Love Those Lists

I love the Lord because He hears

my voice and my prayer for mercy.

Because He bends down to listen,

I will pray as long as I have breath.

Psalm 116:1,2

For as long as we have been married, Brian has been in the habit of keeping to-do lists. He always carries 3x5 cards in his shirt pocket and usually one of those cards has on it a list of things he needs to do in the course of his day. He'll even add some long range things to that list. He then methodically crosses through each thing as he gets them done. I do that somewhat mentally but to make sure things get done, he chooses the list-on-card method.

One of my responsibilities in our church is to type up our church prayer list. I provide them to adults on Sunday mornings, then make any corrections for Wednesday night. I'll type the revised ones for Wednesday night and pass it out and will then make corrections again for the following Sunday. That is the routine with the prayer sheet. I hate to say that very often, but a prayer list from church can be just that...routine. For those who have asked to be on such a list either for themselves or for friends and loved ones, there is nothing routine about that prayer list. They are counting on others to be praying for their various needs.

As I look at our church prayer sheet for tomorrow, I see:

-four families who have recently lost loved ones

-five individuals desperate for jobs

-a young boy with a physical problem the doctors can't seem to name or remedy

-a man awaiting a heart transplant

-eight people I know of with cancer

-servicemen overseas

-several unsaved persons

-a wife caring for her husband who has rapidly advancing Alzheimers

Our church is a small church and there are even more requests listed than I have mentioned. Most churches have prayer lists and if not, usually Sunday school classes will have a list they keep. My husband teaches an adult Sunday school class. He told me yesterday that they go over the new prayer list for the week in class. He mentioned to them last week that the list isn't just to go over on a Sunday but is to be taken home and prayed over during the week.

I've been on prayer sheets before. I know what it is to have a sick relative, a husband without a job, various family concerns, and it goes on and on with all of us often facing similar problems. I know during some of those times how desperate I was for godly friends and church members to be praying faithfully for me and mine. Many a time, the prayers of God's people lightened my load and the Son shown brightly in my spirit because of their faithfulness to pray.

Look around your own church or family. Some are dealing with financial problems. Some are living with rebellious teenagers. There are some with physical tests, x-rays, etc. pending who don't even want to mention it but they need our prayerful attention when we hear of it. Others, because of a terminal illness are living with their toes touching the edge of Eternity. On FB, I often find myself broken hearted over some of those with very serious conditions, especially among children. I have two very little boys who keep me praying and not just for them but also for their families who feel so helpless to do anything for their own children. I learned this morning that one of those little boys went to Heaven early this morning, so my prayers now will intensify for those dear parents.

So let me ask what your prayer list looks like? If we have one, are we praying sincerely for those who are depending on us? If we don't have a prayer list, we can make up our own. We don't need anything official from a church or class. This week there is a National Day of Prayer we are called to. We also have a country that is in dire need of our prayers...in fact, many times a day we should be praying for it. Is our country listed on our prayer list?

I started writing about a prayer list from a small church, a prayer list that contains needs on just a half sheet of paper. But it's not just a piece of paper with names. Your list may look different from mine but it still represents needs we are called upon to pray for. There are people counting on us.

In closing let me add something to this. How often have we had someone in passing conversation ask us to pray for them. We often give a quick promise to do just that. We've learned all sorts of affirmative replies to give to such a person. We often walk away and not give that request another thought. May God forgive us for being so casual about something so important in the lives of others.

May we be found faithful in this important area of our spiritual walk. We know that God answers prayer. He never grows weary of our coming before Him be it with our own needs or bringing the needs of others to Him. Our prayers can make such a difference in the lives of those we pray for and who are facing some pretty insurmountable concerns.

Dear Father...Thank You for the privilege of coming to You in prayer. Thank You for listening to me when I come to You with the concerns of others as well as my own. I'm so grateful for Your faithfulness in my life. I love You Father...In Jesus' precious name...Amen