If you have any sort of social media or news broadcasting you have surely seen the #PrayForDallas hashtags and stories spreading around like wildfire. Although it's incredible that this trend is being spread so quickly and the idea of prayer is hitting so many peoples feeds and tv channels, I think it's important to remind all those tweeting, sharing, hash-tagging and posting that God doesn't respond to those kind of social media sharing. This is where the power of prayer comes in.
Prayer is the fastest and most effective way that we can reach God. It's the telephone that connects us and it's ALWAYS right at the tip of our fingertips, or technically tongue. With that being said, the ease of this communication tool isn't used as often as it could be or should be, especially during these hard times. Romans 12:12 tells us that we should be "hopeful in prayer" and I know that in these times and troubles we instantly look for hope and God is waiting for us to find that in him. The opposite if fear is hope, and you know how you can change that fear and enhance your hope? Confide in God through prayer.
I came across this picture when social media found out about the shooting and instantly my heart strings were yanked on. To see the devastation on this man's face is something no one should ever want to see someone going through. When the video of Sterling being shot flooded social platforms I cried, more like bawled my eyes out while I watched a mans life get taken, BUT you know how all the sorrow and pain can be relieved? Do you know how we can sleep a little better at night? Through the power of prayer. God can relieve our pain. God can heal our suffering. God can mend the broken hearted. God can bring justice to those who have done wrong. God can heal each and every person who lost someone during those shootings and he can bring them back to a healthy and stable frame of mind, but without God all of that is left to chance. Sure maybe there are some people out there who don't have God in their lives but have gotten themselves through these hard times, but how many more are they going to be able to endure on their own? Death and strife and anger and war are all inevitable, they're going to happen, and they are happening but you know what the best part is? There will never, seriously I mean this, ever be a moment during any of those times were we aren't able to connect with God and pray for peace, understanding, safety, love, forgiveness and more.
Our God is a 24 hour God, he doesn't take lunch breaks or vacations. He is here constantly and He is constantly waiting for you to come to Him and give your worries to Him. God never asked you to face all of this alone, because truthfully none of us are strong enough to do that. John 5:14 says " This is the confidence that we have when approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he will hear us". Stop taking your anger and frustrations and opinions and worries and fear and doubt and assumptions to social media. TAKE THEM TO THE LORD. God doesn't check your twitter, Facebook or other social medias, he wants to check your heart. To conclude this overly long article (thanks for sticking with me) the next time something dramatic happens in your life, your family, your community or your world, make sure that God is the first person to hear about it from you, not your followers.
