Keeping My Eyes on God Through Prayer
"To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
Behold, as the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he has mercy upon us." ~ Psalm 123:1~2
Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective disorder are progressive diseases. Can people recover? Sure. Can some live productive lives? Absolutely. Do I hope for that for my son? You bet.
But the reality? There is no known cure. Heck, there is no known cause. So herein lies a huge hurdle for me, the mom of a very sick son: Keeping my eyes on God, not circumstances.
Several times in any given week, my son can go one step forward and then out of nowhere, two or even three steps back. Two more steps forward and then...you get the picture. It can be a roller coaster of emotion for me if I don't fight to look to God. When my son is doing well, my hope can swell like a giant tidal wave only to crash the next week when my son's mind takes another turn. This happens when I begin to put my hope in what I am seeing. In my son's progress or his seeming digression.
Yesterday, after my son's counseling session, I encountered yet another temptation to be discouraged. He had been doing so well, growing and progressing. I was encouraged, and then a little setback. I asked God when I drove home afterwards to help me. "How do I keep my eyes on you in this?". Immediately God reminded me: "Pray". Pray for my son to be kept from temptation. To be kept from evil. God brought to mind the fact that my son is a sinner, just like me. We all have setbacks. Only he has the added layer of difficulty with a mind that doesn't process information so well at times.
Does scripture not apply to my son because he has a disease of the brain? Absolutely not! I am so grateful to God for His kindness in reminding me of that truth. For the gift of prayer, a solace and direct line to the throne of Grace at any given moment. That's how this momma can keep my eyes on Him.
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
Behold, as the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he has mercy upon us." ~ Psalm 123:1~2
Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective disorder are progressive diseases. Can people recover? Sure. Can some live productive lives? Absolutely. Do I hope for that for my son? You bet.
But the reality? There is no known cure. Heck, there is no known cause. So herein lies a huge hurdle for me, the mom of a very sick son: Keeping my eyes on God, not circumstances.
Several times in any given week, my son can go one step forward and then out of nowhere, two or even three steps back. Two more steps forward and then...you get the picture. It can be a roller coaster of emotion for me if I don't fight to look to God. When my son is doing well, my hope can swell like a giant tidal wave only to crash the next week when my son's mind takes another turn. This happens when I begin to put my hope in what I am seeing. In my son's progress or his seeming digression.
Yesterday, after my son's counseling session, I encountered yet another temptation to be discouraged. He had been doing so well, growing and progressing. I was encouraged, and then a little setback. I asked God when I drove home afterwards to help me. "How do I keep my eyes on you in this?". Immediately God reminded me: "Pray". Pray for my son to be kept from temptation. To be kept from evil. God brought to mind the fact that my son is a sinner, just like me. We all have setbacks. Only he has the added layer of difficulty with a mind that doesn't process information so well at times.
Does scripture not apply to my son because he has a disease of the brain? Absolutely not! I am so grateful to God for His kindness in reminding me of that truth. For the gift of prayer, a solace and direct line to the throne of Grace at any given moment. That's how this momma can keep my eyes on Him.
Comments
Made me think of this oldie but goodie!