Daily InsPirational MOments with Rev. Dr. Precious Prothro

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t’s Okay to Pray for You, Too.

Often when I pray, I pray for others before I pray for myself. I work to follow the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer. There are times, though, when I have issues that I need to stay in prayer about a little longer. Like the song says, “It’s me, it’s me, it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.”

I don’t think we should be selfish in prayer. There are so many in our circles and throughout the world who need the strength of our prayers. When we pray for others, we can trust that God has someone praying for us too.

But it is also okay to lay our own cares and concerns at His feet.

Yes, God already knows what we need. But we need the release that comes from giving those needs to Him. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” What a comfort to know that the things weighing on us matter to God.

You know the saying, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” Well, the way we are filled is by seeking God, connecting with His Word, and praying. Prayer replenishes our souls. Prayer keeps us connected to our power source. Prayer is essential if we are going to endure.

Even Jesus gives us an example that it is okay to pray for ourselves. In Matthew 26:36–44, as He faced the agony of the cross, Jesus prayed about what He was facing. In His humanness, He expressed His own anguish and His own desire to the Father. Yet, in the midst of that deeply personal prayer, He surrendered it all to the Father’s will: “Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

Therein lies the key.

We can pray for others, and we can pray for ourselves. We can tell God what hurts, what frightens us, what we desire, and what we need. We can stay there a little longer when our own hearts are heavy. Then, we surrender it all to His will.

Sometimes, it is me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer. And whether we are praying for others or praying for ourselves, we can rest assured that we are heard, we are loved, and we are cared for.

Father, thank You for allowing us to bring every concern to You. Help us to faithfully pray for others while remembering that we can also bring our own needs before You. Refill us when we are empty, strengthen us when we are weary, and help us surrender every prayer to Your perfect will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Who Is Really For Us?

Do we ever really know who is for us or against us? Who is a friend or an enemy? Who has our back and who doesn’t?

The truth is, sometimes we don’t know until a time comes when we actually need a friend.

Relationships can be tricky. People we thought would always be there may walk away. Commitments can change. Loyalty can shift. Sometimes we receive an explanation, and sometimes we are left trying to understand what happened.

That reality can make relationships frightening. It can make us want to guard ourselves so closely that no one gets close enough to disappoint us. But we were not created to walk through life without relationships. We need one another. We need fellowship, community, accountability, encouragement, and love.

So, how do we navigate relationships when we cannot always be certain of another person’s heart?

We pay attention, we use wisdom, and we pray for discernment—but ultimately, the only heart we are responsible for is our own. We can know what kind of friend we are.

We can love with a pure heart. We can speak the truth in love. We can pray for our friends. We can be honest, loyal, compassionate, and trustworthy. We cannot control whether someone stays, leaves, supports us, disappoints us, or changes. But we can ask God to help us remain who He has called us to be.

Human relationships may change. Some are lifelong, while others last only for a season. We may not always know which one we are experiencing until something changes.

But there is one Friend whose commitment we never have to question.

Jesus is ever-present. He is our Comforter and our Guide. His love isn’t dependent upon circumstances, convenience, or changing feelings.

How do we know?

John 15:13 says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus didn’t merely tell us He loved us. He demonstrated it.

So, yes, relationships require vulnerability. Sometimes people will surprise us with how faithfully they stand beside us, and sometimes we will be hurt by those we never imagined would hurt us. We cannot live our lives constantly trying to figure out who might stay and who might leave.

We can simply love with wisdom and purity, be the kind of friend God calls us to be, and place our ultimate confidence in the One Friend whose love has already been proven.

Father, give us wisdom and discernment in our relationships. Help us to love with pure hearts without allowing disappointment to make us bitter or afraid. Teach us to be faithful friends, and remind us that no matter who comes or goes, we can always depend on You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Hard Seasons, Steady Faith: This Season Is Not the Whole Story 

Life happens. Things shake the ground beneath us. Things get really tough at times. And we feel.

We feel anger, fear, hurt, loss, and anxiety. We also feel joy, gladness, peace, hope, and love. Sometimes life feels like a seesaw, with one side carrying more weight than the other.

Those are realities of life. But here is another reality: it is possible to maintain faith in God through every season.

Two things can be true at the same time. I can be facing real adversity and still have faith in God. I can hurt and still believe. I can be afraid and still trust. I can have questions and still know that God is faithful.

Faith does not require us to pretend that what we are going through isn’t hard. Faith says, This is hard, but God is still God.

We don’t always like to hear it, but seasons are necessary. Consider Joseph. From Genesis 37 through Genesis 50, his life changed again and again. He went from being his father’s favored son to being thrown into a pit. From the pit, he was sold into slavery. From serving faithfully in Potiphar’s house, he was falsely accused and sent to prison. From prison, he was eventually elevated to the palace.

There was turmoil. There was heartache. There were victories. There were disappointments. There were good seasons and painful ones. Yet through it all, the dream God gave Joseph continued to unfold.

Joseph’s circumstances changed, but God’s faithfulness did not. “To every thing there is a season…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

That means the season we are in is not the whole story. No season lasts forever. The seesaw may feel heavier on one side right now, but we cannot allow the weight of this moment to make us forget the faithfulness of God.

So, whatever season we are in, we must continue in faith. Feel what we feel. Acknowledge what is real. Walk through what we must walk through. And still trust God.

Because while our seasons change, our God does not.

Acts 14:22 reminds us to “…continue in the faith…” and that “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”

Two things can be true: life can be hard, and God can still be faithful.

Father, help us to trust You through every season. When life is heavy, remind us that our circumstances may change, but Your faithfulness never does. Give us strength to feel what is real while continuing to walk by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.