Devoted
to Prayer
Devote yourselves
to prayer…
Colossians 4:2
It was 7:45am when Christine pulled out
of the garage, which was unusual because she normally didn’t leave
the house before 10:00. Turning out of the cul-de-sac she heard a
siren and saw the lights of an emergency vehicle approaching. Pulling
to the side of the road, Christine did what she had begun doing
almost two years ago…she prayed for whomever they were
transporting, or were on the way to help, and she lifted the EMTs to
God, asking for wisdom, and safety. Finished praying, she headed for
the grocery store to pick up the eggs she needed. Upon returning
home, she noticed the light blinking on her answering machine.
Pushing the play button as she walked by, Christine placed the eggs
on the counter and pulled a skillet from the cupboard.
In the next moment her heart stopped.
“Mrs. Haines, this is Barbara Sheldon from Med Central E.R. I’m
sorry to have to tell you this way, but your son, Zacc, has been
involved in an accident at work and was transported here by squad
about a half hour ago. He is stable, but needs attention. We need you
to sign authorization forms in order for us to proceed with Zacc’s
treatment. Would you please come as soon as you get this message? And
please…be careful.”
That’s when it hit her…The squad
I was praying for!
In an act of compassion-driven prayer,
Christine had unsuspectingly been lifting her son before the Lord. As
this knowledge dawned she realized that although her prayer had been
sincere, it had lacked the desperation of the plea she now brought
before the Lord. Driving to the hospital she asked God to help her
adjust her prayers accordingly in the future.
†
How and what we pray matters. In
today’s text Paul urges us to be devoted to prayer. The
definition of devotion is: to give or apply
ourselves entirely
to a particular activity.
Which means we are meant to pray with
our heart engaged, not just our minds, with the understanding that
our prayers really matter. In other words…pray as if it were your
children in need of God’s attention!
Prayer
“Lord, may You find my
prayers to be faith-filled pleas from a heart devoted to You. In
Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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