“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17
While we want to be people of prayer, many of us find it difficult to keep our oft-repeated promise: “I’ll be praying for you.” The more disciplined among us maintain a prayer list or notebook and faithfully record both requests and answers. Unfortunately, the practice of prayer is one that frequently slips through the cracks of our busy lives.
Recently a friend wrote that every time she breaks an egg into a frying pan, she recalls a bit of egg-cooking advice I gave her many years ago and she prays for me! That simple prayer reminder spurred me to creative thinking about my own prayer life. While I take time daily to be quiet with God, pray for friends and family and urgent needs that have come to my attention, perhaps it is also time to use my friend’s ‘egg method.’
When I fold clothes fresh from the dryer, I often think about my elderly friend, June, who meticulously folded every item of clothing and linen when we stayed in her home. Ah, a perfect time to bring her now frail body before the Great Physician. Many years ago another friend gave me a time saving hint about ironing shirts – now I pray for this friend as my iron glides over my husband’s shirts. The newspaper becomes another prayer journal. As I read of rebel attacks, over-populated refugee camps, natural disasters in far off countries, I bring these people to the only true peacemaker.
I am making it a habit to slowly and carefully look at the pictures of a woman living under a ragged canvas tarp or a child listlessly leaning on his mother’s shoulder. Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision, wrote these words inside the cover of his Bible: “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.”
Whether everyday acts that remind us of friends, or news reports of needs far too vast for me to imagine their solutions, God has called me to be a person of prayer.
Jesus, I imagine you not only getting away to mountainsides for private conversations with the God of the universe, but also maintaining a daily dialogue with the One you loved. Help me do the same.
By Marilyn Ehle
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