Faith, Oh Lord, Let me pray...

Several people, in my life and so dear to my heart, are facing a major health crisis and as their friend, I want to help them in any way that I can. There are things I can do, I can make meals, offer gifts and give of myself to them. I can love them; I do and I will always. But there is one more thing that I can do, one part I can play in helping them restore their health...I can pray.

Now, not just the couple seconds of prayer, the few moments at church to think of their name or the "oh that is too bad" afterthought. Not in the way we toss prayer about or say to others so often in conversation, "I am praying for her."

I can PRAY.

I can IF I will stop my own life, my own business, my self-centered approach to life, I can make myself a vessel and let Him fill me up. I can prepare myself to enter in to a one on one with my Father, my Abba, my God. If I take the time to prepare to go before Him, I can pour my heart out to Him for them. The get down on my knees or face down on the floor PRAYER. That is what He deserves from me, that is what THEY deserve from me as their friend. I can search my heart to see what I need to give away inside myself, to rid myself of and then go before my Father and ask for the miracle that only He is capable of giving. I can look inside, deep inside my mind, my heart, my soul and pray to the Maker of All Things.

So let me pray...

What words do I need to find Abba? What posture of my heart do I need to reach? What in my request can convince you to intervene on their behalf? I will do it. I will stop my world and create a psalm in my heart for them. We need them in this world. I know that you never allow anything in the lives of your children that does not have purpose. I know that we serve you in how we live and how we fight and how we die. I know that you shape us with the struggles in our lives, but I also know that there is nothing, nothing, beyond Your capability to restore. I know that miracles happen. I have seen them happen. So I have set a goal to ask for one. I wear a bracelet on my wrist that says "Faith." I wear it for them. I wear it because I know that You see what I cannot, You are in control. But I am asking Abba for You to not only heal them, but to cure. To wipe it clean, like you did for me, when I asked You to come in to my heart. You are the clean slate, the do-over, the one who represents forgiveness and forgetfulness. I don't know what Your plan is and I know that miracles do not happen everyday. I have had family members and dear loved ones pass from a fight with cancer. I know how it can turn out. But still, I reach for Your hand and ask. With the Centurion's heart, with His prayer, I ask.

When Alicia was sick and we did not know what was wrong, I wrote a psalm her for. I prayed for her every day. You gave me a gift of words, of writing, of emotion and a heart for others. I want to use that. I want to find myself closer to You because of what my friends are facing. I want my eyes lifted to you every day and to find a time in the quiet of the morning or the twilight, to go somewhere and pour my heart open to You. I want to annoy You with my requests, to pray without ceasing, to call their names over and over.

I want to PRAY. Being in your presence is where I need to be. I know that when we face a life threatening illness, we then rush to You. I know what we are and how we fail, and how we come to You for the big things. I know we don't deserve it, but still I ask...

Let me pray, Abba. Let me say what you need to hear.