that only lasts for a short time and soon life spins back into play and you must return to reality.

When life is bearing down on you like a storm take a moment to return to the waters edge and feel the calm. Take a trip to the waters edge in person, in your thoughts or even in your dreams. Allow the experience to relax you and bring you to a special place where peace and tranquility reside. Store a little of that in your soul to take along with you as you cope with each new day.