Prayers and pencil sharpeners. Ok, so travel with me on this hypothetical journey. What if…you have a friend who calls and asks you to pray for her? Of course, as a good Christian gal you will say, “Absolutely yes! Give me that request, and I’ll surely pray. I’ll even write it down in my prayer journal.” (you know, to make it more official). Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not making fun of prayer journals or praying for your friends. Stay with me.
Now, let’s continue with your make-believe friend. Say she tells you her sad tale of woe…she has to write for a living and desperately needs to work. Her lifeline is her instrument of financial security, her pencil. Ok, so no one uses a pencil these days but a keyboard and mouse instead. Remember, this is hypothetical and not logical. I’ve got a point, I promise. Your friend’s problem is that her pencil will not stay sharp. She has asked for help from others and followed all the wise advice. She doesn’t press too hard. She writes equally on both sides of the pencil. She prays over it each morning. Still, the problem persists. The prayer request is that her pencil stay sharp. How are you to respond?
Here you are. You would most definitely be in the right to say you will pray for supernatural sharpness of the pencil. The great God of the universe is fully capable of keeping this pencil functional forever with no further problems. Would you be wrong to offer this help? Of course not. But is there more? What if the answer to her prayer is THROUGH you? God does that, you know. He doesn’t need us to “help” Him answer prayers; He wants us to help Him answer prayers. That’s right. It is our distinct blessing to be asked by the King Himself to work alongside Him in the healing, the helping, and the encouraging. Think of it… God could heal without the help of doctors and nurses, but in most cases, He chooses not to do so. He involves us. He could feed the hungry solely by miraculous means, but generally speaking, He desires His people to donate food and money and time to help those in need. What a calling! So… the pencil. Yes, you can and should pray, but what if God is calling you to put legs on your prayers? What if your job is to go out and buy a pencil sharpener and maybe a fresh supply of pencils? What if you ARE the answer? Not because you or I am in any way replacing God in the answer department, but because He wants to use you in someone’s life. Again, not to say prayer is not enough. God is enough. Period. No discussion. But I know in my own life, it is second nature to take the easy road. A friend, a fellow church member, a coworker, or even a stranger asks for prayer, and we say yes. First off, why not pray right then? Why not pray with that person? What an encouragement. Plus, let’s face it…we are busy. We forget. Don’t put it off. Don’t let it feel awkward. The sooner you obey God, the easier it is to obey God. Truth.
Second, put legs on your prayers. It isn’t always yours to do, but sometimes it is. Can you help with the prayer request? Then do it! Don’t delay. Don’t wait for someone else to answer a call for help that you know very well you can do yourself. Take that meal to the hungry in your community. Send that donation to the church for the cause you feel passionate about helping. Call that friend you know is lonely. Send that card to the one who is sick. Do it, and do it now. Don’t delay; delay allows Satan a window to slip in doubt and embarrassment and most of all busy-ness. So the next time you hear a prayer request, slow it down. Pray through your response. Maybe you, you yourself, are the answer.