"i'll pray for you..."

One of my faithful blog readers sent me this cartoon:






















Funny...but at the same time it carries with it a dose of reality. Have you ever done that? Okay, okay, I confess. I've done it.

Here's why this happens: if you're like me, you have people who sometimes--or in my case, often times--ask you to pray for them. And you, like me, fully intend to pray for them. But what happens? We just flat-out forget sometimes don't we?

Have you ever told someone you've prayed for them when you really haven't? I confess, I've done that. Maybe most pastors wouldn't admit that...but I'm just trying to keep it real.

I'm fully aware that I can screw this "Hey, I'll be praying for you," thing up. And I don't wanna screw it up. So I sincerely strive to be faithful to the promises I make when I tell someone I'll pray for them.

But how can we be sure to honor the commitments we make to others that we're going to pray for them?

Outside of carrying a notebook everywhere and writing everything down, here's something you can do:

When someone asks you to pray for them, pray for them right there--on the spot. I do this. I don't care where we are--in the lobby at church, in the restroom, at a restaurant, on the golf course--I just ask them right then and there if I can pray for that right now.

Sometimes I'll even tell them, "Hey, I don't want to forget to pray for that, so lets pray about it right now."

I get phone calls at the office and at home with people asking me to pray for them. Know what I do? I pray for them right then...on the phone.

I've never had anyone tell me, "No, right now's not a good time." On the contrary, they always appreciate it. The prayer is almost always followed by a hug because they're so grateful that I took their request serious enough to pray for it on the spot. It also builds their faith when they actually hear your prayer rather than hearing a mere, "Okay, I'll be praying for that."

So don't ever miss an opportunity to pray for someone. It'll bless them...and it'll bless you.