"Prayer exercises your willpower and gives God authority to work in your life."
Portable Prayers
I was in the deepest part of my house today, the basement, loading the washing machine, when it dawned on me just what a wonderful thing prayer is. I have always prayed whenever it was needed, no matter where I was—driving, cooking, taking a walk. But today it truly HIT me that prayer IS PORTABLE. It is a way to talk to God, praise him, share your sorrows or happiness, or to ask for help for friends and loved ones . . . AND you NEVER get a “busy signal” or have a power outage or any such problem because God is there 24/7.
Today’s tasks of washing and hanging up some clothes gave me plenty of time to really think on the wonderful process we call “prayer.” It can always be very specific or one can generally address whole issues, holidays, many concerns in one prayer. Today my prayer had been carried with me through the kitchen, down some stairs, and into the basement. I was praying for my really good friend, Tom. Tom is the father of a friend, and at 92 the day finds him in a place with hospice people in attendance. He is having difficulties, and I had just had a text from his daughter-in-law with some specifics that led me to prayer. It is always good to have the specifics so one can pray for exactly the thing that is distressing, knowing that you are doing your best to get results. But, that’s another good thing about prayer, even if we only know generalities, God will fill in the blanks for us.
I have to say that my prayer in a way seemed superfluous. Tom is one of the best men I have ever known. He’s a Georgia Boy, who farmed, grew up attending church regularly and loving his family. He has been a Deacon at our church for many terms, he is a Mason, a veteran of the Korean war and a loving father and husband. His wife preceded him in death but never had a man loved his wife any more than this one. He has many friends and he seemed to never meet a stranger. I remember when I met him through his son, I thought there was something really special about him and that has not changed through the 48 years I have been blessed to know him. He has stood by me in some tough times. When my husband found that he would need a quadruple bypass, Tom was at the door the next day offering assistance. AND he was at the hospital with me through the operation, along with his pastor whom he brought along. (As a side note, I have a really good friend from high school who is a minister and he was there as well.) I felt so secure, it was like having just the right fire power to meet any obstacle. Needless to say, my husband recuperated beautifully.
So, if any person has ever had a LOCK on getting into heaven some day, it would be Tom. But still I prayed and thought all these things I relate here so God would have HIS knowledge of Tom reinforced. It’s one thing for God to love us all, but it’s an entirely different matter to be loved by mortals. They are difficult and have high standards for what we call a “good man.” But I would wager that very few could come up with anything disenchanting about this man we all know as Tom.
As I always do I left things with God at the end of my prayer. I learned that one a long time ago. Whenever I can turn things over to God completely, the issue is resolved in the best way possible, often in a supernatural way that my pitiful brain could never fathom.
And this I did with Tom . . . I left him in God’s hands. But that was a redundant move, because that’s where Tom has been his whole life.