Pray.

My dear friends, don't let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith. - James 2:1

My friends and I have started going up to people and just asking if they need prayer. It's sliiiiightly terrifying, uncomfortable, and hard, but we believe that prayer is so, so, so, SO important. Know why? Well let me give you a little list.

God can't stand pious poses, but he delights in genuine prayers. - Proverbs 15:8
When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. - Luke 6:28
Pray all the time. - 1 Thessalonians 5:17
God's there, listening for all who pray, for all who pray and mean it. - Psalm 145:18
Are you hurting? Pray. - James 5:13
Hallelujah! Thank God! Pray to Him by name! Tell everyone you meet what He has done! - Psalm 105:1

Could God make it any clearer? HE WANTS US TO PRAY!


But it's hard to rebel against the things the world says are right, when everyone is staring at you differently. When people think you're crazy or weird for going up and asking to pray with them, it's hard for me. Some people don't care, but it's hard for me to do that. Honestly, it's really intimidating. But James 2:1 tells us we shouldn't let what people think of us keep us from living and sharing our faith. We shouldn't let the whispers and stares of the kids in the hallway distract us from what is right. Because I know that God is real, and His opinion of me is what really matters. If God wants me to pray, I'm going to do it. And I'm going to do it the hard way because if I always just stand back on the sidelines asking God to help them with whatever they need, I won't grow. I have to step out of that comfort zone and go up to that girl sitting alone, or the whole table of kids if that's what God asks of me, and ask them personally what they need prayer for. That may not be what God is asking of everyone, but I know that's what he wants of me. So I'll give it. I'll give myself over to him and stop worrying about what people think, even though it's hard. Because when God says in the bible to freely give, I think he wants us to freely give to him too, not just people, even when it's hard. So right now, it's time for us to freely give ourselves to God and his perfect plan. And if freely giving yourself over to God means going up to that table of kids and asking if anyone needs prayer, then you'd better do it, because if you won't be a tool God can use, he'll find someone else who will.

So God, give me boldness. Send me over to that group of kids. I'll go.
Will you?