Thorrain
Disciple of Prayer
I will try to keep this as short as possible. I am 55 years old, a Musician/Drummer, and I knew early that God had blessed me with abilities that only He can give. In no way do I mean to boast, but my talents were obvious, however, I was also born at 5 1/2 months, so I had to fight to live. It left we with some physical challenges that I worked to overcome, as well as treatment-resistant depression from an early age. Grew up in a family of artists of all types, and this made us a “family”, but quite aloof and unemotional with each other, ironically. My Dad did require Sunday School and Church of Christ attendance twice on Sundays. The A Capella singing (and our joyous song leader) were crucial in my development. I was Baptized at 13. I did attend college, but stopped early to chase my music dream, as if my time was running out. We think we know SO MUCH when we’re young. Being in the Music “biz” has been eye-opening, but the dream I’ve been chasing (which, through much prayer and the exhortation of fellow musicians to not give up, I believe IS God’s purpose for my life), has been within my grasp, only to slip away by the actions of others. But, the last two years, starting with an auto accident where I fell asleep at the wheel, with no major injuries to anybody, Thank God, have been one trial after another. At the time, I was still praying sporadically, but my Faith had fallen into disrepair from all the years of hard work, and coming close, but never stepping on the top of the mountain. With age came more modest expectations, but still the same “so-close” outcomes. About a year ago, I found that the lead vocalist/Bassist of a group of Christian musicians I had admired greatly for decades had admitted to some lifestyle choices, but more importantly, openly now denied Jesus being his Lord and Savior. Something about this event made me actually feel that I needed to DEFEND Jesus! And after the feelings didn’t subside, I asked God to allow me to return as the Prodigal Son, and to rebuild my faith. Not only has life become more difficult, but I doubt if I could ever fully surrender everything, every problem, my dwindling finances, my depression and anxiety issues, into His hands. I want to SO VERY MUCH! I long for the release of the burdens I’ve struggled with for so long, just so I could have some of His peace. I pray and talk with Him, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit numerous times each day. I cannot truthfully claim that God has “abandoned” me, as he has blessed me unexpectedly several times in the last six months, if just to keep my head above water. I just hate my doubting times. I know He understands that we are weak, but I feel as if my faith “rebuild” has been a test in itself, on top of everything else. I struggle mightily, and I realize God is building perseverance, but I need hope, because I’m losing it each day. If you made it to this point, Thank You for reading my novel/testimony/request.