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Yonks ago, when I was living in Cape Town, there was a song entitled, quite simply, 'Mandy'. It was a Barry Manilow song – remember him? In it, he sings gratefully to a girl who comes to him in his hour of need .
One line in the song goes, 'Caught up in a world of uphill climbing, tears are in my eyes and nothing is rhyming'. If you're human, you'll have had times in your life when you know exactly what the song-writer means.
There may be times when you've felt that the world is against you. And it doesn't help when other people say, 'Cheer up, things are bound to come right', or, 'Pull yourself together, get yourself out of the rut'. You would, if you could, but you can't. So, what's the alternative when you're brooding and feeling sorry for yourself?
I reckon, when you're caught up in the world of uphill climbing and tears are in your eyes and nothing is rhyming, then it's time to turn to Jesus Christ. He's the one who said, 'Come to me all whose work is hard, and whose load is heavy, and I will give you relief'. He's the one who, as the writer of the letter to the Hebrews puts it, is 'touched with the feeling of our weaknesses'.
Jesus knows what it's like when you're having a tough time of it. So, no matter how steep your particular road, do as the old hymn puts it, take it to the Lord in prayer. The problem might not go away in the way you hope it will, but Jesus is the one who's able to preserve you. You'll find support there.
If perhaps you've grown out of the regular habit of prayer, or can't put your feelings of frustration into words, simply say the Lord's Prayer, and that will open your life, with all its pain to God, and he will not fail you. Just as Mandy stopped Barry Manilow in his hour of need, so God, in Christ, will allay your sorrows, heal your wounds, and drive away your fears.
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