Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Prayer and Love


Today we started our staff meeting with a half-hour or so of sharing as a response to James 5:16ff--each of us shared things in our lives for which we coveted the group's prayers. We promised to pray for one another in a very specific way and then spent another half hour actually doing that.

This seemed like an old treasure dug up anew. I was amazed by how something as simple as getting specific with our vulnerable needs & then praying for them could engender real concern, affection and love. As my life has become more complicated, I tend to find myself praying for me and mine more, rather than praying for others. The more I "get out of myself" in prayer, and put others' concerns on my heart, the more I actually feel for them--my love seems increased. I'll bet it is.

If a relationship seems stalled, find out what you can be praying for about that person. Ask them what they need and pray for it. Better yet, pray with them. This will not only increase your faith, it will increase your love.

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