Wednesday, December 23, 2015

A Forgotten Prayer Request December 23, 2015









Read James 5:13-16

James 5:13      Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.

Psalm 50:15     and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

Psalm 95:2     Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

Isaiah 65:14     My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit.

1 Corinthians 14:15     So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.

Colossians 3:16     Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

James 5:10     Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

“Please pray for me and my family,” said Laxmi, her eyes filled with tears. “I belong to a non-Christian family and praying to your God is forbidden in my house. My husband is critically ill.” I assured her that I would indeed pray for her family. She mentioned the names of other family members and her belief that Christ can do miracles. But I forgot to pray for Laxmi. As a busy physician, I loaded my prayers with petitions for my own family and my patients, and Laxmi was just a face in the crowd, easily forgotten.

A couple of months later, Laxmi came to thank me for praying for her family and said that her husband was on the road to recovery. I was embarrassed to receive her thanks when I had actually forgotten to pray for her. At that moment I asked Laxmi to sit with me, and we prayed together for her husband and her family.

We often tend to forget our neighbors and those in trouble — even those who seek us out and request our prayers. It takes effort to live as a Christian — especially in India where we are only about two percent of the population. But it’s worth it because we can make a difference in the lives of those around us as we pray for those in need.


No comments:

Post a Comment