A Prayer for the One Who Is Weary of Things Falling Apart - Your Daily Prayer - April 28
A Prayer for the One Who Is Weary of Things Falling Apart
By Sophia Bricker
Bible Reading:
“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, NLT).
Listen or Read Below:
The collar was bright red when we bought it. Perfectly matching the heart tag that bore her name, the colorful material stood out on our dog’s dark fur. When she shook her head, the tags jingled, providing a reminder of where she was in the yard. And whenever I took off the collar to brush her, my dog would stand still until it was clasped back around her neck.
As fresh as the collar looked, though, the material eventually faded in the sun. Today, almost a decade after my dog's passing, the collar looks more gray than red, and the ends have frayed into hair-thin threads. It sits on my shelf as a reminder of what has been, and what is gone.
Like my dog’s collar, other things in life deteriorate. Clothing wears out. Items lose their functionality. Wood decays. But not only are materials fraying; our bodies are slowly wasting away. None of us remains in a state of bright freshness.
Scripture is clear about this reality. Because of sin’s impact on the world, everything and everyone is dying. We are never made to believe that we can stop the effects of time on the things we own, or on the people we love. Yet, even as the Bible is clear that all die because of our relation to Adam, it also affirms that death is not the end of the story for those who trust in Jesus. As 1 Corinthians 15:22 says, “Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life” (NLT).
Every day, we might be slowly wasting away, but we are also moving toward glory, as today’s passage reminds us (2 Corinthians 4:17). Inside of us, the Holy Spirit is working to renew our minds according to His truth and to grow us so that we increasingly look more like Jesus. Our eternity, which we cannot yet see, will make our present struggles appear small in comparison.
For the Christ follower, life does not end with the final breath or beating of the heart. Jesus entered our world of disorder and decay to rescue us from sin’s effects. In Him, there is a reversal of time’s effects. We will live even though we die (John 11:25). And one day, death itself will die when our Lord returns to call forth His followers from the grave (Isaiah 25:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:14). That which had decayed will be made whole again–better than before.
So, let us mourn the deteriorated collar, and allow the fading flowers to remind us of our mortality. But may we not lose hope when things within and without begin to fall apart, for the threadbare pieces are waiting to be renewed. We can wait with them, fixing our eyes on eternal promises that can never break or waste away.
Let’s Pray:
Lord, there are times when it seems as if everything in life is falling apart. Appliances need repairs. Shoes wear down and get holes. Even health and relationships seem to be deteriorating. Despite this decay around me, and in me physically, I trust that You are in control and that the fullness of the salvation You give is coming. Help me to develop an eternal gaze that sets my hope on what is secure, though unseen.
Renew my strength, O Lord, whenever despair creeps in at the reminder of shattered dreams and the gradual loss of health. My hope is in You. May You keep transforming me until I resemble You.
In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Share your reflections on today’s devotional in the Your Daily Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Adrian Swancar
Related Resource: A Prayer for When You Feel Spiritually Tired
There is a particular kind of exhaustion that has nothing to do with how much sleep you got last night. It's the weariness that settles into your soul when you've been going hard for a long time — when prayer feels hollow, worship feels distant, and you find yourself sitting in church thinking about everything except what's being said. If that's where you are tonight, this episode was written for you. If you like what you hear, follow Your Nightly Prayer on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
