Praying Together

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Matthew 18:20    
  
Every now and again I hear something that just grabs me right by
the ear drums!  I heard a speaker named Fr. Steve Mattson recently who was talking about the need for more prayer and he made some excellent points and had some great stories.  He is a terrific speaker so I was pretty tuned in but then he said something that made my jaw drop.  He said, “People are sleeping together before they are praying together!” He went on to say that praying with another person is such an intimate thing to do many people find it too uncomfortable.  My head just couldn’t let go of that thought! After I had puddled around with that idea for a few weeks another one came to mind…if prayer was what people in a relationship did first, how would that change the relationship and  even more important, how would it change the culture?  It’s been weeks since I heard Fr. Mattson talk and I’m still thinking about it!

As a wife and mother, I am constantly examining the way I fulfill my roles.  More often than not, I’m asking for forgiveness for not getting things right with my husband and my kids.  In my search to do my job better, I often watch and listen to women I respect. I like to know how others do it well. I like to talk to moms and dads who have raised great kids and couples who have beautiful loving marriages.  I want to know how to get it right!  In all of my conversations I have made an important discovery.  The folks who seem to “get it right” are the ones who are people of prayer.  Christ is at the center of their marriage, their friendships and their parenting and it sticks out all over!  
 
I saw a billboard once that said “Prayer changes everything!”  I suppose that is a completely true and powerful statement. If any of us have complained about the decline in the morals and ethics of our society, I think it’s fair to say we know the antidote…prayer.  Many of you reading this are  great prayer warriors.  We are great at praying for others in need but how are we at praying WITH others?  If it’s about as comfortable for you as burlap underwear then there is only one thing to do about that…practice!  I’m not asking you to stand on the corner and pray out loud for an hour, I’m asking you to find one person you can pray with.  If we pray with others, we can be seen as a person of prayer and boy could the world use more of those.  If someone you know is having a rough day, ask them if they would like to pray for a minute.  You can pray together a familiar prayer like the Lord’s Prayer or maybe share a scripture verse…or it can be as simple as “Lord, please bless my friend who is struggling today.” The power of that simple act will overwhelm you! When people see the power of prayer in action, they become people of prayer themselves and it will have a ripple effect.  We have no problem playing cards or games together, sharing stories about the people we work with, or discussing our favorite sport or recipe until we’re blue in the face but none of those things have potential to re-direct a life toward Christ like sharing prayer does. If we want the morals and behavior of a culture to shift, we have to start the shift ourselves and it starts one shared prayer at a time.

 A Seed To Plant:  Pick one person to pray with this week.  For extra credit, make it someone you are really close to…a teenager would be a double bonus.  Even if they decline the invitation, a powerful message has been
sent anyway!

 Blessings on your day!