11-29-20 Prayers are Free

Quote: “When my arms can’t reach people who are close to my heart, I hug them with my prayers…”

Not too long ago, a good friend of mine and her family were having a horrendous week battling COVID.  I have never felt so helpless.  I am a fixer!  I asked her what I could do, even though I knew the answer was a simple one.  I just needed to pray.  And that we did.  Our family made a prayer circle around her and her husband’s health since we couldn’t physically lay hands on them and we prayed.  We prayed hard.  And we prayed until our voices were tired.  It was all we could do.

I have been thinking about Anne Frank a lot lately.  I am not sure why (still waiting for God to reveal this to me!) but I actually think of her often.  I think of how her and her family were trapped in hiding during the time of the Nazi regime.  She journaled to keep herself sane and years later her diaries give us a glimpse of what life was like during this awful oppression.  One thing their family did a lot was pray.  Their freedom may have been stripped away from them but not their ability to pray.

That’s the neat thing about prayer.  No one can take your right to pray away.  Why?  Because prayer can be done in your mind without anyone even knowing.  My kids pray for their teachers as they walk in the classroom door.  They pray at their desks before tests.  I used to silently pray every time I walked in my classroom.  We trained the boys to pray every time we hear an ambulance or fire truck siren.  We pray before we start our day, before meals, and before bedtime.  It is the way we communicate with our Maker.  He knows our voices because we spend time throughout the day talking to him.  And the best part is… prayers are free!  They don’t cost a thing!

I could write for days all the tips I have discovered over the years to take your prayer life up a notch.  But I’ll just stick to 3 important things.

First, keep it simple.  I read this tidbit in a Reader’s Digest article one time.  It suggested that children should be taught at a young age to say “please”, “thank you,” and “I’m sorry” to truly become successful adults.  I linked this to prayer.  When I pray, I make sure to start with the “I’m sorry” part first.  I need to wipe the slate clean from all the mistakes I made the day before – a fresh start for the day.  Then I go to the “Thank you”.  I thank him for anything that comes to my mind – from the big stuff to the small stuff.  And then I end with the “Please”.  These are the things I’m asking for, but only if they align with his will for my life.  Using this 3 step model helped me get my prayer life established until it formed into a daily habit.

Second, if you’re going to pray for others, pray intentionally.  Mark and I read the book, “Praying Circles around the Lives of our Children” to know how to pray specifically for our children.  We pray for our future daughter-in-laws and their parents everyday!  We learned how to pray them through their problems rather than asking God to take obstacles away.  We knew our prayers weren’t enough and so we bought each of their grandmas the book, “The Power of the Praying Grandparent” so that they are double covered in prayer (and we are covered as their parents, too!)  Mark is reading the book, “Power of the Praying Husband” so he can daily go to God on my behalf with all the things I am called to do.  Our family is completely covered in prayer and I know we are receiving blessings because of these prayers.

And third, find a favorite verse on prayer that inspires you and memorize it.  Or read a Bible story where prayer changed the outcome.  These will remind you to never underestimate the power of prayer.  These writers remind us that prayer is the key to helping us when we are feeling lonely, depressed, angry, lost, jealous, or guilty.  One of my favorite stories is Jonah and the whale.  You may remember that story from when you were a kid.  If you haven’t read the story in awhile, I urge you to read it again with fresh eyes.  It’s just 4 short chapters long but so powerful.  He says this prayer in Jonah 2:7, “When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.”  Even if it’s been awhile, talk to him.  It may feel weird at first but just go for it.  What if it changes your life?

But please know this.  We may pray and not get our way or get the answer we want, but that shouldn’t be the reason we are praying in the first place.  The point of prayer is to get closer to God.  So no matter the outcome, you can rest knowing that if you’ve called out to him, he hears your voice, he loves you, and he is working everything out for the best.

When in a difficult season, if you can’t do much hugging, instead choose to pray!