I have made them, and promptly broke them. This year, I decided to make goals, and not necessarily complete them in 2014, but work towards them.
However, I have come up with a good resolution for all of us to make. To make it and keep it. It is something we Christians should already be doing, but I don't think we do it enough. What is it?
Prayer. Specifically, prayer for others.
It is so easy to say it. Someone asks you to pray for them, and you promise to, but how many of us really do? More than just the day they ask us to? I ran across the picture in a book I have, and though it is humorous, it is also a sad commentary on the way too many of us carry through on praying for people:
Just in the last few months, I have had some people confide some things in me that shocked me. A couple of those times were to ask for prayer, and I have done my best to pray, but it has reaffirmed something for me: The people we rub shoulders with are often going through things we have no idea about. If someone asks for prayer, they need it. They really need it.
Just today, someone who is a Facebook friend sent me a message and asked me to pray for her and why. I was shocked. She had asked for prayer from everyone before, but never said why. I promised to pray and tried to say something encouraging, but you know what it sad? It is sad that it took her telling me what was wrong, for me to actually pray for her. And I doubt I am the only person like that.
Occasionally, my pastor will ask for special prayer for someone he doesn't name. There have been a couple of times when we found out later what it was, and it was always big. The break up of a family we had no clue was having trouble. A serious health issue no one knew about. As I told a friend of mine recently, when our pastor has a special prayer request, it is most likely serious.
If you got to my church, you may want to skip this next section, for I am going to be bluntly honest:
I deal with some heavy stuff. The last 5 years have been even worse, with dealing with depression, unemployment, bankruptcy. It has been bad. I have been fairly open about the depression thing, and several people know about the other "stuff", but for the most part, my church has been useless to me these last 5 years. I may as well have stayed home.
There are a few people who are the exception, and they know who they are, and when I was able to go, Sunday School was a big help in my feeling connected, but what good is the family of God if when you are at your worst, they pretty much ignore you? What about "when one has a heartache, we all share the tear?"
In the last few months, I have made great strides with God and my lifelong struggle to believe in His love and truly grasp grace...... and it has been completely independent of my church. Books have helped, prayers of some people have helped. Church? Not so much......
Now this is not a commentary on my church. But imagine if my church stepped up to the plate and prayed more, did more to lift people up who was going through a hard patch, or had a big struggle such as I do. I have had a few people really pray, a couple of them connected to my church, and a few of them not.
What good is the family of God, if we don't reach out more to each other? Pray for each other, lift each other up? Ask someone how they are REALLY doing, and mean it? What good are we, if we promise to pray for someone, and don't? What good are we if we don't pray for people without them asking for it?
The Bible tells us to pray always, and we know that doesn't mean 24/7. We wouldn't get anything else done, but what if we prayed for people more. What if, when you're on Facebook and you are reading what people post, you say a prayer for the people whose posts you are reading. That would truly be a good use of social media.
I heard a story about a young lady who would take the newspaper to her prayer time. She would read the marriage announcements, and pray for the new couple. She'd read the birth announcements, and pray for the new baby and parents. She would read the obituaries, and pray for the bereaved family and friends, and so on. Neat idea. Who knows the difference she may have made in the lives of people she never met.
We should be people of prayer. Not just for the person we see in the mirror, though that is important, but for our friends, co-workers, random people who cross our paths. And for the person who posts on Facebook, "I could really use some prayer." Chances are, they REALLY need prayer. You may never know why, but don't let that deter you from praying for them.
I am thankful for those who pray for me, whether I know they do or not, and am trying to do better with praying for people.
As this New Year begins today, a good resolution for us all, would be to pray more for people. And not just the ones in our family or clique'. We should pray for our fellow church members. Take out your church directory once in a while and pray through the names. Go down through your list of Facebook friends and pray for them. Pray for your co-workers, the guy who bags your groceries, the bank clerk......and especially those who ask for it.
It has been called a tool and a weapon, but do we use it enough? Let us strive to use it more in 2014 for others. That is what the family of God should do.
Just found your blog, very uplifting. The cartoon funny, thanks for the smile.
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