21 Days of Prayer & FastingIsampula

Deep Calls Unto Deep

The most beautiful post popped up on my Instagram recently from the brave and wonderful Joni Eareckson Tada. At the age of 17, she dove into the Chesapeake Bay, misjudging its depth, and sustained a life-changing injury. Fracturing between her fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae, she became a quadriplegic, paralyzed from her shoulders down.

Her words on social media struck a chord: "In my prayer life, of course I pray for a miracle in my body, but to be honest, that's only about 20 percent of my daily prayer. The other 80 percent, I find myself asking God to grant me patience and endurance. To encourage my heart with His goodness and keep my spirits bright. To strengthen my hope, and give me a love for His Word. To deepen my prayer life, and on and on."

Joni's humility and courage deeply impacted me, prompting a reflection on my own prayers today. How have I prayed, and what have I prayed for? God delights in our requests, not as a genie in a bottle, but as a loving Father who desires the best for His child. Yet, Joni focused on the unseen aspects of life: the state of her heart, the cries of her soul, and her devotion to God's Word. Her prayer was: "Lord, help me live my life to please You above all else."

Matthew Henry's Commentary illuminates Psalm 42's essence, centered on approaching God in the depths of prayer: "Whatever waves and billows of affliction go over us at any time we must call them God’s waves and his billows, that we may humble ourselves under his mighty hand, and may encourage ourselves to hope that though we be threatened we shall not be ruined; for the waves and billows are under a divine check. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of these many waters... After the storm there will come a calm, and the prospect of this supported him when deep called unto deep."

Take courage today, dear family. God misses nothing. Allow troubles to draw you closer to the Lord, entrusting every facet of your being to His care. Today, let us implore Him to search our hearts, guide us by His Spirit to pray with faith and anticipation and make our lives a pleasing aroma to Him. Amen.