In Dark Times
Bible Reading: Romans 8:31-39
Author: Don Greeley (Illinois, US)
Author: Don Greeley (Illinois, US)
Sunday 26 June 2022 © The Upper Room.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition in which a vivid life experience continues to replay in thoughts and dreams and at unexpected and unwelcome times.
It often originates in a life-threatening event, but it can also affect someone whose world is shaken in a less dramatic but intensely personal way. At its worst, PTSD is paralysing and hinders daily life.
As someone who has personally struggled with PTSD I have wondered, is it selfish for a person who is battling PTSD to ask God to remove the condition?
We look to the scripture for an answer. Jesus healed many people, but healing was not his main focus. His assurance to us was and is that God is a source of indescribable power and strength, that he cares for us, knows our names and surrounds us with love.
God may not take away, with a single stroke, the intruding images of PTSD. Healing will come at its own pace. Until then, when the images strive to take control, we can reach out to God, who stands beside us.
We can be assured that we are of inestimable worth to him and that he buoys us up with love.
Prayer: Dear God, you are on our right, on our left, in front of us and behind us. Help us to feel your love carrying us through the dark places in our lives until light shines once more. Amen