I'll Pray For You......

I've found myself saying this a lot lately. People have a need, request, situation going on. I'm quick to offer up prayer, whether it be right at that moment or later on, or both. Shoot, I'm even quick to check up on those people from time to time. One friend's daughter is sick. Another friend and his wife are having difficulties getting pregnant. A third friend is away from his family for probably two more months. Others have health issues, financial issues, you get the picture. There is not a shortage of problems around us. And, just in case everyone in your life has got things all together, there's always the people of Japan who just suffered the largest recorded earthquake followed by a tsunami, with nuclear radiation issues as well.

So, I'm so quick to offer up prayer. Is that enough? In an ironic twist, I often find myself irritated when people offer to pray for me. Sometimes I just wanna scream, "I don't need anymore prayer, I need some action here!"

Now, before you go labeling me a heretic for downplaying prayer, hear me out. We should ALWAYS pray; that should be a regular part of our lives, praying for others. HOWEVER, all too often, I convince myself that praying for situations is enough and then I've done my Christian duty. Can I solve fertility issues? No. Can I do something a little extra special for that friend, even if it's a gift certificate to take his wife out to eat to a decent restaurant? Yes! Can I help a friend who's having some financial difficulties? Well maybe I can actually. How about that thought. The friend that is away from his family? Plenty of ways to help other than the obvious of flying either him or the family to the other. Check on the family, make some meals for them, clean their house for them, laundry, watch the kids so the wife can have some down time.

Point being, our opportunities to help in addition to prayer are endless. My problem is that I'm usually too focused on myself and my own issues. My vision is too narrow to include helping others. Sad really. Maybe even pathetic.

And then this passage below comes to mind this morning.......

Isaiah 58:6-10 (The Message)

^6-9"This is the kind of fast day I'm after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I'm interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.'

A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places

^9-12"If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people's sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You'll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You'll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again.

I think God is after people of action. I think what the world needs is not just Christians who speak love, but act love! Do we need to fix every need that we come across? Maybe. I don't know. What I do know, is that I don't do nearly enough. Look at some of the things God says He wants to see from us in this passage, and then look at some of the things He says will happen. Quite awesome really.

To me, I see here an insight into the heart of God. I see Him pouring His heart out, showing us exactly what is important to Him. And to me that is defined as meeting needs tangibly. Yes, let's pray for people.

But let your actions continue on past those prayers!

How can you tangibly help someone this weekend? Maybe it's bringing someone a meal, taking a family out for dinner, spending time with a friend, helping someone move, paying a bill for someone, watching their kids...................

Won't you join me? Let's become people of action. Together, we can spur each other on to some great things, all done in the name of our FIRST love, Jesus!