When the People Pray

Scriptural meditation: Philippians 4:6-7; Luke 18:1; 1 Timothy 2:8


Like David, I had to encourage myself this week as bad news kept coming. One of my grandmothers was hospitalized, a friend announced the illness of her spouse, and another friend is standing in the gap for a mother whose heart is challenged Add those concerns to the daily challenges of life and you have a supersized bout of anxiety. In this life, we will have trials and the trying of our faith worketh patience (James 1:3).

This week, let us remember to pray for our family and friends. Pray for those who are sick as well as for those who care for them. Pray that the doctors and nurses will leave peaceful homes so they can focus on health and wellness while at work.

While you may not have children, pray for students and educators at all levels. For the students, pray for focus and that their minds will be open to new experiences, people and knowledge. Pray for the teachers, especially those who are already approaching this year with defeat and discouragement. Ask God to strengthen their minds and stir up the passion they once had for their profession and students. Pray for the bus drivers, the cafeteria workers, the administrators, and even the people who clean the buildings. Most importantly, pray for parents and their resources. Ask God to give them more. More time to prepare breakfast, more time to assist with homework, and more patience to nurture their children. If they cannot afford new clothes or school supplies, pray that God’s hands in the earth will bless them.

Pray for college-aged children who are leaving home for the first time. Ask God’s protection over those who will travel alone on the highways.

As summer ends, remember your friends and loved ones who are wrapping up vacations. Bus, car and plane crashes abound, but pray that no harm should come nigh their dwelling.

Pray for people who need a vacation (put my name at the top of that list). Prayerfully, we’ll keep it together.

This week, I pray God’s protection over your life. May He keep you in perfect peace!

A—

P.S. The photo here was taken a few days after the Iowa floods. Only a few feet away from this bush, businesses were destroyed and mud covered the ground. When I saw these little flowers, I was reminded that God can still give us beauty in a messed up situation.