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Bible Passage: Luke 4:18-19
This Christmas season is not over yet. Well, maybe it is for those folks that take down all their Christmas decorations today. Unlike them, we don’t even take our tree and decorations down for two more weeks. We love this season. However, there are those who have a very hard time right now due to numerous problems in their lives.
I met Vicky, a store clerk, on December 23rd. She looked very sad. I asked if she had any prayer needs. Her biggest problem, she admitted, was just getting out of bed each day and facing life. Hey everyone, that’s a big problem. Then on Sunday at our nursing home worship service, I met a caretaker of one of the residents. She too seemed quite depressed during this most joyous time of the year. I had asked for prayer requests from the group and I received a few, but not from this woman. Afterward, I went to her and found out she had a very important prayer need. It was the first Christmas for her family after the death of her mother. The entire family was enduring much sadness at this time. Others I spoke with over the past few days have family members with cancer, various family struggles, and complex character issues that make things tough in their lives. Then this morning I read these words from Jesus,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people.” (TEV)
Struggles can sometimes make us wish we were dead. They can make us feel like we are prisoners. Struggles can make us blind to the blessing Jesus died to give us. Jesus’ words should be uplifting to us if we struggle. However, just reading his words aren’t always a magic potion to happiness. Oftentimes, Jesus needs to work through us to help our friends and family through their struggles. Who are you going to help today, this day after Christmas? As for me, my always open invitation to pray for you is still here. We have a phone number too. It’s at the end of this email. We’re here to talk, my wife or myself. I wish we could do more and we look forward to a time when we can.
May you be blessed this week and remember, Jesus wants to set all of us free from any struggle we encounter.
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