Prayer;
what is it?
Prayer is talking/communicating with God.
But, I wonder,
is that all that prayer is or it can be?

When I think about prayer, I don't limit it to only talking to God, but to the various things I'm good at - that becomes my prayer, that becomes my worship unto God.

A child's prayer,
I heard a child pray not to long ago; he prayed for the tangible, abstract, the mundane - but then he prayed for his mommy and daddy, all his friends... It was beautiful. I am certain without any doubt, that God heard his prayers before he mentioned his family and friends.
God hears our all our prayers; the sacred and mundane, the truth and the trivial, every prayer offered up to him gets heard and answered.
The answer might not be the one we expected, it might be no, wait or yes - God hears all his prayers...

I have been thinking lately about prayer and I wonder - what about prayers offered up to God by those who don't know him? For example, several of my Muslims pray for me and I for them, and I wonder... Do the prayers of the Muslims reach my Father's ears? I think he does hear the prayers of the Muslim, the Buddhist, the Hindu, etc... Because if we can pray for the mundane things in our lives, would not the prayers of someone who isn't a follower of Christ be heard as well?

I'll have to pray about this
(no pun intended)

Last, but not least,
I wonder this; followers of Christ are called to pray for others, but when does the line cross and move into doing something instead of praying about something? Prayer is very valuable, but when do we stop praying (but not entirely) and do/be something more?

***

I think I will see how I can not only pray for someone, but act out as a follower of Christ who is not caught up in the 'Christian Bubble' and go, do and be.

oh my Father in Heaven,
thank you for hearing my prayers,
and the prayers of children,
and the prayers of the childless,
and the prayers of those who don't know you.
Make us who are yours
more like you,
shape us in the image of your Son,
teach us in all your ways,
show us how to love others as we'd like to be loved,
in your precious name I pray,
AMEN.

n:v - 2006©