The heartbreaking work of prayer…
Aug 27th, 2009 by ljkim
I have a friend who thinks Obama is a socialist, that Sarah Palin was a viable candidate, and that government involvement in health care is a dreaded evil. He’s a Christian; even worse, he’s a pastor. And worse still, there are LOTS of people in his circle who think the same way. A big part of what I need to do is to pray for him. God can reveal things to people in ways human debaters can’t. Also, if I were Satan, I’d spend a lot of time making sure there were plenty of “Christians” representing the extreme fringe of a political party. What better way to discredit Christianity without actually debating the teachings of Christianity? And what better way to drive hatred into people’s hearts on both sides?
It’s hard to pray for him. It would be easier to just write him off. And it’s hard to pray believing that it will make any difference. When I do muster the will to trust God and pray, I check back with my friend and see that nothing has changed yet. But Jesus tells us to pray and not give up. God brings change. And things have changed in response to prayer…just enough so that we can know it’s possible.
Some people think prayer is a waste of time, but I’ve seen what it can do, and you can see it on the faces of people and their attitudes when they’re involved in prayer. Hannah (the mother of Samuel in the Bible) prayed and left her burden with God. She believed that she was heard by a wise and loving God so she could go on to live her life…God couldn’t leave her trust hanging unanswered. Her prayers were actually answered twice: First as she was able to let go and trust God with what she wanted, and then eventually with the thing itself.
The thing is, God will answer prayer, and will set everything right. One day everyone will see truth plain as day, and all the obfuscation, pride and deceitful games will melt away (including our own) in the light of day. Jesus says the real question is will you hold out and keep praying till then?
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Umm someone needs to pray for you. Ever thought that your politics might be WRONG???
I actually don’t think praying for someone is an insult – so I gladly ask for your prayer…
And we can pray for you too Jon.
Cheers!