I took a walk this morning, my first since getting over Covid. It was brutally cold, but I couldn’t resist layering on some warm clothes to take a stroll through my neighborhood. Being cooped up for the last several weeks, I’d forgotten how much I enjoy the quiet of a morning walk. While shivering through…
Prayer
Until You Pray
There’s an old Puritan expression, “Pray until you pray.” I first stumbled across it when I read Tim Keller’s book on prayer a few years ago, and it’s stuck with me ever since. Pray until you pray. This little four-word exhortation captures what I often think about prayer but am hesitant to say aloud—that prayer…
I Wasn’t Half-Dead
I penned the name at the bottom of my prayer list. A friend had asked me to pray for her friend to come to faith in Christ, so I did. Each morning, I spoke the name to the Lord, asking for His saving power in their life. It wasn’t hard. It was important. And then,…
I Need You to Read Your Bible
“I can’t believe I’m asking you to pray for this,” I told my friend sheepishly. “It’s the dumbest prayer request. I mean, God has said no for such a long time, why am I still pushing for a yes?” I laughed into the phone, but an errant tear slipped down my cheek. “I want you…
Guarantees are Hard to Come By
Guarantees are hard to come by these days. After sixty days of cancellations and loneliness, I feel like there are few promises I can make and keep anymore. My kids ask, “When can we play with other kids again? Will we have school this fall? Will we get to have birthday parties with our friends…
Prayer for the Wandering Mind
I longed to be a faithful “prayer” for many years. My grandmothers were both known for their thriving prayer lives, but I discovered that sadly, faithful praying is not a genetic trait you can inherit. It’s learned and practiced. Essentially, I wanted to be like them without actually being like them and putting in the…
The More You’ll Pray
The first time I went with my friend to her chemo infusion, I couldn’t stop looking at all the people. So much suffering in one building where everyone lines up for the poison that both cures and kills. A lot of bare heads, a lot of face masks, a lot of stubborn, steady hope that…
Learning Intercession from Paul
The church of my childhood boasted a tiny prayer chapel some twenty yards away from the sanctuary. It couldn’t hold more than a handful of people, and there was a rotation of regularly scheduled “intercessors” who occupied the chapel during all of the church’s services. It wasn’t a place children were permitted to go, but…
Devoted to Prayer: the Gift of Keeping a Record
I crossed off her name from my list. Scratching in yesterday’s date next to her name, I felt the pressure of tears behind my eyes. A faithful saint who fought brain cancer for several years finally went to be with Jesus yesterday. I haven’t seen her since we bumped into one another at a friend’s…
How to Pray for Believers
Nothing has encouraged my relationships with other believers like praying consistently for them. I used to feel embarrassed by my often-offered platitude, “I’ll pray for you,” because I seldom followed through, and I knew it. When I did happen to remember to pray for someone as promised, it usually amounted to an awkward and rushed,…