Friends Who Pray

I had the neatest thing happen this morning.

When I woke up and checked my phone, I had a text from a friend.

She's a sweet friend. Not a super-close friend, but a casual friend. A sister-in-Christ.

Her message was simple: She had heard that my Logan had been accepted into the OTD program (Occupational Therapy), and so she texted to say that she was so happy to be marking him off of her prayer list! And she attached a picture of a page from her prayer journal, with a big line drawn through the prayer request for Logan.

Honestly, I had forgotten that I'd asked her to pray about Logan getting into this program.

And as her words sank in, I died.

No, seriously. I. DIED.

Because WHO DOES THAT?

Do YOU?

When you ask someone to pray for you, or one of your children, do you think they really pray for you, or one of your children? Or is it just something people casually say?

And when someone asks YOU to pray for THEIR child, do you really pray for their child, or do you just say it as an off-hand remark: "I'll keep you in my prayers."

I don't mean one time, because most of us can remember to pray for someone one time, right? How many times do we mentally think, "pray for ______, CHECK!" And then move on with our day...and our lives.

I guess that there are some people I believe will pray for my family...you know, parents, close friends, Sunday School teachers. The rest of the people, you never really know if they do or not. But here it was...in black and white. A page from her prayer journal, and my son's name...there in the middle of a bunch of other names. Family, friends, strangers...all in need of prayer.

I was so incredibly touched that this friend...this lady who lives in another town...took time out of her busy schedule...away from time spent praying for her own family and close friends...to pray for my son.

That is powerful, people.

Because, don't y'all just get tired? Weary? Burned out?

What would it mean to you, if you found out that someone was praying for you, or for one of your children? Wouldn't it mean the world to you?

This is what we need to be doing, y'all.

And, hey...I'm really preaching to myself. I could seriously cry at the times I've been so casual about it.

Prayer...it's not magic. It's not voo-doo. God is not like Santa Claus.

Prayer might not change your circumstances, but it might. And if it does, it's not you...it's all God.

God can use your prayers to change your heart, or the hearts of others. Prayer brings us all together for a common goal. It binds us together in a way that nothing else does. It points us to the One who is the giver of everything, the Source of all life, the Compass Who shows us the way, the Comforter in all circumstances.

It's supportive. It's encouraging.

It holds up the arms of those who are weary.

We should be intentional about doing this for others. Who can you pray for today?

"Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17