A prayer for when you have lost everything

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; shot down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus is also manifested in our bodies “. - 2 Corinthians 4: 8-10

It was 3:30 in the morning when I got the call that changed everything. “Jennifer, you have to get out of the house. Your neighborhood is flooding, ”my friend sobbed hysterically. Unsure if I was dreaming, I got out of bed, down the hall and out the front door. Floodwaters were pouring into my neighborhood, faster than I can describe. Within 20 minutes, we were loaded into the car and fled the scene. It only took a few hours for the 2016 Louisiana flood over my house and wiped out pretty much everything I owned: baby photos, wedding albums, first letters from my kids, everything.

There is someone reading this who is there, right now. You have lost everything; you feel you cannot go on, you are sure that no one sees you. I'm writing this for you today. I am writing to tell you some important things to know when you lose everything.

You haven't lost everything. It may seem so today. It may seem that the dark cloud has been following you for too long. Maybe you have lost a lot in a short period of time. Maybe you lost your job and your health is deteriorating and your mother just died. I don't know what your loss is like today and I wouldn't dare to minimize it. Take your time to mourn the loss. Take your time; let time heal the wounds of loss. But please know: you haven't lost everything. God is with you. Like a born-again son of the King, your salvation is not lost. Your future beyond this earth is secure.

It doesn't matter how you feel today. It doesn't matter if you can't feel the presence of God. Feelings are temporary and fleeting. What is true is that He is with you. Satan would like nothing more than to convince you otherwise. There are thousands of lies that Satan will whisper in your ear. But that's exactly how it is. They are lies - lies from the pit of Hell, strategically designed to hold you back, destroy you, steal your hope and kill the joy of your future. Don't put up with it.

You have been given the authority to resist the lies of the enemy. You have the authority to bring down his plans of attack against you. Know that you are the beloved of God. He sees you. He loves you. You are not alone.

A prayer for when you've lost everything:

Lord, I'll be honest: I feel like all good has been taken away from me. And I feel like I've let that happen. Can I admit it to You? Thank you for being old enough to handle all my fears, anger and uncertainties.

Lord, thank you for this truth: I am afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, downcast but not destroyed.

Lord, help me, give me your Spirit, help me to know your goodness even in the midst of this pain. Help me out of this pit, Lord, and onto firm ground.

Thank you, God for never leaving me. Just help me to have hope in You.

In the name of Jesus, amen