"I’ve come to the place where I have had to stop telling people, “I’ll pray for you. I simply know that despite my good intentions—and these promises are almost always spoken with good intent—I know that nine times out of ten I just don’t remember to follow through. Not until maybe a week or two later, and then I feel guilty that I forgot. I don’t like promising something I probably won’t live up to. You know how these stories go: someone you care about tells you of their pain, need, or struggle, and you respond with, “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that; I’ll pray for you.” But then, most of the time, we never do. If all the prayers that were promised were actually prayed, this would be a different world by now. So instead of promising future prayer, what I try to do nowadays is stop, right there in the moment, and pray. Right then and there. It’s funny how many Christians this actually throws off guard. “You mean, right now?” “Yes—absolutely. Let’s pray.” In the restaurant, in the car, on the plane, wherever. If it’s a text or e-mail request, I’ll start praying as I type my response, typing out a prayer for them right then and there. Not only does it help me follow through, but it helps them to agree right along with what I have prayed, and agreement is mighty powerful as we know."
This
reminded me of a man who is an acquaintance of my husband. John met him
in the post office one day two or three years ago.
"How's it goin', John?" He asked.
"Pretty good for an old man. But, I have a friend who is having a pretty difficult time."
"Well, let's pray about it then" said the man. Right there in the middle of the post office, the man put his hand on my husband's shoulder, bowed his head and began to pray for the difficulty my husband's friend was having.
How many of us are ashamed to pray in public, right on the spot for another person's problem? Are we guilty of saying we'll pray for someone, whisper a short, silent prayer at that time and forget it?
" Let us then come with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16 Modern English Version
"How's it goin', John?" He asked.
"Pretty good for an old man. But, I have a friend who is having a pretty difficult time."
"Well, let's pray about it then" said the man. Right there in the middle of the post office, the man put his hand on my husband's shoulder, bowed his head and began to pray for the difficulty my husband's friend was having.
How many of us are ashamed to pray in public, right on the spot for another person's problem? Are we guilty of saying we'll pray for someone, whisper a short, silent prayer at that time and forget it?
" Let us then come with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16 Modern English Version
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