Prayer For Help To Lift Up My Eyes Beyond the Frustrations and Difficulties Around Me

 Lifting Up My Eyes

I recently read again the story of Jesus when he went to the tomb where his friend Lazarus was buried, spoke a command, and Lazarus came back to life.  A significant part of that story, of course, is the part where Jesus waited to go to Lazarus with help for a couple of days after he was informed.  Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus both mentioned the fact that if Jesus had been there Lazarus would not have died. 

Jesus kept reassuring them that He had the solution they needed.  They kept on crying and grieving.  Jesus went to the tomb; had people remove the stone from the entrance of the tomb despite the worries that after four days his dead body would be stinking.  They just couldn’t see what Jesus knew and trust what He was telling them because it was so far beyond what they expected.

During this intense time of aggravation, sorrow, misunderstanding, and even accusation, what did Jesus do?  He lifted up his eyes and spoke to His father.  He did it out loud, not because He had to for His own sake but for the sake of others around Him. 

Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

John 11:41-42

I was challenged when I read this to consider my own response to the times when I feel surrounded by troubles.  During this time of the double health crises of the opioid overdose problems and the COVID-19 pandemic and then all the smoke of the past period of time, it has seemed like one challenge on top of another.  People are getting ill.  Friends are dying.  We are not able to get around and do things as we would like.  It all seems endless. 

My prayer for myself today and for all of us is that we would have the kind of faith and trust in the goodness of our Heavenly Father that Jesus had and that we would lift our eyes above our challenges and our sometimes heavy emotions, and thank God because we know He hears us, always hears us, and has brought us to this time to show His glory so others will come to put their faith and trust in Him. 

And so God, I think I’ve already begun the prayer when I just said that we need the same kind of faith and trust in your goodness that Jesus had when He staying in such close contact with You that He knew when and how to act – but had complete faith that You would act and bring deliverance.  We too experience pain and sorrow and frustration in our days and hear the stories and hardship of many.  To the average onlooker it might seem like we have been abandoned to our troubles and that there’s no hope for us. 

But that is NOT the case.  We thank You today God that You do hear us, You always hear us and You are ready and willing to work in us and through us to bring about Your blessing in the lives of those who are in trouble and sorrow today.  We pray for faith and strength to keep lifting up our eyes to You just like King David must have been feeling when he prayed:

I waited patiently for the Lord;  he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.

Psalm 40:1-3

Help us to also wait patiently for You knowing that You will turn to us, hear our cry, lift us up, and set our feet on a steady and firm path.  Not only that, but You will do things in such a way that we will be filled with joy, have a new song in our mouths, a hymn of praise to our God.  Lord, to live like this is not beyond us.  Jesus came and lived as a human among us, experienced the challenges we face, and showed us the way to live as You desire. 

Forgive us for our impatience, our lack of trust in Your love for us and Your willingness to act on our behalf.  Forgive us for believing that You did not do what was needed in the time that it needed to get done.  Your ways are higher than our ways sometimes just like it was Your plan to raise Lazarus from the dead rather than to simply heal a sickness.  Help us in humility to surrender to Your plan without giving in to despair and unbelief. 

But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, “The Lord is great!”

Psalm 40:16

Strengthen us to live this way, Holy Spirit.  God is great.  God is good.  God is for us, not against us.  Help us to stand strong in that today no matter what happens.  Help us to lift up our eyes and our hearts with compassion and faith in such a way that others will see Your saving help and along with us be able to say, “The Lord is great.”  Amen