I'll Pray for You, Maybe

How many times have I made the promise, "I'll pray for you about that."   In our culture it is considered a basic courtesy to those in need.  My secular friends will say something like, "you are in my thoughts today."  But Christians are expected to say, "you are in my prayers."    We throw it around like "please" and "thank-you." It is no more than a social courtesy.

After I make a promise to pray, one of two things usually happens.  Sometimes I make the promise and just forget.  I never think of the person or their situation again until I see them.  Then I feel guilty for not praying for them and their distressful situation.   Truth be told, I am often too wrapped up in my own life to think about others' needs.  In other cases I remember their request and make a quick cursory prayer, not really believing anything will happen, but reassuring myself that I have met my obligation.

I know a few people that tell others they will pray and mean it.  They actually struggle with the burdens of friend and stranger alike.  They are the ones that come back later and ask how God has been working in the situation.  I really want to be like them, but, I am just not there yet.

Don't get me wrong, I do pray.  And in addition to my other conversations with the Father, I pray for the needs of others.  If something or someone is really weighing on my mind, I will take it to God in passionate supplication.  At those moments I expect God to do something about my prayer.  But, to be honest,  this is doesn't happen nearly as often as I'd like.   

Following Jesus means praying.  Jesus was all about praying.  He did it alone(Matt 14:23), he did it with his disciples(John 17).  He  prayed when he was happy (Luke 10:21), and when he was distressed almost to the point of giving up (Luke 22:42).   Jesus spent a lot of his time explaining how to pray.  He said we should be persistent because God wants to answer our prayers (Luke 18:1-6).  He even said to ask for anything in his name and it will be done (John 16:24-28).

Prayer is power.  Not in itself.  A lot of people pray and nothing happens.  But praying to our loving Father in the name of Jesus, under his authority, that is something else.  If we really recognized the power that is released when we take our requests to God in the name of Jesus, we would pray a lot more, and promise to pray a lot less.  We would not flippantly tell people that we will ask God to do whatever they desire.  What if they are asking for something that will hurt them or others?  Jesus healed sick people, but he didn't heal everyone who was sick. I am still not sure why he healed some of those he did and why he didn't heal some of those he didn't.  Until I figure it our, I am a little more hesitant to just start praying that every sick person I know or have heard of is healed.  Praying in Jesus' name is a responsibility of the utmost importance.  He asks us to represent him on earth.  He gives us the authority to do so.  That is humbling.

So if you come to me and ask me to pray for you, maybe I will and maybe I won't.  If I do, it is because I believe I am following in the footsteps of Jesus to complete his work, to advance his kingdom.   It is because I have decided to take your burden, on myself and wrestle with God on your behalf.  If I don't feel God compelling my heart to pray for your need, I might just say, "you are in my thoughts," or if possible, I will just do something to help you.  Rather than pray for your will to be done, I may pray that you will come to accept the situation God has put you in and that you will grow as a person out of your suffering.

Prayer is too powerful to be a social courtesy.   Please don't mistake my intentions.  I am not trying to be a jerk by not praying for you.  I am trying to pray for you in a way that really matters.  It's not that I am trying to pray less.  I am trying to pray more.  But more importantly, I am trying to pray more like Jesus.