“Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. May angels watch me through the night and keep me in their precious sight…” is the prayer Peyton prays at bedtime. Before he says “Amen” I always ask him to pray for anyone he’d like to. Generally he prays for some family members including most of their pets! He surprises me how he remembers to pray for people through out the day who we talked about being sick or having a problem. This week though, his enormous heart and concern was revealed even more to me. After saying the beginning of his prayers together I said “Okay buddy, pray for what you’d like.” Remembering what he saw at Old Gram’s house on the news and what I’m sure heard Old Pap pray for, he said “I want to pray for the people on the other side of the world.” I hadn’t even known he knew about the people devastated by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. We prayed for them and I asked him if there was anyone else. He said to me “No Mommy, I just wanted to pray for the people on the other side of the world.”
The next afternoon he came to me clearly looking upset about something. I asked him what was wrong and he asked me “Mommy, does Marino live on the other side of the world?” Marino is the little boy, Peyton’s age, who we sponsor through World Vision. He lives in Albania. When we first sponsored him we told Peyton that Marino lives on the other side of the world. I explained to him that it was a different part of the world where the earthquakes happened. That night he said the same thing while we were praying. He wanted to pray for “the people on the other side of the world.” It was so important to him and so much on his mind that it was the only thing he wanted to pray for. He’s only four yet, he understood the situation enough to remember it in prayer and only pray for it.
I admire that little boy for his heart, for his concern, and for all the love he has to give. I’m guilty of caring, but not caring enough. I think if we’re all honest that most of us would find the same truth about each of us. My heart breaks for the things about Japan that I see on the news. But, if I’m honest, when I’ve had enough of it, I can turn off the TV and find something else to do. This can apply to anything, Japan is current so I’m using it for an example.
We tend to distance ourselves from it because we think it’s on the other side of the world but it‘s affects are not. One thing I’ve realized this week is whether it’s there or here makes no difference. Our pastor shared with us a prayer request for a lady who’s friend was in Japan at the time of the quake and they haven’t heard from her yet. When Peyton mentioned Marino, I realized that if this had happened where he lived, I would view it entirely differently. Then one of my “kids” and his family would be in danger. On the news a lady who survived in Japan said “I don’t know if it’s better that I survived or not.” At that point, I realized that it should matter to me more than what it had.
It’s on the other side of the world, so we can easily feel that there’s nothing we can do to help. We often feel this way about many situations in our lives. We feel helpless. Most of us can’t physically go somewhere and offer our services. Most of us don’t have the money to send to help others with needs. Most of us have our own families and jobs that we can’t leave to offer our time. These things are extremely important in helping others who face a crisis situation but we are leaving out a huge part.
We can help…we can pray. God is looking for people who are praying for others. People who are standing in the gap and lifting up others needs. Moses did this in Exodus 32:11-14. The Israelites had built a golden calf and deserved God’s wrath. But Moses begged for mercy for his people. God spared them because Moses interceded for them. When we stand in the gap for someone in God’s presence we bring the power of the Holy Spirit to the situation. James 5:16 says “Pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The earnest prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available.” Tremendous power is available. Available means ready for use; accessible. We need to reach out to access it through prayer.
In Ezekiel 22:30 God says this: “And I searched for man among them who should build up a wall and stand in the gap before Me…but I found no one.” Often the Lord is looking for someone to stand in the gap in prayer, will he find no one or will he find you? You care, but do you care enough to remember a person, a country, a situation, a tragedy in prayer? Will you still say to yourself that there’s nothing you can do or will you stand in the gap on behalf of someone else’s need? It can be the tragedy in Japan, a sick neighbor, a child going through a divorce, a family at the grocery store, a story on the news - be the one that the Lord finds who stands in the gap for them. You can help… you can pray.
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