Plain old material poverty. Inability to feed your family well. No money for school fees. Fields producing little/nothing. No money to pay debts. Broken and hurting and sick bodies. Some of this is due to poor decision making, some to lack of education, some to environmental reasons, some to sickness… and it can be overwhelming. What is the solution to all of this? Some of these needs may have solutions, but nothing is for sure. The only thing for sure is this: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight, momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 5:16-18) So pray that the Lord would meet their material needs, but even more, that he would meet their spiritual needs, and would fill them with joy, stamina, and faith even in poverty situations. Specifically, for A and for Mama J, who are both in somewhat dire straits.
