April 26, 2007

• Matthew 25:37-45
  Being Used by God…….Filling the Void With His Presence

  Last night my friends and I sang and played at Grace and Grits. It was a refreshing spiritually charged night as we fed the homless and hungry in so many ways (with food, with hope, with kindness and…….with prayer).

  I was telling my wife, Kelly, on the way home about the opportunities I had to pray with many folks at Grace and Grits last night. One woman has been thinking about taking her life (her son died in June and her niece last week), she is 60 years old. Another friend of  mine is still trying to rid himself of the demons of alcohol addiction. Another woman is having deep personal problems and is fighting with her boyfriend. But what what I found most touching was when I yelled across the room telling a friend that I would be praying for her and this other lady, whom I did not know, but have seen many times there (she is usually very quiet), looked at me sadly across the room and sorta cried out, “would you pray for me?”. The look in her eyes and the tears after I went over and prayed with her was very emotional…..I saw an emptiness that resided there wanting to be filled. I saw a sadness wanting to go away, I felt a void just yearning to be filled with God’s presence.

   I told my wife as I was driving home that I really feel a connection in praying with others. Many of these folks seemingly have quit praying for themselves and even more importantly, quit communicating with God altogether….often, I believe, because they maybe feel unworthy, unlovable or simply insignificant. This feeling that I have sensed over and over is so very far from the truth!

  I also told my wife that it seems, to the person I am praying for, like they put some special stock in the fact that “I” am praying for them (maybe because I have a deep relationship with Christ and they think of me as a preacher, which I am not…at least not yet). However, again, I believe that this is so very far from the truth! What I try to do is to give them the hope and comfort that is found in prayer and communication with our Father and at the same time foster a deeper and ongoing communication with God by asking them to also pray for me during the week, as I have many things in my life that need intercessory prayer also.

  Prayer is a dialog with our Father. It makes a difference in what happens in our life. So often we rely on ourselves….when we should rely on God (James 4:2) . Prayer leads to a greater communication with God and a greater understanding of His will in our lives.

  I would like to point out just a few simple things

  – No matter where we are in life…..addicted….living in sin….faithful……rich or poor……God wants us to have dialog with Him, he loves us and wants us to know Him…….pray………….have dialog with outr Father.
  – Each of us is worthy to go to the Father on behalf of others, offering them hope in God the Father and Jesus the Son.
  – When we pray….encourage those in need to pray also for us as we, no matter where we are in life, are in need also.
  – Don’t ever feel that it is at all about “you” when you pray for others…..it’s not….it’s all about God, them, and their relationship with God.

  May God bless you and may you pray powerfully with those who long for God in their lives, and may they see God’s presence, hope, forgiveness and love in your simple acts as you simply follow Christ.

   

  • 4:32 pm
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