Prayer

Recently, as I think I’ve stated in previous entries, I’ve been burdened for a friend of mine. And within the past week or so I’ve been burdened more and more to pray for this individual.

During the message tonight(Though the topic was unrelated to this matter), God and I had a powwow. I began praying again for my friend because I was impressed again to pray for him. So, I was initially carrying on hypothetical conversation in my head with a youth worker at my church.

“What should I do if God lays on my heart constantly to pray for someone?”

Obvious reply, “Pray for them”.

Then I thought, “Well, what if God is giving me this burden to talk to them, help them, guide them? Am I given this to immerse myself in their problems for their benefit?”

Then God took over. “Why can’t you simply pray? Are you so without faith that you can’t trust me to handle it? True, I use people to further my will, but do you recall my word ‘Lean not unto thine own understandings, and in all thy ways acknowledge Him’? Your heart is deceitful. Leaning on your understandings of any matter, but this matter in particular, you will come to a point where you “understanding” thins out. I will handle this. He is my child, and I love him. When I want you to help him beyond asking me to help, I will bring him to you in my time.”

 

 

So, there apparently are things he needs to learn. Things he has to know now. He knows I’m praying for him, he knows I’m always there for him—I’ve told him such. It isn’t my place to pry open his heart. He has to open it himself.

 

How little faith it is to think there has to be something more than just praying to help. I’m coming before the throne of the one who made heaven and earth, who divided the Red Sea with his breath, the one who created me—created my friend. I’m asking His divine help. I’m begging Him to intervene and work mighty wonders in his life.

 

In the end of it all, I must acknowledge God. I must trust in the Lord with all my heart—not leaning on my own understanding. He hears the cries of His children. He loves me, and he loves my friend. I must realize praying may be one of the most powerful things I can do—because it is beseeching the help of the one who can help. I may screw things up if I try to intervene in my time, in my understanding, in my strength. But in God’s time, in God’s understanding, in God’s strength my friend will be healed. “Confess you faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

 

Healing begins with prayer. Prayer avails much when God hearkens to it. God hearkens pray to those whose hearts regard not sin.

 

 

May this situation push me to live right in God’s eyes so he will hear my cry, so he will attend to the needs of my friend.

 

-Kevin