It’s Not A Lonely Road

Philippians 4:6 – 7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I have an incredible circle of Godly people I look up to, including some of my dearest friends from Church, people who reach out me to pray. Some of those requests are for my eyes only, and for the eyes of our little prayer team, and some can break your heart.

On Tuesdays a small group of us head into the Pastors office to pray, for our Church members, our nation and the world at large, we pray for friends and strangers alike. And when my closest friend from Church can make it she does, she’s an incredible prayer warrior, with a powerful testimony that inspires me to do better on a daily basis.

The other day after prayer, we had a rare opportunity to visit, even if only for a short time, and to talk. Honestly I was able to unburden on her, because she is one of those people you can absolutely trust to not gossip, or to twist anything you say out of context, and sometimes I just need to vent, and she listens, without judgement.

A true friend is someone who sees the pain in your eyes while everyone else believes the smile on your face." — Unknown

I am a firm believer that the good Lord puts people into our lives to draw us closer to him, to humble us and remind us that we are not the only ones hurting. He often shows us his love and compassion through others, the friend who calls at the right moment, an unexpected gift, a welcomed phone call, that reminds us we are not alone. Of course we know that the Lord is always with us, but we need people in our lives too.

As much as I love the privilege of praying for others, there are times I am the one who needs to unburden, to talk to the Lord yes, I cast my burdens on him, because he carried that weight for me. But I am lucky to have those I can turn to when I just can’t form the words myself. He has people stand in the stead for me.

Romans 8:26–27 NIV

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. [27] And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

I don’t want to come off sounding like I put the people in my life before God, because that’s far from the truth, but what I am saying is that I know that the Lord places people into our lives for a reason, and sometimes its because we need someone to lean on in those moments we are carrying a heavy weight, he wants to use the people in our lives to draw us nearer to him.

Our walk with Christ is our own unique path, but that does not mean we are not going to have people who come to join us in that path, he places people in our lives as mile markers of sorts, some will only be there for a mile, others will be there for the long haul, but each one helps us to highlight our gifts, each one brings something to our lives.

Copyright Michelle R Kidwell

January.23.2025