The athletes I respect the most are inner athletes — those who compete against and overcome the inner agonies that try to torment them with the bondage of discouragement, moral defeat, and heart-breaking despair. I admire the ones who go beyond their pain and train until they gain the great victory of inner peace and joy.

When the ancient Israelites were being held in cruel bondage in Egypt, they groaned and cried out to God because of their slavery. God heard their cry for help and responded with His concern and supernatural action. He took a humbled group of slaves and surrounded them with marvelous demonstrations of the power and greatness of His presence. (See Exodus 2:23-25.)

I woke up today with this thought on in my heart (about “thoughts and prayers”): To let people know that you’re praying for them is one way to show them that you care. Prayer is much more than mere human thoughts. Heart-felt prayer is a cry of compassion and concern that comes from deep within you. It is to humbly and sincerely plead with the Engineer of all that exists to do good on someone’s behalf.

Let the curriculum of circumstances that circumvents you now create a deep craving for God in your heart until your slavery and painful circumstances cause you to begin to continually groan and cry out to Him. Let that curriculum train, empower, and prepare you to always yearn for, hear, surrender to, follow, and obey the risen Jesus.