I'll Pray For You -- Romans 15:30

 "I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me." Romans 15:30

Have you ever run into a friend at the grocery store, and in passing, they ask you to pray for a situation? Your response is almost always something like "Of course!" or "I'll keep you in my prayers." But, in reality, how often do you remember that friend's request until much later (or sometimes it completely slips your mind)? 

I know I am guilty of saying I will pray and then rushing off to finish whatever errand I was on and either forgetting to pray or remembering to pray the next day or a few days past. I always felt horrible and prayed for forgiveness for forgetting my friend's need. 

After running into the husband of an acquaintance (named Mary) at Wal-Mart and having him ask me to pray for Mary's health and then going on about my day, I only remembered to pray for her two days later. After stopping what I was doing and lifting her in prayer, I felt nudged by the Lord to pick up the phone and give Mary a call. The phone went straight to voicemail. I kept getting a nudge to keep trying to contact her, so I called a mutual friend. My friend said Mary was in the hospital, but she did not know why Mary was hospitalized.

I am not so sanctimonious to think that if I had stopped and prayed for Mary right after her husband asked me to, Mary would not have been hospitalized. But I did learn a huge lesson that day. The Lord wants us to be bold in our faith and not hide our light. 

The next time someone asked me to pray for them or a situation, I was having
lunch at one of my favorite diners. I looked at the friends I was dining with and said, "Let's pray right now for Pam." Pam happened to be walking by when she saw me and stopped to chat, mentioning she was going through a difficult situation.

Some of the people sitting at tables around us also stopped and bowed their heads as I offered a prayer for Pam and her family. I don't think Pam quite knew what to say, but she called me later and thanked me for taking the time to pray for her. She said it made her feel like she mattered, and she felt such peace when I was praying for her. 

I now make it a point to stop what I am doing to pray for those who ask. Whether standing in aisle 10 at Wal-Mart or sitting at a table full of friends at a diner, I will bow my head and raise my hands in prayer. I may get some strange looks from non-believers, but I don't want to pay lip service and just say, "I'll pray for you." 

I have a prayer list that I regularly update. It is filled with prayer requests from friends and colleagues. Readers of this blog have also emailed asking for prayers. If you are feeling overwhelmed, lonely, sick, or in need of peace, drop me a line at prayersandpromisesministry@gmail.com. I will gladly pray for you!