Conversations

I got a call from a very dear friend the other day. He is struggling with some directional issues in his life, and he called me and a few other friends to ask us to pray to the Father for a specific Word about his current situation.

This was not a call to say "will you pray for me." most of us get those and seldom bombard Heaven for a specific Word from God. This was a request to pull out all the stops and seek Jesus for a Word of Knowledge for my brother. I was honored to be asked. I felt like I was about to be privy to something cool.

So, as usual, I began to think about how we ask and get asked to pray for certain things.

in my life, I have taken lightly the opportunity to pray for a fellow believer. Unless, of course, they were close and I knew they would pray for me.

I have used the old "I'll be prayin for you" answer more times than I care to admit to, just to sound spiritual and pious. I guess I always wanted to pray for folks, it just seemed that I would forget.

so why was this request so different? Why is it so important that I differentiate between the casual and the specific? Is it because there is an honest desire to get others involved in an outcome? After all, most folks really want to be left alone, unless they are in need. Is it because there is a sense of outcome when we ask others to truly be specific when we pray?

many have written countless books and papers on the subject so I am not going to do any justice to the subject here.

I do know this. When a friend calls with expectancy, I am more likely to pray with expectancy.

and now, in my current situation, it is important to live and pray with expectancy.

we are all so busy. With life, kids, jobs, stuff. Because we are such consumers, many times our attitudes when we pray for others is just like every thing else. I know in my mind, there must be a reward for really praying for another. And as usual, I turn the situation around so somehow, someway, it benefits me.

I think the knowledge I walk away with is this...I suck at genuine, ferverant, passionate prayer. Especially for others.

for so many years, it was as if prayer was part of my job. It sounds worse than it is, but it feels like it sometimes. Now, my prayers are not a cry to "bless the message", or some other event I had planned.

now, prayer is more like a genuine conversation with someone I am actually getting to know all over again. No hidden agendas, no give me this and I will do that. Just conversation laced with much much thanks.

many great opportunities that were given to me were not taken advantage of. Many ministers would have loved to be where I have been. I say I am sorry more times than I want to. I have left with my tail between my legs. Now as I sit here and ask Jesus for a Word for my brother, I secretly ask for a word for me. What I really want to hear is "hey, I know you blew it. But it's ok." after all these years, a pat on the head, a stroke of the cheek, a simple whisper, calms a heart and stills the nerves.

funny how He speaks, when He speaks. Funny how He loves us. Wonderful how He loves me.