Can
I Pray For You?
Praise
be to the God and Father…who comforts us in all our troubles, so
that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we
ourselves receive from God.
2 Corinthians 1:3, 4
Wendy and Abe’s waiter, Clint, seemed
preoccupied. He headed for the kitchen to turn in their order for the
hot pepper cheese ball appetizer before getting their drinks.
“Clint’s definitely got something
on his mind,” Wendy remarked.
Following her gaze, Abe noticed Clint
had stopped in front of the coffee station and appeared to be lost in
thought. As if he could feel them watching he turned toward their
booth. Returning to the table, “I’m really sorry folks, but I
forgot your order,” he said apologetically.
Abe said, “Coffee, black for me, and
Wendy would like hot tea.” Then he quietly asked, “Can I pray for
you?”
The waiter’s surprise was evident,
“Yes! Please do!”
“Is there anything specific we can
pray for?” Wendy prompted.
“There’s a lot going on,” Clint
said, discouraged. “My dad had to have a stent placed in a blocked
artery last week. The doctor told him he needed to consider early
retirement. The bank is calling the note on my student loans. And my
fiancé broke off our engagement yesterday...”
“You’ve definitely got some
challenges in your life,” Abe responded. “Let’s ask the Lord to
have His say in each of these circumstances.”
Without fanfare they reached out and
took Clint’s hands and prayed. As they prayed the young man’s
countenance softened.
When they had finished, Clint said,
“Nobody ever prayed for me like that before. Thank you so much!”
†
There is no shortage of people in need
of prayer. Yet, many walk through life feeling as though the world is
closing in on them, and no one cares. But, Someone does. And He wants
us to let them know by offering to lift their needs to Him in prayer.
Taking the time to ask these five
simple words can affect someone’s life at the moment they most need
it. Any time, any place, when the Holy Spirit prompts us, we can ask,
“Can I pray for you?”
Prayer
“Lord, let me be Your
emissary. Show me who needs me to pray for them and then give me the
courage to ask permission to do so. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
No comments:
Post a Comment