You'll be in my Prayers

Having grown up in the Christian Church my whole life, I have heard this phrase and used it my whole life. I've told people that I would pray for them and their situation but most times I didn't actually pray.

I don't like listening to people about their problems because I know most times I can do nothing to help them. I always feel terrible about this but I have no idea what to do. I really wish I could help them, but I have nothing within my resources to help them. So, because I know there is nothing I can do, I give them some sympathy by letting them know, "You'll be in my prayers."

My intention is not to point the finger at anyone about this. I am writing about this because I know that this has been something I have done many times. We tell people that we will pray for them and their circumstances, but I am afraid that we only say this because it is a way of only showing sympathy. If it were more than showing sympathy then we would actually be praying for these people and their circumstances. Many situations are hopeless and we don't know what to do with them, so we make others feel a little better by saying, "You'll be in my Prayers."

Just today I found myself telling someone I would pray for them because I knew I couldn't help them.

I believe that coming up against hopeless situations is good for us though. This is where we are actually pushed to bring people and their situations to God in prayer. And we don't have to just tell people, "You'll be in my Prayers" to make them feel better, but we can tell them this because we actually will pray for them and because we actually believe that God will these people in our lives through their circumstances.

In 1 Timothy 2:1, Pauls tells Timothy, "I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them." Verse 3 says, "This is good and pleases God our Savior..." Paul didn't tell Timothy this because it sounded nice, but he told Timothy to pray for everyone because, he knew that hopeless situations would come up and because he knew that God would hear his prayers.

God really does hear our prayers. So, let us then take our hopeless situations, as an opportunity where God can be glorified, and actually pray for His help. If we never pray or ask for God's help, how can we ever expect to receive His help. Let's not use it as a sympathetic way of telling people that we care for them but we can't help. We can do something, we can pray!

I Need You More

Seeking Direction from the Father

Mark 1:35-39 "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: 'Everyone is looking for you!' Jesus replied, 'Let us go somewhere else, to nearby villages, so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.' So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons."

In this section of scripture we see that Jesus sought out the direction from the Father. How much more should we seek out direction for our lives from God! From spending time with the Father and seeking out direction Jesus was given direction for what his next step was and he also was reminded of what his call was. So many times I think we neglect spending time with God and we miss direction and we aren't reminded of our call.

I believe our lives as witnesses can be much more effective if we live like Jesus did and seek the Father. Like Jesus, when we spend time with God and seek him, we will receive direction from God, and also reminders of why we are here. God deeply loves us, that is why He sent His son Jesus to come and die for our sins, and through this He also has a wonderful plan for our lives and this plan can only be walked out through relationship with God and through direction from God.

To be a "Christian" and do "christian things without a relationship with God is the hardest thing you could ever do. It is from God through prayer that we receive direction, call, and also His heart. Like any relationship changes us, relationship with God changes us, it changes our heart and causes us to care about what He cares about. When we care about what God cares about, doing "christian" things will just be what we do naturally. It will be from the outflow of our hearts, instead of us trying to be "christian" through the gritting of our teeth.

Let us seek the Father! First and foremost God calls us to seek Him and out of the outflow or our relationship with Him we will change the world!