Pray, Pray, Pray

“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:34-36

I doubt if many people take Jesus’ warning seriously because it is after all, about the end of the world. But His advice is valuable for this strange age we are living in. First, He tells us to beware when our hearts may be weighed down by carousing or drunkenness. I’ve never engaged in dissolute behavior while in a drunken revel and I assume it will not be pleasant the morning after. But Jesus puts being weighed down by the anxieties of life on the same level as carousing and drunkenness! Anxieties I am familiar with! I sometimes literally get breathless when signing many checks at a time! I know it is because the times are not normal. For months, all our stores were closed, and the only income we had was coming in from online sales which was not enough to pay for our expenses! 

I know Jesus is talking about the end of the world, but if our hearts and minds are filled with anxiety, it can also feel like we are being trapped between a precipice and a hard place with nowhere to turn. What is the solution Jesus gives us? He says to “be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:36)

There is a lot to be gained by following Jesus’ teaching. Be on the watch. Observe what is happening. Be open to new opportunities. Don’t be consumed by what ifs, but be mindful of the present so we can act accordingly. And then, even more importantly, pray, pray, pray. My sisters and I have been praying together every day on Viber. We take turns leading. I have to confess placing all the concerns of our business, my health, my brother’s health, all those who are sick, etc., before God’s throne, has mitigated in no small way my panic attacks. Also, one of my sisters signs all the checks first. That has also made a difference. When we pray, God helps us, giving us small and big concrete solutions to “escape” our anxieties and enable us to “stand”. Especially sometimes when we feel we do not know what we are doing. When it seems there is no way, God can make a way. That is my constant refrain these days!