I was sitting in a chair on our back deck, reading a book by one of my favorite authors, when my 4-year-old granddaughter tiptoed through the back door and asked me what I was doing.
“I’m just reading and enjoying this beautiful day.”
“Me too.” She carried a backpack with crayons and paper in it and parked herself at the table nearby.
Soon we heard sirens. We live in a quiet suburban neighborhood, so we don’t hear as many sirens as some people do.
“What’s that?” she asked.
I explained that it was a siren, probably on a police car or an ambulance.
Her expression turned somber. “Someone’s in trouble.”
I nodded. “Maybe we should pray.”
“You pray.”
So I did. I asked God to help whoever was in trouble.
I know it’s a long shot, but I hope she remembers that. I hope sirens become an occasion for prayer to her. I hope the same for you by using “triggers” to prompt short moments of prayer throughout your day.
When you hear a siren, pray for the urgent need it announces, and the personnel who race to meet it. When you see a funeral procession, pray for the bereaved.
When you open a card from a friend, pray for the sender. You might even create triggers of your own–employing a specific picture, song, landmark or smell as a trigger to remind you to pray.
Have you used triggers to remind you to pray? Do you know others who do? What are some triggers you might install in your prayer life? What ideas occur to you?
