Prayer in My Rearview Mirror
Last week, my husband and I were traveling back from Orlando on a flight that took us into Nashville International Airport. Due to some strange circumstances, our luggage didn’t make it on our plane, so we “had” to hang out in Nash-vegas for about 3 hours.
To fill the time, we bought some groceries and made a trip to Lowe’s in a nearby community outside of the city. I decided to wait in the car while Tim browsed the aisles at Lowe’s – not my thang:). It was a beautiful day so I lowered the windows to enjoy the breeze and sunshine.
As I sat there people-watching, I could hear a conversation beginning behind me. Something about “How can we pray for you?” and “I asked God for something to change my attitude today and you are the answer to my prayer.”
When I looked in my rearview mirror, this is what I saw…
These four souls simply stopped their obviously busy day (note the ball uniforms two of them have on) and asked Jesus to help them with whatever issues they were having this particular day.
Honestly, I felt a little guilty snapping the pic – like I was eavesdropping on a very intimate moment. But what a blessing to see people boldly go before the throne of grace and present their needs, hearts and hands joined together.
I couldn’t help but notice the statement at the bottom of my review mirror: objects in mirror are closer than they appear. We serve a God we cannot see with our eyes, but He is closer than He appears.
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. Ps. 145:19
“Am I a God who is near,” declares the LORD, “And not a God far off? Jeremiah 23:23
Our God is closer than He appears – Especially when we pray.
This divine appointment made the inconvenience of lost luggage dissipate. It made me wonder when was the last time I unashamedly asked someone what their greatest prayer need was outside of the church walls.
This life is way too hard not to lean on each other for encouragement and prayer. Too often we flippantly say, “I’ll be praying for you.” But do we really? Prayer is likely the most underutilized tool at our disposal and we treat it way too casually.
“In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.” Ephesians 6:18 MSG