Praying for people can be a complicated call. Some don’t want to be prayed for at all, and are very emphatic about it. Once I told someone I’d pray for her, only to be lashed out at: Don’t you dare; I don’t need any prayers!
This person wanted no part of God, but what was the fear? That there might be something to this prayer business? That to even entertain the possibility would turn upside down the paradigm from which she lived her life. I don’t think she would have responded positively even if I had posed the question; Would you like me to pray for you?
I still pray for this friend but no one knows except God and me. I pray for peace for her, whatever that might mean. In fact, I pray for many people who don’t seem to view life through a God lens. As a prayer person I do my best to respond gingerly, thoughtfully, and prayerfully, remembering that it is always about God, not about what I say or don’t say. Of course, not always easy; judgments seep in, but I pray about that, too.
This person wanted no part of God, but what was the fear? That there might be something to this prayer business? That to even entertain the possibility would turn upside down the paradigm from which she lived her life. I don’t think she would have responded positively even if I had posed the question; Would you like me to pray for you?
I still pray for this friend but no one knows except God and me. I pray for peace for her, whatever that might mean. In fact, I pray for many people who don’t seem to view life through a God lens. As a prayer person I do my best to respond gingerly, thoughtfully, and prayerfully, remembering that it is always about God, not about what I say or don’t say. Of course, not always easy; judgments seep in, but I pray about that, too.
RSS Feed