I wanted to title this blog post "The power of prayer" but I did not think it was a fair title because I have not, and maybe never really will see the results of the prayer that I have done for others. Nor am I aware of how many people have prayed for me to get me where I am. But, this post came about from something that God has been teaching me about a weak- or at least reminding me about.
I have been going through a lot of life changes, as most college students have after they finish their school year and transition into summer. Now, I would like to claim that I had it harder than anyone else, but that is simply not true. But, it was enough stress for me to want to talk to everyone about it. And when I talked to anyone about it, I asked them all to pray for me. When I had an interview, I asked for prayer. When I had a test I asked for prayer. When I had my first day I asked for prayer. This went on for a while. I was calmly, and without really thinking about it, asking people to pray for me. I knew what it meant, but I had forgotten what it really meant.
Suddenly, as I was becoming more comfortable with people enough to tell them my problems and prayer requests, I found that many people were telling me their prayer requests to me as well. So, I would pray for them from the moment that they told me as well as every time I thought about them for the next few days. I found there were quite a few times when they had a prayer request about a specific time of the day, when I would look at the clock and realize that it was going on right then, I would pray. But, I kept on getting more than more prayer requests in my head. I had over 10 (which might not sound like a lot, but it was for the more already overloaded brains) people who were telling me different things that they wanted me to pray for them. I was so thankful and glad to be able to do so, but I was concerned that I would forget one of them or get some of the details wrong. Now, of course, I have been praying for most of my life. I have heard lots of sermons about it as well. I know that there is not really a wrong way to pray and that God knows what I mean when I misspeak or was misinformed. So, I am not too concerned about praying wrong anymore. But, I do like to intentionally pray for a specific person instead of in generalities.
As a Missionary Kid (MK) myself I know what it is like to be prayed over. This is a wonderful experience, and I think it is something that everyone should experience or at least understand that it is going on. My family would get to share in some churches about how God was using us to do His work and we would have people pray for us as we continued through that. They would pray for specific requests that my family would give, and that frequently included us kids. So, my parents wrote in updates about things we had going on. For example, when I graduated high school and was moving on to college, I know that I had hundreds of people praying for me as I stepped into a new area of life. Sometimes I wonder where I would be if I did not have a host of people praying for me. And because prayer is something we all can do in the quietness of our hearts, I will never know how many people were praying for me and how many people are still praying for me today. This makes me want to pray for so many others to return the favor, to "pay it forward", and worship my King. I want to thank Him for the people He has placed in my life that whom I can pray for.
Prayer might seem so insignificant, but it has way more power than we may ever realize. Prayer is a part of spiritual warfare. It is a tool that Christians can wield against the attacks of the enemy. We cannot fight and succeed in our own strength. But, when we call on the powerful Savior, He can fight the battle and get the glory. Prayer seems so small, but it has lasting impacts on so many people.
The sad thing is that there is a stereotype, once I got onto the internet a few years ago, in the Christian circles that we claim to pray for people, and then we never do. I was really sad as soon as I heard that this was a thing. OF course, I know that we are humans and we forget frequently. But, it is sad that there are people out there making blank promises without the intent to ever keep their promises and actually pray. Ever since I realized that was a thing I promised myself (and asked God to help me) remember to pray for the person as soon as I hear about their prayer request as well as remember to continue to pray for them as the days, weeks, and months go by. Plus, keeping in touch with them and checking up on them is important so that they know that I am praying for them and that they know that I care. I know that I appreciate it when people check on me.
Before someone can just go around praying for everyone, they need to understand how to pray, right? Well in a sense, yes. But, prayer does not have to be a formal specific ritual with a routine. Prayer is a conversation with God. It does not take a formula, nor does it have to be complicated, long, or planned for (thought planning is good, too). To understand how to pray, it just needs to be understood that it is half of the communication with someone who is why higher and has more power than we will be able to grasp on this side of heaven. When I talk to my Lord and Savior I am asking the Most High to help me with small little problems that almost look nonexistent from His point of view. But, He knows how big of a deal it is to me and He listens. I know that I am talking to someone that holds great power, but I also understand that I am talking to my best friend. I don't have to use big words, but I know that I can be honest with Him and open up. I don't have to hold back anything.
As I have written this blog I have prayed for a handful of people in my life.. more than ten, that is for sure. I am constantly reminded of people that I can pray for and specific areas that they have told me about. I also know that I can pray for them without knowing their exact needs because I know that God knows their needs. Romans 8 talks about how the Spirit that lives inside of me acts like a translator, communicating my prayers and needs in groanings that words cannot express. While this seems to indicate specifically for me, I am sure that he can do the same for things that I do not understand.
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