The Prayers of a Righteous Man (or Woman)

Yesterday afternoon when my first piano student arrived I was feeling pretty stressed. I have been battling iron-deficiency anemia for several months now, and had an allergic reaction in February to the iron supplements my doctor prescribed, so I've been trying to concentrate on eating lots of iron-rich foods. Last month my hemoglobin was a 12.1, which is just above the low end of the normal range for a woman my age. I've been eating lean red meat, spinach, cream of wheat, and other iron-rich foods, but yesterday when I had my hemoglobin checked it was only 10.3. So, now I have an appointment next week to discuss this with my doctor. I'm feeling tired, stressed, and completely without energy. Exercising makes it worse.

On top of all of this, I got a call from Dustin at the automotive shop that has Caroline's car, saying that the head gasket is fixed ($1700) but that the car appears to have some sort of electrical problem, and could I please authorize some labor hours for them to find the source of the problem.
Me: "How many hours are you talking about here?"  (labor is $80 an hour)
Dustin: "I don't know...we might find it in an hour, or it could be two or three."
Me: "Ummm......so maybe $80, and maybe $240?"
I called Eric at work to discuss it, and he said to give them the go-ahead. We don't really have a choice here; Caroline needs to have a car to go to college and her two part-time jobs. If she uses my van it leaves the rest of us at home with no way to drive anywhere if there is an emergency, or if we have a doctor or dentist or optical shop or any other sort of appointment.

Trusting God to provide for our needs, and that He has a plan in mind, is just so hard for me sometimes. Yesterday He provided me with two people who helped me put things in perspective.

First, Eric reminded me that he would be praying for me and for the whole situation as he worked. He also reminded me about Job and all he went through; we haven't experienced anything like that, and I pray the Lord will spare us from such great suffering. Eric also reminded me of just how amazingly God has provided for us in the past. I need to trust Him to do so again.

My other encouragement came from my first piano student's mom, Melissa. She is a sister in Christ, and when she asked me "How are you doing?" I decided to be honest instead of just saying "Fine." So I shared my struggles, doubts, and exhaustion with her, and she listened patiently. And then she went one step further. When I said "whoops, look at the time, I need to start teaching him!" she stopped me and said "First, I'm going to pray with you." I don't remember all her words, but I do know that she put her arms around me and talked to God on my behalf, asking for His intervention and grace in my life. What a blessing to have friends like her! She even texted me later in the evening to see how I was doing. Thank God for friends who love the Lord and who lift each other up to Him in times of trial.


Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16 ESV)