A Year of Being Kind blog – Sunday, June 29, 2014
Be Kind? In Prayer!
There are a myriad of different ways to be kind. To be of service. I’ve shown lots of them, both personally as well as through my weekly Feature Friday post. One way I haven’t shown too much in this blog is being kind by prayer. Or, in prayer. That is, by praying for people. Or, for situations.
I know that praying for individuals or for situations seems like something a super-holy, squeaky-clean person might offer to do. I’m seeing someone who carries their e-book Bible (complete with Bible concordance, Bible dictionary and Bible commentary) with them everywhere they go. Or, perhaps their personalized Bible with the flowered pink-leather-embossed cover in the needlepoint bag. Um, yeah. That’s not quite me.
I know that anyone can pray. God wants us all to come before God. Now, not everyone wants to pray, or get close to God. Some people just come to God when they really want or need something. Or, when they’re really in a pickle. (People I am acquainted with call these ‘foxhole prayers.’) “Oh, Lord, if You do this for me, just this once, I promise I’ll—“ and then, dot, dot, dot. Making deals. Bargaining with God.
There are other people who don’t really think about God at all, because their lives are going along on an even keel. Sure, life may throw them little bumps and curves now and then, but it’s pretty much smooth sailing. Until it isn’t. I don’t care if it’s a diagnosis of cancer, or a serious accident, or a catastrophic heart attack or major stroke. Life sometimes isn’t fair. And then what? What do these folks do now?
As a chaplain in the hospital, I sat with many of these people in the Emergency Department, or in the Intensive Care Unit, or next to their hospital bed. I journeyed with them for a short way, listening to their stories. Mourning their losses. And—saying prayers.
Now, I’m in the position of a pastor at a church. And, I’m preaching a summer sermon series on—prayer. That’s right, prayer. I hit on a different aspect of prayer each week, and I find I’m re-learning lots of things I had once known and since forgotten about prayer . . .
This is one area I just love. I particularly relish leading in prayer, and encouraging others to pray with me. I know very well I’m no great shakes when it comes to being faithful to God. I’ll be the first to admit that! But, I try to be faithful. Lord, I believe—please help my unbelief! Just so, Lord, I do pray . . . sometimes. Please, help me to be more faithful in prayer!
Thanks for the opportunity to tell others about prayer. About communicating with You. Any chance I can get, that’s what I really want to do. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayers.
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A Year of Being Kind 