Devotionals

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Pray As You Go
Matthew 6:5-8

How many years has it been now, Lord, since I first began my silent campaign? This simple pact known to no one but You and I? Try as I may, I just can't recall. I don't have any proof that it has ever made a difference in anyone else's life other than my own, either. I like to believe that it does. But I have nothing to show anyone else as evidence. Even the effect it has had on my own life might be hard for anyone else to see. Though I know You always do.
You know, it started simply enough. Conception began with a few personal convictions. First, a conviction to care more about people. To grasp the realization that no one has a perfect life. Every single person has their own set of problems. Some are able to hide these from the world, and some can be easily discerned. But no matter who they are, where they're from, how much money they have or how beautiful they are, they all have tribulations, worries, or just something in their life that they struggle with or could be just a little bit better.
Secondly came the conviction to dismiss the concept of prayer that had been conditioned into me, as in most of us, since childhood. I know many of Your children view prayer as something you're supposed to do on your knees, hands clasped, in the quiet of our own homes. I'm not suggesting that we all abandon our traditional prayer lives, but only asking that we recognize the possibility that perhaps we shouldn't limit our prayer by these guidelines either. When I began to appreciate You as truly my best friend, it seemed only natural to talk with You all through my day. We often converse and spend time with our earthly close friends much more often than the time we allot to You. And if we are to be Your bride, most of us would most certainly agree that in good, thriving marriages, it would be essential to speak with our spouses more often than once a day. But the differences we make between the relationships that we share with the people we love on earth, and the one we share with You just don't seem quite right to me. If compared, our closeness to You should be much greater than that of any family member or friend we can possibly have here on earth.
I know that You are eager and able to hear me wherever I am, whatever I'm doing, at all times of day or night. Standing in the grocery store line. In the drive-thru at the local fast food establishment. Driving down the highway or surfing the internet.
So I simply began having silent conversations with You whenever, wherever, and however Your Spirit led. If a tragic story was told on the evening news, I said a silent prayer for those involved. If I saw a mother who seemed to be frazzled to her wit’s end. If I heard about an illness, a wayward teen, a man looking for work, or a person with emotional concerns. Any type of problem, difficulty or situation. Anything at all that I can know or sense. Anything that someone might have a need for help from You for, I go to Your throne on their behalf.
But it’s not only troubles that I bring to You for others. Often, my prayers to You are simple, quiet requests for Your blessing to be bestowed upon people that I don’t even know personally. People who may or may not appear to my human eyes to need Your blessing in any particular way. Sometimes, it’s just the opposite. I ask You to bless the lady who passes me on the street wearing a wonderful smile. I ask You to bless the grandfather carrying his daughter’s child through a store. I ask You to bless the cashier whose voice told her sincere wish for others to have a good day, the minister who has just been placed in a desired position, or the family sitting behind me in Sunday’s worship service. Even those who appear to already enjoy many blessings at Your hand, I ask You to continue to bestow Your grace upon their lives.
And I began thinking about all this today. What if… if only everyone who bore Your name did this same thing? Practiced Pray As You Go on a daily basis? Wherever they lived, whenever they were out and about, and whatever the reason? Why, this world would be a much different place, I would hazard to guess. This simple practice could change people, actions, and relationships beyond anything this earth has ever seen. Maybe You are waiting for just such an invitation or opportunity to work in other’s lives, and even in our own.
So why don’t we? Maybe we feel like we’re too busy. Perhaps we think that we’d be invading other’s spiritual lives. Maybe we’re afraid of looking like a fool in the eyes of our contemporaries.
Or what if the reason is that we’re just too wrapped up in ourselves and our own problems to concern ourselves with the needs of others? What if we’ve been burned so much by the actions of a few that we cannot see the good in people anymore? What if our hearts have simply grown too hard toward others? Have we developed into a body of believers that is incapable of caring about our fellow man?
No Lord, I can hardly believe that either of those scenarios is true. I know that most of Your followers are good, compassionate souls who desire to see Your kingdom furthered for Your glory. Maybe no one has thought of this before, though I seriously doubt it, for there is nothing new under the sun. Right, Lord? Maybe we just need to spread the idea. Light the fire. Allow others in on our little secret so that the world can share in the marvelous blessings that You allow us to experience. So others can enjoy the fullness of Your love and mercy, and partner in the vastness of Your blessings.
Oh Lord, help me to continue this campaign. Help me to share what You’ve done in my life through this simple, silent act. And Lord, I pray that You will bless all who read these words.
I Love You, Lord.

Copyright 2007-mgw

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