The List

I pray for strangers on line at a prayer ministry web site.  I always ask for the Holy Spirit to help me with this, because often I find myself unable to focus as I should.  My own cares and distractions leak through the cracks in my concentration and I can only hope that God understands my human frailty enough to hear my prayers anyway.  Other times I really feel the power of God's presence and I am able to lose myself and lift up the needs of the people I am praying for.

Then every so often I come across a prayer request that kind of makes me smile to myself, and although I have taken a vow to "pray without judgment" on this site,  I occasionally shake my head a little.  Like today.  There was a request that listed, and I mean a numbered list, ten requests for their life.  That's not a bad thing, I kind of liked it because it helped me with my focus problem.  The person was following Jesus' instruction to pray specifically for what we need.  But as I neared the end of the list I did that little smile thing when I saw requests for "new cars" (yes plural) and big job promotions and houses (again plural). 

When I see things like that, I wonder if I am supposed to actually pray for those things exactly as requested.  I can't seem to do it.  Instead I find myself praying that God will provide for all the person's needs.  And I also pray for God's presence in their lives and a closer relationship with Him. The list just seems more like a child's Christmas wish list for Santa Claus than a prayer. 

So today I pray for wisdom in praying for others.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will indeed take over where I am at a loss to know how to pray.  I pray for compassion and mercy as I read the most intimate prayers of strangers, and I pray that we all come to be brothers and sisters in Christ, and pray for each other, lifting each other up every day into the Light of God's care and wisdom.
And I hope that's not too much of a list.

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