My day yesterday was full – full of hurrying to get to one place, waiting, then more hurrying and waiting. First, it was hurrying to a 10am appointment for a mammogram, which didn’t actually take place until 10:40am. We left that office around 11am, made one stop on the way, then rushed to another appointment, this time with one of my doctors, only to settle down for another time of waiting. We finally got in to see the doctor, then left and hurried home in an attempt to miss a major storm that was coming. Overall, it was a productive but exhausting day.

As I was reflecting on the day this morning, I recognized it provides a good description of how my life has been recently – a series of moving quickly from one problem to another, only to enter another time of waiting on answers. At the same time, it’s been a spiritually productive time, even though as I write this the answers to several months of prayers are still in the future. And like my day yesterday, the process has been exhausting.

So how do we make it through such times of waiting? There are many answers to this question, but I want to share just one that has really helped me during this time. It’s based on Psalm 55:22, which says “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”

How do we cast our cares on the Lord? One method that has worked extremely well for me over the past three months is prayer journaling. Through prayer journaling, I have shared my thoughts, emotions, and fears with God daily, casting them on the Lord. Then, I’ve taken time to listen for His response, which I also recorded in my daily journal entry.

This definitely has not been an easy time. Some days between the daily struggles of living with the pain and limitations of chronic pain and illness, dealing with new problems concerning our special needs son, and living with the daily stresses we are now facing, it has been hard to keep going. But sitting down each morning and sharing my current struggles with the Lord has consistently strengthened me to face another day.

Through this discipline of honestly sharing my heart with God on a daily basis, sometimes through tears, and then listening to His instruction for the day, I have truly been sustained. This season of testing is still not over. But even now I can look back on it as a time of spiritual intimacy with the Lord, hearing just what I need daily to keep pressing forward through another day.

No matter what you are facing today, I recommend highly that you take time every morning to cast the burden you are walking under on the Lord. Come to Him with honesty and humility, not trying to be “spiritual,” but  genuinely expressing what is on your heart to the Lord. Then take time to listen to His response. I believe you too will experience His sustaining power through whatever you are facing.