Pray!

Pray!

When I see a situation that worries me, I first wonder what I can do to make it better. What I can best do is pray.

As I sat at my desk one morning, I heard the wailing cry of my neighbor’s young daughter. She was sobbing in the driveway, and her dad was calmly telling her to get in the car so he could take her to school. The commotion went on for several minutes, and I wondered what I could do. Should I go outside and try to help? Then it hit me: pray. Just pray. So I did. I prayed for my neighbor, that he would not lose patience or become angry. (I might have.) I prayed for his daughter, that God’s Spirit would calm her and that her agitation would somehow unwind. I prayed that God would care for her if there was something upsetting happening at school, and protect her from anything she might fear. And in a few moments, the crying stopped.

As soon as it did, I wondered why I didn’t routinely pray for situations unfolding around me, instead of wishing I might help or wondering if I should intervene. I should. In prayer.

Later, at my favorite coffee shop, a couple at a nearby table spoke angrily to one another. They were quiet at first. Then it got loud. I don’t know if they were divorced or separated, but they seemed as far apart as two people could be. They were arguing over their children, who (thankfully) were not there. They barked at one another for several minutes before I began to silently pray. Help him to hear her. Help her to control her anger. The harsh words escalated, and then she abruptly pushed her chair back and left him sitting alone, midsentence. He pushed his coffee cup away, folded a section of the paper on the table between them, and followed after she had cleared the door.

I don’t know what effect, if any, my prayers had. But I prayed anyway. It was the best I could do for them in those moments I would rather not have witnessed. As I finished my coffee, it occurred to me that perhaps I was there that morning for one purpose: to pray. Just to pray.

The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

James 5:16, NASB