In sickness and in health

This is not about marriage its about sickness and health. Just recently I have got bashed by a virus and then it was followed up by an infection. Several days off work and when I did go in lethargic and fatigued. I am taking anti biotics now which have started to attack the infection plus killoff loads of useful bacteria but hey, I'm fed up with it now. Having said that I have noticed something. My spiritual life has taken an upward turn whilst I am dragging my body about. If you have seen my last blog on prayer you may question that, but the fact remains that I feel spiritually clearer if that makes any sense. "Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed daily", Seems to me that the inner nature responds well to the bashings the outer nature receives. I have often had profound things happen to me whilst I have been ill. Sickness and health go hand in hand each blow of sickness on the outer man weakens the barrier that keeps the inner man from communion with God. The coming of health seems to reinforce the outer nature and that sense of closeness to God lessens. Lets hope the effects of sickness cause permanent change, I like feeling well but I also like being close to God.

Prayer

I have been a Christian for yonks but it occurred to me whilst driving to work this morning that I don't really know how to pray. Better qualify that. I can pray for people in a response time in a meeting and it seems to work relatively well, good results quite often. I mean particularly praying for a person when they aren't there. Apart from the Lord's prayer, the part about "this kind only comes out through prayer and fasting" and that bit about agreement (and we say prayer agreement Jesus didn't) there isn't that much to go on. It seems they didn't have regular intercession in the new testament or if they did it didn't get a mention.

Anyway, I am driving to work and I start trying to pray for someone I know who has a difficulty. I think I can diagnose that difficulty as having its root in the fact that that person has never really felt loved, by God or anyone else for that matter. I say "lord this person needs a revelation of your love" that's it. What do I do now after a five second request. It's over, finished, done, no agonising no groaning no burden carrying. I cannot conjour up those things. I wonder if anyone else has this dilemma? "professional" prayers tend to do my head in a bit, there is this kind of mystique attached to it all. I've read Rees Howells - Intercessor, I have heard about carrying the burden and all that but one wonders if God creates the method to suit the person rather than the other way round. Maybe for me the five second burst of "please sort it out Lord" is all he thinks I can cope with but I must admit (not that this should the aim of my praying for others) it leaves me somewhat discontented.

Tatoo Covenant

Coming back from the optitians just now I noticed a woman at a bus stop with a large tatoo on her upper arm. I was not close enough to see what it depicted but it set me thinking about the whole tatoo thing.
 We live in an age where most things are temporary, even the things that are supposed to be permanent like marriage for example. Almost everything is reversible. Why is it then that the practice of doing something to your body which is going to go with you to the grave is so popular? Life goes on, the tatoo remains after the relationship has ended and after the skin has aged to an extent where it no longer looks really cool. The tatoo has become the most permanent thing, yeah they can be removed I gues but all you are left with is a space where a tatoo has obviously been you can't reverse the fact.

The truth is that a high percentage of people who have tatoos will keep them for the rest of theirs lives, that's got to be the highest level of committment on the planet. Pity it isn't for something worthwhile.