image by Coco Parisienne on Pixabay
During my final year of commuting to work, I passed by the same young teen waiting for his school bus. He was a lone soul at that bus stop. The thought that I should pray for him popped into my head one day. So I did, calling him Bus Stop Boy in my mind since I didn’t know him.
It became a habit for me to offer a short prayer for him as I drove by. And then I wondered, “What if I am the only person on earth praying for this child?”
Most often I don’t feel as if I am good at praying. I feel I am lacking; that there are others who pray more fervently or more genuinely. I suffer from Imposter Syndrome in my prayer life.
It likely won’t surprise you that among the many books on “how to pray,” there is one in the “dummies” series called appropriately enough, “Christian Prayer for Dummies.”
The author offers an acronym so readers can remember the four parts of an effective prayer:
ACTS
| Adoration | Praising God the Almighty |
| Confession | Verbalizing and asking forgiveness for the sins we have committed |
| Thanksgiving | Remembering to be grateful for all we have |
| Supplication | Asking God to watch over us and care for our needs and the needs of others that we name; seeking God’s healing grace for those who are ill in body, mind, or spirit |
While I poked gentle fun at Prayers for Dummies, I actually like the ACTS reminder. Although I feel more in touch with God when I follow the acronym loosely and not as if I’m at the grocery store checking items off my list.
One of my favorite true stories about prayer concerns my friend Sherry. She had been having horrendous headaches for months. One day while shopping, she saw a man who, from the rear, bore an uncanny resemblance to her dad.
When the man turned, however, he looked nothing like Sherry’s father. The two exchanged pleasantries, and then the man asked if he could pray for her because she seemed upset. Sherry agreed and bowed her head as the man touched the exact area on her head where a brain tumor would successfully be removed one month later.
She said the touch brought her chills (good ones) from her head to her toes. A prayer from a complete stranger—and how she needed the prayer at just that moment.
After my friend Linda was diagnosed this spring with stage IV ovarian cancer, I found a prayer by Rabbi Naomi Levy. I amended it to include Linda’s name and sent it to mutual friends and other prayer warriors I know. I’m sharing it here and asking you to not only include Linda in your own prayers but forward it on to others.
May God heal Linda, body and soul. May Linda’s pain cease. May Linda’s strength increase. May Linda’s fears be released. May blessings, love, and joy surround Linda. Amen.
Here’s the tough question: What about when our prayers aren’t answered the way we want? When the child doesn’t recover from the disease, when the elderly parent’s first slip into dementia rolls into an avalanche, when car wrecks, freak accidents, and people with weapons take our loved ones from us… what then? Why were our prayers to watch over those we love not fulfilled?
Life isn’t easily understandable. And I don’t have the answers. Certainly, I have questioned God’s wisdom myself.
But I do know that it’s at those very worst times in our lives that we need the prayers of others. Because in tragedy, we need to be lifted up in love and empathy, to know that no matter what, we are not alone and that we are indeed loved.
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Norma, as I was reading this, I was tempted to just scan over this message as I often do on long posts. But I found myself drawn back to it thinking that it might help me in my prayers. I find that I “talk to God”. When I’m traveling between my home and my parents‘ home. The trips are becoming more frequent as my father continues to fade from this life. I felt I needed to be more passionate about my prayers. I’m not praying just for my family, but for others too. I didn’t feel that I was expressing my prayers “correctly.” This will help me be more direct in my random times of talking to God. Linda is always at the top of my wish list. Thank you so much for your friendship and guidance. Love, Jan
Jan, thank you for sharing this personal story. While I’m so sorry that your father is fading, I’m happy that you’ve had your parents with you for so long. It’s good to know that God doesn’t focus on how correct or perfectly we pray…only that we do.
Good morning Norma. I just read your post. I couldn’t help from crying. Not sure why, it just touched my heart. I pray each night for others and my daughter who resides in Heaven. I wondered why I don’t pray in the morning before starting my day. I will do that now and pray specifically for Linda. Have a good day.
Hi Barbara, if your response was to cry, then that was the right one for you. And I’m so happy to report that Linda’s surgery yesterday was considered a success in that the tumor was able to be removed and there was no other sign of cancer. Praise God! Thank you for your prayers.