"Hope it goes well for you. You'll be okay."
"I'll be thinking of you."
Someone we know is going on a job interview, to the doctor or hospital for tests or surgery, or perhaps they are moving away, or being deployed to serve overseas. We want to let them know that we care, that somehow our care goes with them, and that we want positive outcomes for them. We hope that they will get the job, arrive safely, that the doctors will find no cancer or can cure what ails them, and they will come home safe and sound. We talk about it in words of wishing or hoping like children getting ready to blow out birthday candles or pulling apart a wishbone. If only our thoughts could change things or at least tip the scale towards the positive.
During my years of disaster ministry, there were many sleepless nights when I struggled with overwhelming problems, trauma and stress. One night in particular, I remember finally sitting up on the edge of the bed and struggling with tears. I was working with a family that needed help so badly. It was something everyone I talked to agreed upon but deadlines were past, regulations had to be followed, and the problems seemed insurmountable. I had spoken to regional and national directors, legislators including a governor, all on behalf of this family. In tears, mentally and physically exhausted, I sat there thinking "If only there was someone bigger I could talk to, someone with more power who could make a difference".
That's when I had my Homer Simpson "Doh!" moment. God. Prayer. Of course there was someone bigger, stronger, with more power than anyone and yes, I could talk to that person. I could talk to God. I stopped turning in circles and prayed, putting the family and all their problems into God's hands and asked God to take care of it. I didn't know what else to do. God was going to have to be creative at this point. When I was done praying, I laid down and got more restful and deeper sleep than I had had in a long time.
I not only slept well that night, but over the next few days, things fell into place including a proclamation from the governor. Most importantly, the family ended up getting the help and support they needed.
There is power in prayer. More than having good wishes or kind thoughts for someone, prayer is an act of faith that connects the person we are concerned about with the boundless grace and love of God. Praying for someone makes a difference. Telling them we will or are praying for them is a witness of faith.
Now it doesn't work like ordering from Amazon - if we put in the order, we get what we asked for. Treating prayer like a purchase order makes prayer a form of magic, like in Harry Potter; you say the right words in the right way and voila! it happens. But prayer is a matter of faith and not magic. For whatever the reasons (the world's brokenness, our intentions, some future consequence we cannot see, etc...), sometimes we do not get the answers from prayer that we seek. But always, we have connected ourselves and the people we pray for in relationship with God.
"I'll keep you in my prayers."
Like many of the things that Jesus asks us to do in his name: feeding the hungry or caring for sick and reaching out, praying for others is a double gift. When we pray for others, we find our own troubles and anxieties are lessened even as they are given into God's care. "Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2) A simple change in vocabulary from "I hope it's okay" to "I'll pray for you" takes our intention from a nice thought into action that also (gently) witnesses to our faith and God's power. Read James 5:13-16.
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