Praying for you

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"I'm praying for you." My wife and I hear this all the time as we deal with our health concerns these days. We appreciate the expression of support and care. We both say this to others facing the struggles of life. "I'm praying for you," is a mantra that seeks to provide some kind of connection, express some concern. 

This expression, I suppose, can mean a lot of different things. As critics would point out it seems often to be something we say when we don't have anything "meaningful" to say. It is a standard social convention, like saying "I'm fine" when someone asks how we are. Prayer can be an act of desperation in the face of hopelessness. It can be an insipid response to a situation we wish would just go away. We "pray" when we lack the courage, ability, or desire to act. It is, literally, the least we can do. 

That said, I'm not convinced that even the most unthoughtful prayer is not still prayer. If there is any small turning of our hearts and minds to God or to our neighbor in need—even in our helplessness and hopelessness—it seems to me that is the Spirit's work. Paul writes, "...the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:26-27)

Prayer is not powerless or hopeless. Paul tells us it is the very essence of life. "Rejoice always, prayer without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Prayer is not asking for what we want or changing God. Philosopher and theologian Søren Kierkegaard reminds us that "The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays."

When we say, "I'm praying for you," and do it with intention it means in some way, we become mindful of another's pain, suffering, or struggle. That leads us to empathy and compassion. The next step is action. Anytime we are mindful of something or someone beyond ourselves, it is prayer. To get out of the default setting of self-concern and be mindful of the joys and struggles of others is prayer. Mindfulness is an essential movement that undergirds thoughtful action: A card, a letter or some other way of reaching out, person to person. 

When we pray to God, it is the same. Our mindfulness of God and God's story of creation, salvation, and sanctification, open us up to a way of looking at the world through God's eyes instead of our own self-centered view. It opens us to enlightenment, grace, mercy, and action. We discover what God wants from us instead of more attention to our own wants. 

I'm praying for you. 

In Christ, 
Timothy Olson
Lead Pastor

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