We should probably do it now...

Several weeks ago I overheard our kids talking to each other. What they had to say has stuck with me ever since, and today I’m going to share it with you. So please allow me set up the scene… It was a Monday afternoon and I was developing a painful migraine. My wife was at work and the kiddos were out of school and hanging with me. While I knew I needed to go lay down before I started feeling much worse, I also had to grab something from my office.

Probably because I had hardly spoken at all on the drive over, our oldest sensed that something was wrong and asked, “Dad, are you mad or something?” I replied, “No buddy, just got a bad headache.” As we continued walking down the hall I heard our little girl whisper to her brothers behind me, “Let’s pray for daddy.” To which our middle child affirmed and added, “Yeah and we should pray right now.”

I noticed they stopped and began praying for me to feel better soon. I pressed on to grab whatever it was that I needed so we could return home. But as I think back on those words now, I’m impressed by how simple and profound their thoughts were… “We should pray and we should do it now.”

I’m quite forgetful at times, especially when it comes to remembering special prayer requests. I often find that if I don’t stop to write it down or pray immediately, well, I may not ever pray for that particular need at all. I’m ashamed to admit it but unfortunately it’s true. While the bible commands us to be in constant prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17), not only for one another (James 5:16) but in all things (Philippians 4:6), we often forget…or simply put it off until later, when perhaps the Spirit of God is prompting us to pray in that very moment.

I’m always captivated when I consider the great purpose and intentionality of God with His creation. He makes no mistakes and does nothing by accident. God has uniquely and intricately crafted each of us to carry out a special purpose in this life, and scripture constantly reminds us of how intimately acquainted God is with His children.

Over the years I’ve attended many different “prayer meetings”, some of which wound up producing a really long tally of various needs. And as I consider how God is so familiar with all of my ways & thoughts, it has made me wonder… Out of an exhaustive list of prayer requests, why is it that some just seemed to stand out more than others and remain on my mind throughout the week? I truly cared for each. I was genuinely concerned for the people and situations involved but over and over, I kept coming back to just a few.

Could it be that the Lord places certain things on our hearts so we indeed will pray? Might it be the God of the universe has given a specific burden to you in order that you (& maybe just you) will be interceding on behalf of another? With tornadoes ripping through the backyards of our neighbors, with families constantly under attack, violence on the rise all around, and the struggles we each face daily, perhaps the Spirit of the Lord is wooing us - beckoning us to listen and come to this conclusion…friends, we should pray and we should probably do it now.