Romans 15:30
My friends, by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the love that comes from the Holy Spirit, I beg you to pray sincerely with me and for me.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I had a really good visit recently with my cousin, J.D., and he was telling me that he has begun spending two hours or more in prayer each morning. He readily admitted that he is blessed to have uninterrupted time to devote to prayer. But he also said repeatedly, “I’m telling you, it works!” Having said this, we both agreed that sometimes we Christians become too legalistic about such things as prayer. In other words, we decide that we have to pray a certain way for a certain length of time on certain days. We become slaves to the “law” of prayer – and we lose the holiness and power that genuine prayer and communion with God brings.
If you think that genuine prayer with and for others doesn’t work, I have J.D.’s permission to tell you differently. See, he reminded me today that “someone prayed for me for years.” I was that someone, although I know countless others prayed for him, too. I do not recall this particular incident, but J.D. says that when my dad died eleven years ago, I approached him at the cemetery, touched his arm, and said, “I’m praying for you.” At that time, J.D. was a serious crystal methamphetamine addict. Ultimately, he spent time in prison because of his addiction and associated activities. And while he was in prison, I continued to pray for him – even when he wrote letters and demanded that I stop praying and told me how much he hated the world … and God.
Today, J.D. is a full-time Holy Spirit-filled evangelist, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ and leading worship wherever he gets an opportunity. He said he can hardly talk to anyone these days without saying, “I love you,” and meaning it. We laughed as I told him that nowadays, when I come up against a seemingly impossible situation, I remind myself and others, “If God can change J.D., He can change this!” J.D. wholeheartedly agreed … and anyone who spends a few minutes with him can see the joy he has found in his relationship with Jesus.
I will be the first to tell you that my prayer life could use some polishing. I need to be more diligent in my efforts to bring my own concerns and the needs of others before God. I need to make a more concerted effort to spend time in communion with God each day. I’m not saying there is a magic formula for all of us – and two hours a day may be far too difficult for many of us to set aside, while for others, much more time may be needed. But often, we hear people say, “All we can do is pray.” The fact is, often that is all we need to do, because in many circumstances, sincere prayer is enough! God will handle the rest.
By the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love that comes from the Holy Spirit, I challenge each of us to pray sincerely – with me and for me. I can’t even fathom the ramifications if we all got serious about our prayer life. The same God who changed my cousin J.D. is waiting to change zillions of other situations presented to Him in prayer. Are you willing to commit to this? Isn’t it worth a shot?
©2010 Debbie Robus
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