Devoted to Prayer
April 22
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.
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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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