James 5:15-16 (NIV)
15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
When was the last time you prayed for someone other than yourself?
There are SO many among us that are quietly suffering, but because we are so consumed with our own lives, we fail to see it. Society has become so “me” focused and selfish in general that more and more persons are being lost to depression and suicide at an alarming rate. I recall viewing a story done on CNN where a doctor in Baltimore spoke to a study that was released on how during this new economic crisis the cases of depression and suicide have increased. But, unfortunately, more than half of the cases have not been treated because those in pain aren’t seeking and getting the help they need. Instead many are walking around masked and grinning their way through. And, this is wrong.
As people of faith, we are always told that we should celebrate in advance of our breakthroughs and blessings. And, I totally agree with that. We should not give on-going attention to what’s wrong in our lives, but does not giving attention to what’s wrong mean ignoring what still needs to be healed?
How can we celebrate a breakthrough that has not been exposed, addressed and sincerely healed? How do we expect people to one day be depressed and then the next day be on cloud nine? You might say that is not accurate, but I beg to differ. Even if the person does not act like they are on cloud nine that next day, when we choose to ignore the signs that a person continues to give us because we don’t want or feel like taking on the responsibility, we have convinced ourselves and oftentimes the person who is hurt, that everything is fine.
In my opinion, the church, the body of Christ is where you find the most masked pain. We must begin to be more inviting and accepting/sensitive to the hurts of others. Everyone in pain feels like their experience is theirs only. But, it’s not true. We must be willing to be transparent with our own painful pasts/presents…in doing so, someone could possibly be healed…including us. Depression and suicidal thoughts can be prevented, if we would stop long enough to listen, watch and if nothing else pray. Today, pray for those who you know or don’t know that are in need of a mental, spiritual, financial, emotional and physical healing. There is healing power in prayer.
Walk in faith; live in love,
Mo Wood
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WHO IS MONICA WOOD AKA MOWOOD?
Monica Wood is one who faith walks even when she doesn’t want to. Through trial and error I have made some mistakes – not many are visible – but all have left a reminder of their existence. It is through the scars that I have learned what kind of faith I have and what kind of God I serve. And, for close to 4 years now I have been led to share some of my scars, during a season of “transparency”, in the form of daily or weekly or even monthly devotionals.
Over the years, I have received unsolicited feedback with surprising testimonials that were sparked by my transparent messages. All remarks and reactions have been a blessing and encouragement. However, I am led to write because I like to write out where I am and how God is working in it. Now my writings have a title, “MoMoments”. I pray this blessing will be a blessing.
ADDITIONAL
Monica Wood is a business owner/entrepreneur. She is president/owner of MWPR, Inc., a full-service woman-owned/operated Public Relations consultancy specializing in Religious and Sports PR, Brand Development and Crisis/Reputation Management. Her passions include sports, reading, spending time with her family and friends and being an active participant in various ministries in her church, The Park Church. Her personal ministry has always been mentoring young girls. In 2004, Wood created Hiz Temple™, Inc. Initially created to spread God’s word through hip clothing, Wood soon realized that God wanted HT to make a larger impact on the lives of young people. Through scripture reference I Corinthians 6:19-20, Wood expanded HT to include creative ministry workshops and travels to churches and community groups speaking to young girls and women on how to love themselves and develop a relationship with God.
