4 words

 I have said them a few times recently, and have had them said to me many times over the years. They are four simple words, but they can pack a punch and mean so much: "I'm praying for you", or as a promise "I'll pray for you."

  It isn't much fun to feel you're all alone with your battle, whether it be spiritual, physical, emotional, sexual, financial, or whatever else we have to face and deal with as we travel this earthly sod. To have someone say those four words to you can make a world of difference.



 It connects you to someone else

 It shows you that someone cares

 It gives you hope

 It helps you know you're not alone

  That doesn't begin to address what God can and will do with more people praying. There is something to be said for more than one person praying for one thing and being in agreement in prayer.

  And sometimes things are so bad, God seems so far away, that one can't pray; or if they can pray it seems their prayers are hitting the ceiling and falling back to the floor. The Gaither Vocal Band recorded a song a few years ago that says:

When you can't think, you can't even pray
Please hear me when I say
You may not have the words, but until you do
I'll pray for you.

  I fear too many of us don't take this praying for others seriously. The picture above is satire, and hopefully not many Christians have that attitude, but I am sure many do whether or not they intend to: "Sure, I'll pray for you when I have time and if I remember."

 The promise to pray should not be one made lightly. If we tell someone we will pray for them, we are making a commitment. We should pray for that person's need at least daily, or more often depending on the severity of the problem and how often the person comes to our mind.

  Imagine how we'd feel if someone promised to pray for us and we found out later that they never did. It wouldn't be a good feeling, yet how many of us carelessly promise to pray for another and never do it?

  I don't understand prayer much, or how God answers, and why He doesn't seem to answer some..... but what if our prayer is the one that would make a difference, and we never prayed for that person?

 I'm thankful for those who pray and have prayed for me. As I have been working on my prayer life, I have been striving to pray for those who I have promised to pray for, and to tell people occasionally that I am praying for them whether or not I promised to.