Pray the Word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

Second Samuel, chapter 4, verse 4.

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 Jesreal,

and his nurse took him up and fled.

And as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. And his name was Maphibibishath. As soon as I read this story about

Maphisovishath, I immediately think about families and children and teenagers and adults with special needs in

my church family. And I'm overwhelmed, one, by the wonder and beauty of God's grace in each of

these individuals with special needs who were all created fearfully

and wonderfully by God in His image.

And just to see God's unique grace in them and then in their families who care for them and in church family who comes

alongside those individuals and families to see buddies on a Sunday morning individually

connected with one of these children or teenagers or adults to show God's love to them and programs

throughout the week that do the same. And I just want to encourage us as the body of Christ to be

a picture of the love of Christ, of the provision and help and grace and mercy

of Jesus for those families and individuals with special needs around us. I want to pray that God

would help us to be a reflection of his character,

his love, and his help. So God, we pray based on this picture of Maphibisheth and obviously

so much more we could say about him in light of how the story plays out in the days to come

in 2nd Samuel. But we praise you for your grace amidst mercy and power on display in the middle

of special needs. And we pray that you would help us to be a picture of your mercy in our lives,

our families, our churches, to come alongside individuals and families with special needs

...