Andi Anderson

Have you ever had one of those weeks where nothing could get you down? It feels like you are walking hand in hand with God. He’s got you. You’re His girl, and He isn’t going to let anything knock you down.

And then there’s the week where everything seems to be going wrong. You forget your morning devotion time or skip it completely on purpose (!?). You’re at your Husband’s throat for no reason. AND you’re on your period.

While the last 16 weeks or so has been closer to the first described, this last week has been all of the second scenario and more.

Perspective Check: I don’t have cancer, I’m not addicted to drugs, and I’m not pregnant (Yay God!). This is a little thing some of my closest friends and I do when we’ve had a really rough week. And considering most of them are of menopausal age, it really is a YAY GOD that they aren’t pregnant. 

I was reminded this morning that prayer is one the most important weapons we have in our spiritual arsenal. I wish I would have done more to listen to that reminder. Hindsight and all that… The week has left me so emotionally raw. I can’t seem to focus, I’m on the verge of tears, I feel like I’m going to just lose it at any moment, my husband is getting the beating from it all, and all I need to do is stop and pray.

We could probably quote scripture to each other all day long about prayer: where to pray, how to pray, when to pray, what to pray, praying in Spirit and truth, praying continuously… Really, the list could go on. I could fill this blog post with all those scripture references, but where’s the fun in giving you all the answers? Open up your Bible and study prayer for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

I’m writing to you on my lunch break now. I want to convey to you how prayer has affected my day. When I began my day I was easily angered, picking fights with my husband, running to the bathroom every 15-30 minutes to have a mini cry session (talk about being unproductive at work!), unable to focus, and everything was setting me off. I sat in my car for lunch and started typing this post, and it was awful! The anger inside me was pouring out onto the screen in front of me and I couldn’t stop it. I finally threw my phone down on the seat next to me in utter frustration. “This is awful!” I yelled at God. And then it came. The release I needed. Sobbing, pouring my heart out to God. “I’m sorry I’m so angry. I’m sorry I can’t do it all. I’m sorry I’m letting people down. I’m sorry I was so mean to my husband…” The list went on. All the things I’ve been holding on to for days now came gushing out in tears, sorrow, pain and snot. I took a breath, and then I was done. I simply didn’t have any more tears to cry, no more snot to wipe. The sorrow and pain were gone. And all that remains is a peace that I can’t explain.

I needed to unload all my burdens to God, because that’s what He wants from me. I love being able to talk to Him about whatever: constipation or diarrhea, marital problems, parenting problems, friend problems, work problems, I get to thank Him every morning for the beauty I see during my commute, I get to praise Him for His handiwork I see in my life, I get to worship Him with my words for no reason in particular except that He is God.

Prayer is a mighty tool. A weapon that can not be forgotten during your battle. Our battle is 24/7 my friends, which is why we are instructed to pray continuously. Our enemy does not rest, but even greater than that, OUR GOD DOES NOT REST! He does not sleep. He cares about all the details of your life, big, small and everything in between.

I once had a patient tell me she only talked to God about the big stuff, because He was so busy you know with all the wars, and cancer, and other big stuff people have going on. How sad her faith must be. How misinformed she was. I pray to this day that she would know God’s true character. And I pray the same for you.

Share your life with God, share your heart with Him.