Slam! You've hit a wall. Life is incredibly difficult, filled with storms and attacks. All seems bleak, and you are struggling to get up and function. You know you need God. You know you need consolation, but it seems that The Lord has withdrawn. You've heard it said that when you feel most alone and inconsolable, it is when He is nearest to you. You don't feel anything. The cross is heavy that minute, that hour, that day, that week, that month, that year.Your words stick to your throat or in you heart. You cannot utter a cry to God. How can you return to the presence of God, if there are no words? How can you communicate with The Lord and open up the channels of consoling and redeeming grace?
Stop
And be
Still.
Put Yourself in the Presence of God
and
Listen.
Luckily, it's not our job to work miracles. That's God's job. Remember, He knows what's in your heart. He knows what is happening to you, and He is using it to purify and strengthen you. Remember, gold becomes stronger in fire and as it is pounded and shaped. Strength comes from the storms that pound and twist us.
When words fail us, God is often saying to us:: Shhhhhhh. Be quiet, My Beloved Child. Sit in my presence and and let Me love you. My Beloved, sit with me. Let Me hold you and comfort you. Words are not needed between us. Sit in silence with Me. I AM working miracles for You.
The pain is great.
Sometimes it’s physical pain.
Sometimes you feel mental pain.
Sometimes you feel both.
When it hurts,
When you hurt,
How do you pray?
Offer
It
Up.
There's no earthly payoff when you offer your sorrows, your pains, your discouragement, your joys to God. Modern society does not offer you cheers and accolades for enduring your pain, so give everything to Jesus. Jesus accepts all with joy knowing that you are uniting yourself with His redemptive suffering to save souls. Through your sufferings, you will help to save souls. Offer it up.
Words are stuck at the bottom of your soul. You sit, you pace, you offer it up, but you still cannot pray. What can you do?
Read
Sacred
Scripture.
Meditate
On
What
You
Read.
Think about Sacred Scripture.
Write about Sacred Scripture.
Talk with Jesus about Sacred Scripture.
Ask the Holy Spirit to direct your reading.
Suddenly,
You
ARE
Praying.
Open your Bible. Turn to any page. Ask The Lord to speak to you and make you aware of what He wants you to understand. Think about a favorite verse. Find that verse in your Bible. Meditate on what you read. Keep a notebook handy with a pen or pencil. Jot down your thoughts. Make sure you write down the name of the scripture passage you read. For example: Mathew 3:16. Go back and read the passage again. Trust that God is communicating with you.
Pray
The
Rosary.
Use the wrote words of this ancient prayer and meditate on each mystery. Focus on the words of The Apostles' Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be. Recite each word slowly and with purpose. The words are already written for you, you only need to say them. Pray them from your heart.
Perform
Acts
Of
Charity
With
Great
Love
When words fail, get up and move. Find a food shelter where you can volunteer. Visit the sick. Write a letter to someone who might need a kind word. Write a letter to someone thanking them for a kindness, whether they might remember or not. Make a phone call. Visit a nursing home. Ask God to send you those to whom you will minister. Become aware that others, whom you can help, are a source of grace for you.
When
Doing
These
Things
You
Are
Praying.
Prayer to God does not always need words. Prayer is uniting yourself to His love. He's there, and He knows you. He knows your heart. He's counted the hairs on your head. Unite yourself to his Unending Love, and you are praying. Run to the Father with open arms, and He will hold you in His Loving arms. Jesus, our brother, will protect you. The Holy Spirit will inspire you.
If God is for us, who can be against us? Pray. Pray. Pray.
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