Humans are forgetful by nature. We all know it; despite our best efforts, we’re bound to forget a birthday here and there or to send encouragement a friend’s way as they begin searching for a career. Our lives are so stuffed with deadlines and to-do lists that we often find ourselves lost in time, claiming that an event will “happen in two weeks” until after two weeks have come and gone. I am personally guilty of catching myself wondering, “What day was [some event], again” over things that I know ought to have meant a lot to me.
These instances of forgetfulness, while seemingly huge errors at the time, are simply part of prioritizing and memorizing that are actually miniscule in the grand scheme of things. Your significant other won’t be mad forever that you missed your anniversary, your GPA can be rescued yet, and you won’t always have bad days at work. Most instances of human forgetfulness can be passed off as just that—human. Imperfect. Improvable.
However, there are some occurrences that are not to be taken as lightly as we are accustomed to taking them. I’m talking about when Christians fail other Christians in prayer.
Forgetfulness can only explain this one to a certain extent. Professing Christians, if your faith is what you cling to above all else, I’m assuming you have direct contact with the Lord through prayer on a regular basis. (Can we take a moment and stand in awe that the Lord of the Universe hears us when we call out to Him?) This being said, if you enter into this time expecting to get a lot out of the experience, knowing what is heavy on your heart, and expressing just what you feel you should, there is no way you can “do” prayer incorrectly. Our failure, though, is in the times that others that we care about ask us to mention their name in our prayer time or to pray for a specific cause or issue.
Sometimes we are quick to sign up to pray over something since we have gotten so very used to hearing it being said in our communities, “You’re in my prayers!” How marvelous is this if every time we stated that we would pray for someone or something we put action to our words? On the same token, though, how much of an injustice are we doing our brothers and sisters when we tell them that we are going to do something that we do not make a great effort to actually do?
We can all relate. Take a dose of humility here. I know it’s so much easier to comment “Praying!” on a Facebook post, make a mental note to “remember” to do that later, and keep scrolling, but I would challenge believers to either drop everything and take the situation to God or to not comment at all.
Now, I’m all for prayer in large numbers. It astonishes me how mighty the words of God’s people may be, especially when united in subject matter. I’d just rather us act upon our words and commit to less prayers than to commit to many and execute few. I’d rather us go into a prayer whole-heartedly and give away our precious time than to barely skim the surface and give up only a few short moments. This is something I am admittedly still learning to do, but I know that there is purpose in the process.
“Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the One who hears it and not the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.”
-Max Lucado
Have you received a prayer request? Take a minute. Write it down. Keep a list. At least once a day, diligently cover the entirety of the list in prayer. I know you’re human, and I sincerely love you-- whoever and however you are. This being said, I also know that there is no foolproof way to remember everything that there is to pray about in the harsh world we live in.
Even so, try. I beg of you, don’t let your words get ahead of you. Attempt to pray for everything you say you will. Prayer isn’t something to be flippant about, to forget or neglect, and we Christians have a lot of recovering to do.
