You know the scenario. You and a friend are talking and you end up saying something or they say something and the response is, “Oh, I’ll pray for you.” We Christians do it all the time. The visit ends and you part ways. Hopefully you remember and say a quick prayer for your friend. But have you ever had someone stop right then and say, “Do you mind if I pray for you right now?” It means a lot doesn’t it? I have a friend like that. It doesn’t matter if it is 2 am in a motel room at a conference that we have to be back up for by 6 am or on the phone, Robbin has just stopped and prayed for me right then and there. And it has always meant a lot to me, it wasn’t just a Christian phrase or platitude, it was sincere. Since then I’ve started noticing times when I could do the same. But so often I don’t. The other week at the jail a lady came up to me after the service to ask for prayer. I did stop and ask her if I could pray for her right then. I grabbed each of her hands in my hands and just started praying over her. It was all Holy Spirit, it was awesome and definitely not just me saying words. She and I could both feel the presence of the Lord and I think I would have kept praying for quite a while if the guard hadn’t come and rushed me out of there. But more often then not, I let an opportunity for both me and another person to be blessed, pass me by. Well apparently God is trying to get this into my head because it has come up several times lately and then yesterday there was a small article about it in the February 2010 HomeLife magazine. It states almost exactly what God has been telling me. Allow me to share:
Prayer Farce
“I’ll keep you in my prayers.” Have you offered these words of comfort to someone and then failed to follow through with your commitment? This means you’ve missed an opportunity to meet with God on someone’s behalf. For Christians, prayer is not optional and should not be taken lightly. Casually telling others you’ll pray for them and not really meaning it is counterfeit Christianity. And telling others you’ll pray for them just so you have the right words to say is a farce of faith – and an abandonment of God’s provision. When you offer prayer – and follow through – you unleash the power of God Almighty against adversity. The book of James reminds us that “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16b, NIV). Prayer changes lives. It sustains the hurting through tough times. It provides hope for restoration. And prayer battles the enemy. This is why prayer is not a casual promise. If you’re not going to pray for others, zip your lips. But know this: When you intercede for others, your own walk with God goes to a deeper place. So get real. When you make a prayer promise, mean it. And then do it.
On the next page in the magazine under a section titled, Prayer Unleashed, this suggestion jumped out at me:
The absolute best time to follow through with a prayer promise? In the presence of the person in need. Simply ask, “May I pray for you right now?”
Wow…so right there in print, was almost word for word what God has repeatedly been laying on my heart. For me, it isn’t so much the fact that I don’t pray for them…I do. I actually keep a post-it note on my work computer monitor of people to pray for by name each day. But was more the concept of praying for them WITH them, right then and there.
“Dear God, may I not pass up on the opportunities You present for me to unleash Your mighty power. Please don’t let pride or fear stand in the way of what You would have me to do. Give me the boldness to come before Your throne, with confidence that as Your child I can come with requests and You are always available and there. No matter the location or time of day. You, who know the number of hairs on our head, care about our every worry, no matter how great or small. Forgive me for the times that I’ve felt something was too small to come to You about. Thank You for all You have taught, and continue to teach me, despite my stubbornness to learn. I love You Lord!”
Hannah, the Lord has been dealing with me about the very same thing. I do try to pray immediately so that I won't forget, but it is often a hasty prayer so that I can be sure I didn't lie. Please ask me about this occasionally. I do want to make this a change in my life, too.
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