Prayerful Heart

This will not be a blog in sense that most of my post are 'blogs.'
Today my heart is heavy with many prayer needs. This time of year, we spend focusing on what we are thankful for, yet many are focusing on their many needs and hurts. Its a strange aspect to the holiday season. I have sat at my computer today praying about what to type and my mind keeps returning instead to the need to pray for the different people who are ill, unemployed, hurting emotionally, or at the "end of their rope" so to speak financially. a few are dealing with more than one of these difficulties at once.

As you read this, do you have people coming to your mind? I think it would be safe to say that most of us do. Life, well, its hard sometimes. In that hardness we discover we cannot do it alone. We need God and we need His people around us. Makes me glad its a Wednesday and I'll be with my church family in just a few hours!

I've been blessed with an amazing church family. There are ones that I know I can call any time and they will immediately go to prayer for me. I want to be that for them as well. Not only that but for everyone else God puts in my life be it family, friends, co-workers (don't have those right now), or even just people my kids go to school with their kids.

Many of the miracles recorded in the Bible tell us that Jesus was moved with compassion for the person. Compassion isn't always my first emotional response. However, I am the type to want to fix it for everyone else. Boy, does God have to remind me often that that is His job and not mine! I can, however, take my example from Paul and do what he did for the people of Colossians (and many others).

Colossians 1:9 says, "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives," I like this prayer list. Short and simple. It doesn't really even need explained. So today, as I think of all the people I love, and the ones I just know by acquaintance, who need prayer. I am going to take Paul's example to heart.

I am going to pray, and keep praying for you. I'll ask God to show you, with wisdom and understanding given by His Spirit, how he is working and his will.

Please join me, if you have others you'd like to pray for today.

Lord, you know the long list of people and their needs I have to bring to you today. You knew them before I did. Please be with these people. Open their hearts to the comfort and leading of the Holy Spirit. Help them to take hold of the wisdom and understanding you are offering them, so that they can see how you are working this difficulty for good in their lives. Help them also to see the support they have from the people you've put in their path. Let me be an encouragement to them as well. Thank you for the peace that comes in knowing you already have the answer and know about the problem before we ever ask. In Jesus Name, Amen.