Monday Morning Manna: Praying Through Transitions

Transition is tough! I wonder how old does one need to be before life is not punctuated by transitions? I’m not sure. You’ll need to ask that question to someone older than me. I clearly remember transitioning from being at home all day, as a five-year old, to going off to school every morning. I did so with a prayer from and with my mother, the greatest prayer warrior I ever knew. She faithfully prayed every day, that I would do the best I could, with what I had, for Jesus’ sake, on that day. She taught me early that prayer was the way to deal with transition. From early school days, and off to college, through marriage, through parenting, through career adjustments, through mid-life crisis, through grandparenting, through health issues, and through retirement, my life has been marked by transition, and continues to this day. The idea of praying through transition has been enforced by two special passages of scripture: “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established” (Proverbs 16:3, NASB) and “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Often the measure of maturity is how well we manage transitions. I recommend management with prayer.

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.