We … do not cease to pray for you. Colossians1:9
The persimmon tree at the edge of our cabin causeway is heavy with fruit. Like a small miracle, it has survived the terrible deforestation of the year just passed. Over the spring and summer, I have watched in awe as the woods have staged a comeback of sorts. First came species of wildflowers I hadn’t seen before. By summer most of the birds were back, and this fall there was enough foliage to offer a bit of color.
As I gather persimmons for a Thanksgiving centerpiece, small wonders of new beginnings push aside memories of the woodsman’s saw. Good thoughts to take the place of bad. My thoughts fly to all the prayer habits that move me from life’s disappointments toward the goodness that’s always out there waiting to be claimed.
At the top of the list is “Praying for others.” Each week I leave my prayer class with a sheet of paper that contains a prayer request from each member. It’s virtually impossible to dwell on my own problems or feel sorry for myself when I’m praying for others.
“Pray for your enemies” is another good habit, not because I like to pray for my foes, but because I don’t seem to have as many since I’ve been praying for them.
“Pray for the world.” Mother Earth needs our prayers, as do the orphans in Africa, and all the people at home and abroad who are oppressed, hungry and homeless. Prayer has changed me and now I am using prayer to change the world.
As for that personal prayer list, I hope you will consider making one of your own. Tape your list to the dashboard of your car, to the bathroom mirror, the refrigerator, your bedside lamp. Make God’s “very good” world even better, one prayer at a time.
Father, as I grow closer to You, I want to be one who helps others to find new life in You. Point me ever in the right direction.
