How do you react when you hear someone say, “I’ll be praying for you” or perhaps “our thoughts and prayers are with……”. Frankly, it can be hard to not be a bit cynical when you hear that. Unfortunately, we’ve become a group of people who are really good at saying things that sound good, but not actually meaning at all what we say. The best example that I can think of is how we say “how are you doing” as a form of greeting, not really expecting any sort of response.
But some words are too important to become empty statements. A pledge to pray must never be something said flippantly. The reason behind that is simple – prayer is powerful.
Now, if you want to get into a theological debate about the efficacy of prayer, and whether or not prayer has any impact on God, please know that I will happily engage you in that debate. But that isn’t the point that I’m trying to make right now. Because for a prayer for someone to be presented to God, someone must do the presenting, and that is the person that I am most interested in with this posting.
In order for a person to pray for another, two critical things must happen. First, the praying person must be aware of the person for whom they are praying. This doesn’t mean that all of the details must be known about what may be going on in a person’s life. However, there must be some minimal level of awareness, and that awareness creates a connection between two people that may not have existed previously.
The second thing that must happen is that the praying person must want to pray for the other person. No one forces us to pray, so if we are praying for someone else, it is out of our desire to lift them up to the Lord, to bring that person to God’s attention, for whatever it is that we think they need. Building upon the connection already established by simply being aware of the other person, this sets the tone for that connection because it means that we want something better for the person that we are praying for.
At that moment, no matter what God may do in response to your prayer, the world has been changed by establishing or strengthening a caring relationship between two people – even if it is completely one-sided and the other person has no idea that you are praying for them. The person who is doing the praying is now far more likely to physically reach out in kindness, offering from themselves that which might be helpful to the other person. This is precisely why we must never simply toss out a phrase like “I’ll pray for you” without actually intending to follow it through. It is too powerful to cast about like so many trite or meaningless statements. In an era where we seem to be growing more callous and colder towards one another, praying for each other can bring about softening and warmth. As neighbors, as a community, and as a nation, we need that desperately.
To my neighbors and community, know this: I’ll be praying for you. And I pray that you will do the same.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron