“You are just the messenger. HE does all the work.” Simple, yet powerful words relayed to me by a dear friend.
I encountered a young autistic child today who was exhibiting disturbingly mature behaviors for someone of his age. Naturally, I was his chosen target for the day. Though taken aback, I quickly wrote these behaviors off as "quirky," and tried to push through the remainder of what promised to be a long day.
After several hours of undesired attention from this boy, I noticed something in him I can only describe as... familiar. I looked to my trusted friend for some sort of relief, and in true fashion, she managed to surprise me. She did not see my story for it’s own "quirky" humor, nor it’s sullen complaints. She saw it for what it truly was and opened my eyes wide! It was not only an opportunity to intercede and pray for this hurting child, but a lesson in how and why we should. To pray against the situations he has been subjected to, to pray away the negative effects to his young soul, and to pray protection over him. And to do so in a way I had never done before.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” I pondered. The thought was smothered by the sudden heaviness I felt. My emotions engulfed me. I instantly recognized his pain.
"You can do this." she said. My chest began to tighten. I could feel the anxiety rising in my body. I could have let it take over, as is so often the case. But what good would that have done? So instead, right then and there, I gathered my thoughts, checked my feelings, and prayed. With my whole heart, I prayed every prayer I could conjure for that child. Every prayer I thought he needed, and every prayer I wish somebody had prayed for me. I took his message to the Lord and asked for healing.
I spent much of the afternoon dwelling on her words. "You are just the messenger. HE does all the work." A few uncomplicated words so perfectly strung together, that in those moments, I was able to completely transcend the limits of my being to do and be all that He had asked of me. Fully trusting in the fulfillment of His promises. Even now, her words just move me. Messages to God, messages from God... this is uncharted territory for me. Seriously, me, a messenger? What does that mean? And why are we really supposed to pray for others? What is the purpose of intercession, if we believe that our God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient? Is there one "right" answer? How much of this am I meant to understand and how much should I accept in blind faith? (It's easy to see how my thoughts get away from me)
So, why didn't I think to stop and pray on my own? Why did I need my own personal messenger to guide my thoughts today? Turns out, it's because I'm a selfish, terrible person. Ha! Just kidding! I don't think I entertained the idea offhand because prayer is not yet my first line of thought. It is easy to FEEL moved to pray. Let's be honest, I didn't feel like praying for this kid... I felt like running away screaming in the opposite direction. I am so new to the true power of prayer that I haven't yet wrangled what it means to THINK with a constant prayerful attitude. This is, no doubt, an ongoing growth process. It is my duty to train my thoughts, so to speak, to match my heart. We are reminded in James 5:16 to "pray for each other so that [we] may be healed." Praying for others forces us to put aside our selfishness and spiritually focus on them. Our Father knows the power of prayer, and while it is vastly important to bathe our brothers and sisters in prayer, it also strengthens and deepens our relationship with Him. And what, I ask you, is more important than that?
