~ A Day Late and A Prayer Short ~

[Lani]

Ephesians 3:14-21
14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.



“Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NRSV)




Monday morning, I woke up eager to pray for my granddaughters. Eight and eleven years old, they were attending their first day in a new school. I had planned to pray that they would have a good experience, dedicated teachers, and kind friends. Just as I settled down to focus on my prayer, I realized I had made a mistake in timing. My granddaughters had moved with their parents to Beijing, China for the year. Their school in China was in a time zone 14 hours ahead of mine, so their first day of school was long over. They had eaten supper and were already asleep.. I had not prayed for them before their first day at a new school and I felt terrible.

My granddaughters may have been in school, but I am the one who learned a lesson. If I had been praying for my granddaughters every day, I would have prayed fro them on their first day in their new school no matter what the time zone. God is constant, and prayer is available to us at all times. I don’t want to pray just when I have a special request; I want to build a daily discipline of praying especially for my family.



Prayer: O God, we want to be as consistent in communicating with you as you are in communicating with us. Teach us to speak to you and listen to you throughout every day. Amen.


Prayer Focus of Day: Those with family members in another country.


Story shared by: J. Winston (KS)
Source: Upper Room Daily Devotional: 3/2/12