I see him regularly sitting by the side of the road in one of those folding chairs that people often put in their cars to sit in at a concert or a ball game. The road
is one of the busy thoroughfares in the city I call home. Since he is sitting in the parking lot of a
local church, I assume that he is a
member of that church and a Christian.
There is something else that is there along the side of the road in that
church parking lot: a sign. It is
one of the signs like you see in a front yard of a home for sale or selling
puppies or kittens. This sign says this
man is not selling anything. A matter
of fact, he is giving something away: prayers. You see, the sign says: Can I pray for you?
Can I pray for you? I don’t
know about you, but I am always grateful for prayers. However, I have never stopped on that busy
road in that church parking lot and asked that man to pray for me. I
wonder if any one else has or how many
people stop in an average week.
I remember a woman who was a member of a congregation I had the
honor to serve as pastor. Her health
had deteriorated through the years, and when I became her pastor she spent all
her waking hours either in a wheelchair or a bed. It was not the way she wanted to live her
life, and she shared the same with me one day when she lamented: “What good am I for our church and for the
human race in this wheelchair every day?”
God gave me an answer to her question and it was this: “You can pray for me and for your
church. That is one of the best
things you can do.”
Praying for each other is one of the biggest gifts you can give
your family, your friends, your church,
your pastor, your community, and your world.
I do not think that all of us need to sit out in a chair by the side of
a busy road with a sign that says “Can I pray for you?” However, I believe that the world would be a
much better place if we spent more time praying for each other. Have a joy-filled week, and thanks for your
prayers for me.- Pastor Randy Wall
PRAYER
God, thank you for the people through the years who have prayed
for me whether I knew it or not. Lord,
I cannot do everything but I can do
something. Help me to pray for others;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment