My prayer for you

from my message on 5/20/12 from Ephesians 1:15-23

I pray for you.  I usually get up early in the morning and walk.  As I walk, I remember my family in my prayers.  I pray for you my church family.  I lift up many situations, concerns, and joys.  This is not just something I encourage others to do.  I actually practice this.  I pray for you.

Many letters in the New Testament begin this way, including this letter to the church at Ephesus.  "I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers."  It is not simply a business relationship.  It is more than problem solving.  It is more than following rules.  Prayer for others means care for others.

Praying for others is normal Christian behavior.  I would argue it is normal human behavior.  I had a member of my extended family who was raised as an agnostic.  Her parents were college professors, very learned, caring people.  They simply did not orient their lives around faith, the Bible, worship, church, prayer.  They were rational, thinking people.  But when my cousin's father, my uncle went into the hospital, she found herself outside wandering in the parking lot, praying for him.  You see, if you are a pastor, you sometimes become the family chaplain.  She confessed to me, "I prayed.  I said, 'I don't know who you are or what you are, but please help.  Don't let my dad die.'"  We were made to pray for others.

Richard Foster has a terrific book simply titled Prayer.  He says praying for others is "wanting more for others than it is in our power to give."  It is a way of "loving others."

There is no one right way to pray for others.  Our blue prayer insert is one way.  But I want to go over at least 6 ways.  The first is using that blue prayer insert.  It is praying according to a list.  This is the way many of us learned to pray as children.  At bedtime, or mealtime, we would go, "God bless mommy and daddy and memaw and papaw...."  Do you children still do this?  It is praying a list.  I bet many of you big people do too.

The second way is pray a specific kind of list.  George Buttrick prayed first for his enemies.  He would pray, "God bless so and so whom I foolishly regard as my enemy."  There is something about "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."  Beyond enemies, George would pray for leaders (of the world, nation, state, local, church, education, etc.), the needy, friends, and loved ones.  His list kept him from playing favorites.  It moved him beyond a narrow circle.

The third way is what I call "flashing prayers."  Auditory cues like a siren or ring tone or school bell can call us to prayer.  When you hear a siren, pray for the police, fire, EMS, those injured, etc.  One funny story:  when I lived in San Antonio, I listened to a Christian radio station, not just because they played great music, but also because they gave the traffic report every 10 minutes.  One day the traffice reporter came on and said, "There's been an accident at Loop 410 and San Pedro.  Fire and PMS are on the way."  I don't think PMS helped the situation  much at all.  When the phone rings, you might pray for the person on the other end of the line or the situation that waits there.  School bells can be a great time to get your focus on the presence of God moving in our midst amongst your fellow students, teachers, and staff.    Even getting stuck in traffic can call you to prayer.  What else are you going to do with your time?  Prayer is totally portable.  Pray for those around you, especially those frustrated ones honking the horn.

The fourth way is holding a person or situation quietly before God, listening for God's prayer.  We are not in this alone.  God is not only listening, but also speaking.  In my church in San Saba, I had a beautiful young woman named Ellen.  She was married, and had a great little boy.  She was artistic.  She had cancer.  I prayed fervently for her.  I asked God to heal her.  One day, I was simply being still and quiet.  I was taking people before God, not with any agenda, simply holding them before God.  As I brought Ellen to God, it was almost as if I heard a voice.  The message was this:  "She belongs to me."  Oh, that's right.  In life, in death, in life beyond death, she yours.  She belongs to you.  Ellen did die.  But she belonged to God.  I could let her go.

A fifth way is to let a scripture passage with its words or images call persons or situations to heart.  In this passage I was drawn to the word "wisdom."  Where in the world is wisdom needed?  Syria!  I was drawn to the words for power (actually 4 differenc Greek words in this passage having to do with power).  Where in the world are folks feeling disempowered?  I was drawn to the image of "having the eyes one's heart enlightened."  Who needs to see like that?  I was drawn to the image of all things being at the feet of Jesus.  How can we act as if he is Lord over all things?

The sixth way is to admit that there are many ways you as individuals pray.  Some of you walk neighborhoods.  You may pray, "I know that marriage is in trouble. God bless them."  Some of you use music as your call to pray for others.  Some of you journal.  Some of practice breath prayers in order to slow down, tune out the noise so you can pray for others.  Some of you let the news call you to pray for that situation.

Let's hear some testimonials from some of you gathered for worship this day.

I am challenging you to commit to praying for others for the next 7 days.  How will you do that?  If you can go 21 days, it will become part of you.  If you can practice this praying for others for 3 weeks, it will become deep within you.

I am also challening you to pray in groups:  your family, your Sunday School class, your Bible Study, etc.  Our circle of quiet on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. in the Library has been doing this.  I am amazed at how persons aligned in prayer together can channel such power of God.

Now let us practice, as we pray for others in whatever way seems right for you.