"…praying at all times in
the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all
perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,” Ephesians 6:18
I’ve found myself doing some strange things when it comes to
prayer. I may be out in the yard, look
up at the sound of a passing jet, and speak a quick prayer on behalf of the
pilots and passengers of that aircraft – zipping past me some thirty thousand
feet or so above me. I might pray for
their safety, for the alertness of the crew, or for the hundreds of lives who
have no idea that I am anything but an invisible speck below them. What worries do they carry? What troubles are they enduring? What are their needs? I have no idea. But my Heavenly Father knows. So, I’m praying for strangers.
I may do the same from time to time as I find myself stopped at an
intersection red light. In my rush to
get where I am going, my main attention is usually fixed on the light in front
of me. But then I will consider that God
may have me sitting right there, right then for his purposes. He may want me to pray for the young man who
is passing in front of my car. His
mussed hair and angry demeanor may be the marks of a life that I would never
imagine, nor want for anyone. Yet, there
he goes. I may never see him again. But I see him right now. So, I’m praying for a stranger.
Praying At All Times
In Ephesians 6:18 above, we find the
Apostle Paul encouraging the people of Ephesus to pray at all times. At face value, this seems a bit
radical…perhaps even ridiculous. How
could anyone be praying at all times?
Right? We have jobs, we have
families, and we have real life distractions that require our full
attention! We have this mental picture
of driving down the freeway, looking left into the next lane and seeing the
driver of the next car with his or her head bowed and eyes closed. Uh. No
thanks! But that isn’t what he means is
it. Paul speaks of being in
contact…being sensitive to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Keeping alert, with all perseverance, and
praying on behalf of those around us.
Shield-A-Who?
Last evening, my wife Laura entered the room where I was and
said: “Okay. We need to give our badges
names.” I didn’t understand. So she clarified. “We have these badge numbers (when we signed up for a badge number, we
asked for three numbers, one from each – Fire, Police, and EMT/Paramedic) and
we need a way to refer to them when we pray…so is it Fireman Bob, and
Policewoman Debbie? We need to give them
names!”
I now understood.
What she was saying is what we all sense…prayer is so personal! As we pray for these persons, we want to pray
for them like we pray for ourselves, for our families, for our friends. We needed a point of mental connection. Whatever imagined name we give to those officers,
firemen, and EMT’s we pray for, we have this confidence that our Omniscient God
knows every atom in their body, every hair on their head, and every
circumstance they are enduring at any moment.
So we will pray…for these persons…without knowing anything but his or
her occupation. We will pray for their
safety, for their peace of mind, for their family, for their finances, for
wisdom, for discernment for them, and whatever else the Spirit brings to
mind. We will pray for strangers. Who knows, they may need that prayer…at
this…very…moment.
Pray for strangers.
Scripture to Claim:
