I'll Be Praying for You

It rolls right off our tongues.

"I'll be praying for you."

At least it does for me. There have been times in my life when those five words have become part of a greeting. Or parting words. It's something that's said when hugging a hurting loved one. And sadly, that's sometimes where it ends.

Is that all God wants from me? A polite salutation of words? A "filler" when I don't what else to say?

It hurts to admit this, but there have been many times I've uttered those words, "I'll be praying for you." And then I walk away. I get distracted. I get caught up in life and my schedule and my family. And I forget.

Oh, God forbid that I forget.

Most mornings, I have the pleasure of driving our oldest son to school. Daily I ask him what's on his agenda for that day; how I can be praying for him. And now here's the painful part: More often than not, I'd drop him off at the door, say our goodbyes, pull out of the parking lot, flip on talk radio to listen to on my drive home, launch into my day, and neglect to pray for the very things my son had asked me to pray for. It pretty much makes me feel sick to my stomach even at this very moment.

But God (there's those favorite words again) woke me up. Oh, I'm so glad He did. He convicted me and showed me my foolishness. My sin.

I sensed Him challenging me to turn the radio off on my drive home from school; to use those quiet moments to pray for our son. For me, it's that optional "noise" that is most often the distraction that keeps me from praying.

God has also shown me how the everyday tasks of life can be turned into opportunities to pray. When I'm folding laundry, I pray for my family members. When I'm washing dishes, I'm frequently praying for friends. When I hug a loved one at church and tell them I'll be praying, I'm striving to make a conscious effort to do so immediately...and to write it down so I'll remember to pray throughout the days that follow.

I want to be a woman of prayer. I want to be the kind of woman that, when I say I'll be praying, it's not a flippant response. It's not mere words. I want those I love to be confident that I'm taking their needs and their concerns straight to the heart of God.

And as I persevere and grow in prayer, I want to watch in anticipation as He changes us...each of us. I want to patiently, joyfully, and expectantly wait to see how He's going to answer and show Himself faithful.

"My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;

in the morning I will direct it to You,

and I will look up."

Psalm 5:3