Sinking Times Are Praying Times

“Sinking times are praying times with the Lord’s servants.” – C.H. Spurgeon

Overall, I enjoy excellent health, especially for a 66-year-old man. In fact, this past Monday night at our weekly Living H2O Initiative program for at-risk youth, I played six half-court games of 4-on-4 basketball against young men 40 years younger than me. Our team won three of them and I knocked down several 3-pointers including one game-winner.

That being said, I occasionally wrestle with two ailments that leave me flat on my back. The first is vertigo, something I’ve been dealing with for the past four years. The attacks got so frequent and so debilitating that I had to go to the ER several times to get relief after hours of nonstop dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. Thankfully, a combination of prayer, chiropractic visits, dietary changes, and medication prescribed by a neurologist has the situation under control. Instead of 3-5 episodes per week, I have only had two in the past year… and they were relatively minor by comparison. Moving out of our 34-foot trailer into a concrete block house has apparently helped, too.

The other condition I battle is a hiatal hernia. A couple months ago I had an endoscopy and a minor surgical procedure to correct it, but it still flares up from time to time… and when it does, the pain is absolutely excruciating. Sharp stabs of pain start in the middle of my chest and radiate around to my back and nothing – painkillers, a heating pad, or antacids – seems to help. I just have to grin and bear it until the pain decides to subside on its own after about six hours or so.

In both cases, when either the room is spinning amidst a vertigo attack or shockwaves of pain are shooting across my midsection, I simply cry out, “Jesus, help me!” and “Jesus, have mercy on me!”

Two short, bite-sized prayers offered out of sheer desperation… and guess what? Every time I utter them, Jesus hears and answers. Maybe His answer doesn’t come immediately, but it always comes eventually. And in the meantime, His grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9).

As Charles Spurgeon said, “When we can do nothing, Jesus can do everything; let us enlist His powerful aid upon our side, and all will be well.”

“But when he [Peter] saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” Matthew 13:40 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President