A big motivator for me in being out on the street with the Mobile Prayer Station day after day is the alarming reality that there are countless people who have never been prayed for, who's names or images have never been brought before the throne of God's grace. Now this revelation is not of my own thinking, but something the Holy Spirit brought to my attention many years ago and continues to remind of at least once a week.
The reason I'm thinking about this is that I read a blog by my friend Scott today where he gave a pretty fair assessment of the current "celebrity" driven Christian culture in America. Afterwards, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed when some of the status updates of the "celebrity" Christian fan pages I've "liked" came through. What struck me as I was reading through the comments was how many people said they were praying for this person and then I thought about all the many people I see each and every day who probably have never been prayed for. To be honest, it made me sad. Now don't misunderstand me here. I love prayer and and am thrilled that people are praying, but I couldn't help but to think about... (I think I'll let the Holy Spirit fill this one in for you).
So, today I had the privileged to pray with Amir who must have been 8 years old. He was walking with his mother when he stopped in front of my sign and started reading. His mother then asked him if he wanted me to pray for him and he said yes. So, I asked him what he wanted me to pray for him about and when he shrugged his shoulders, I gave him a few suggestions. He decided on blessing, and so I started to pray. But, to my surprise the very first words out of my mouth were "God, thank you that you see Amir and that you don't think that he's too little..." which is right, I mean kids aren't too little in God's eyes. But, the sad reality is that we treat them like they are. I am always amazed at the spiritual and emotional sensitivity of children and by their faith. Kids simply believe. No wonder Jesus tells us "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:2 NIV).
But what does it mean to "have faith like a child?" Well, I believe this story will help illustrate. It's like a child who only knows the area of her house and yard. This is what she is familiar with and this is where she feels safe. But, as she grows, she begins to take walks with her father away from their house and through the neighborhood where she loses sight of her house and soon is lost. Even if she tried to find her way home, she couldn't. But, because she was holding her father's hand she knew deep in her heart that she was safe. She knew that her father loved her and that he would always do what was best for her. That he would protect and guide her wherever they would go. Knowing this filled her with joy and excitement, rather than fear. She wasn't frightened as they walked down unfamiliar streets because she had full confidence in her father. This is how Jesus tells us we should be, like a child who has full confidence in our Father in Heaven.
The reason I'm thinking about this is that I read a blog by my friend Scott today where he gave a pretty fair assessment of the current "celebrity" driven Christian culture in America. Afterwards, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed when some of the status updates of the "celebrity" Christian fan pages I've "liked" came through. What struck me as I was reading through the comments was how many people said they were praying for this person and then I thought about all the many people I see each and every day who probably have never been prayed for. To be honest, it made me sad. Now don't misunderstand me here. I love prayer and and am thrilled that people are praying, but I couldn't help but to think about... (I think I'll let the Holy Spirit fill this one in for you).
So, today I had the privileged to pray with Amir who must have been 8 years old. He was walking with his mother when he stopped in front of my sign and started reading. His mother then asked him if he wanted me to pray for him and he said yes. So, I asked him what he wanted me to pray for him about and when he shrugged his shoulders, I gave him a few suggestions. He decided on blessing, and so I started to pray. But, to my surprise the very first words out of my mouth were "God, thank you that you see Amir and that you don't think that he's too little..." which is right, I mean kids aren't too little in God's eyes. But, the sad reality is that we treat them like they are. I am always amazed at the spiritual and emotional sensitivity of children and by their faith. Kids simply believe. No wonder Jesus tells us "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:2 NIV).
But what does it mean to "have faith like a child?" Well, I believe this story will help illustrate. It's like a child who only knows the area of her house and yard. This is what she is familiar with and this is where she feels safe. But, as she grows, she begins to take walks with her father away from their house and through the neighborhood where she loses sight of her house and soon is lost. Even if she tried to find her way home, she couldn't. But, because she was holding her father's hand she knew deep in her heart that she was safe. She knew that her father loved her and that he would always do what was best for her. That he would protect and guide her wherever they would go. Knowing this filled her with joy and excitement, rather than fear. She wasn't frightened as they walked down unfamiliar streets because she had full confidence in her father. This is how Jesus tells us we should be, like a child who has full confidence in our Father in Heaven.
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