“Jonathan, the son of Saul had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel and his nurse took him up and fled. And as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.”
– 2 Samuel 4:4
As soon as I read this first and second Samuel about a special need and Mephibosheth, I think about families and children and teenagers and adults with special needs across the church that I have the privilege of pastoring. Long story short, my predecessor and our church, Lon Solomon, he and his wife, Brenda, have a daughter with special needs and many years ago started a special needs ministry in the church and to see the fruit of that ministry every Sunday and caring for children of all ages, teens, and adults. When I walk through our building and I see different programs going on for adults with disabilities or teens or children.
Praying for Those with Special Needs
God, we pray for children, teenagers, adults with special needs around us for families with children who have special needs.
And then if you’ve ever heard about Jill’s house, it’s right next to our Tyson’s location at the church that I pastor. And it’s an amazing ministry that provides respite for children and rest for families who have children with special needs. All this to say, we are all surrounded in our communities and our churches by children and teenagers and adults and families with special needs.
And I just want to lead us to pray that God would help us to be a reflection of his character and his love, his provision, his help, in the lives of those with special needs around us, that God would give us eyes to see and hands that are willing to help. And even as we pray that God would help us to stand faithfully as intercessors on behalf of families with special needs around us. So let’s pray based on second Samuel, chapter four, verse four, together, God, we praise you for your beautiful, wonderful creation of every single person made in your image.
2 Samuel 4:4 Praises God’s Beauty and Grace
God, we praise you for your beauty and wonder, even in the middle of special needs. And God, we pray you would help us to love one another well, particularly in a world where so many have different special needs. And the range of those needs is so wide, God, so many different people in pictures of special needs coming to my mind right now.
God, we praise you for your love for us, for your care, for every single facet of each of our lives. And God specifically for the way, all throughout your word, you show yourself as the one who helps and defends and provides for those with particular needs. So, God, we intercede right now for children, teenagers, adults with special needs around us for families with children who have special needs. God, we pray for your strength for them. God, we pray for your help for them, for just extra measures of grace.
For every moment, for every unique challenge, God, we pray for rest. We pray for your provision in every way they need and God, we pray that as your church, as followers of Jesus, we would be faithful to reflect your provision, to reflect your character, to reflect your a help toward those around us.
2 Samuel 4:4 Prays for Love when Caring for Others
God, help us not to turn a blind eye, a deaf ear to those who have special needs, but God, to reach out with love, grace, care that flows directly from your character. Help us to be faithful in this way in our churches. Help us to be faithful in this way in our communities that your love might be clear through us in a world filled with so many different special needs.
We love you, God. And we look forward to the day when all who trust in you, all who know you, who have experienced your love and the power of Jesus will receive resurrected bodies and where there will be no more hurt and no more special needs. God, all glory be to your name for the hope of full and final and ultimate redemption. So until that day we pray, help us to be faithful representations of your character and your love in our day. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
