By Carole L. Haines
We all have loved ones we are praying for, or perhaps struggles we have been battling ourselves. Perhaps we have been praying for a very long time. Doubts can overwhelm us sometimes when we have waited so long. I think of John the Baptist sitting in prison. He had announced Jesus as the Messiah, had seen a dove come down and rest upon Jesus, had heard the voice from heaven declare, “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Yet this long wait in prison had made him doubt Jesus.
Has this ever happened to you? It has to me. Waiting can weary our souls, wear down our resolve, and darken our hopes. But God has been encouraging me to pray more and pray louder, to awaken the enemy out of his false sense of victory and fight for my loved ones and fight for myself in the Heavenly realm. Below is a poem I wrote to start 2024 with prayer, hope and boldness.
Turning Doubting into prayer
by: Carole L. Haines
This long hard journey has left me spent
Hopelessly buried beneath if only’s and regrets
People pass me with quickened paces and chides
As if foretelling a future I carry inside
“She’ll never change,” they say
Shaking their heads as they walk away
But God never believes that, and neither do I
He is conquering the pain I’ve been carrying inside
This Man of sorrows, so acquainted with grief
Whose walk upon earth was profound yet brief
Thirty years of preparation, changing the world in three
Has offered to bear what I cannot abide
To cover and heal what I cannot hide.
Grace is a gift from Him given to us
To pour out on each other with His healing love
A grace too oft forgotten, when someone’s faith fails
We need to believe for each other
Turning doubting to prayers
Instead of rejecting and condemning with our judging stares?
Life is hard people, at times too much to bear
Let’s come alongside each other and rediscover Grace there.
For God promises us that he’ll never leave
So, let’s believe for each other and see as He sees.
“Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)
Happy New Year, everyone. May God fill you with hope and overwhelm your doubting with His faith.
hisshadowings.com 
That is a very good exhortation Carole! I’ve felt like John the Baptist the last few days. I’m also 1/3 thru a book called “Dark Clouds Deep Mercy” by Mark Vroegop which is very much in tune with your words here.
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My husband just said that is the second time he has had that book recommended. I think we will read it together. Thank you so much for responding! It means so much to know these posts reach and bless even one person. Because one person is of incalculable value to our mighty God.
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