I saw an article in the paper a few days ago about a couple with three children, three boys. They really wanted another child and were going through IVF to get it but there was a catch…they wanted a girl. They wanted a girl so badly that when they fell pregnant with twin boys they aborted them.
I felt horrible. I couldn’t shake the sadness at what that said about how they valued life. But I also felt helpless. I disliked, really disliked, this situation, but what could I do about it? I didn’t know the people. I couldn’t speak into their lives. It was in Australia so I couldn’t even petition my government or health system to disallow such a thing. I could do nothing about it. Why, I wondered, did God give me a heart to care about this situation if I was useless to do anything about it?
Of course, after thinking this way for a little bit it hit me – we are never actually useless. There is something we can always do. Something powerful, effective and immediate. We can pray. James, like many others in the Bible, tells us to pray. He says:
“Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.”
- James 5 v 13 - 18
I think when I worry about what I can do and forget to pray I’m saying something very sad about what I believe. For the subtlest of God’s intervention is always going to be more powerful then the greatest of my actions. This doesn’t mean I shouldn’t act if I can of course! But in our global community there are many things that will touch our heart but which we will be too removed to do anything hands-on about. So when you read the paper today look for one story that moves you and pray for the people involved. Pray for God’s wisdom in their lives, for God to stir Christians in their lives to action. To convict them. To encourage them. Whatever is suitable. For through prayer we can bring God’s kingdom to earth, today.
No comments:
Post a Comment