School is in full swing, you’ve all got a ton of homework, and I know that most of you are busy with a ton of extra-curriculars. Some of you are in some sort of performance activity: dance, choir, band, school play, flagline. Some more of you are in some sort of sports – soccer, football, swim. And then there’s the always- important time with friends, and family activities. Wow – how do you all do it? It’s all I can do to have time for work and family, let alone everything else that we fill our time with.
One thing that I will always make time for is to take time out to pray.
Jesus was a man of prayer. Jesus knew, better than any of us could, what good prayer can do; for even though he was completely human, he was also completely God. And prayer, when offered with a spirit of humbleness, is heard by God. And he prayed a lot. He prayed when he was angry, when he was sad, when he needed strength, and even when he just wanted some quiet time. Often, Jesus would leave wherever he happened to be, and go find a quiet place to pray. And he didn’t just pray for himself; a lot of the time, he prayed for others, like the Twelve, his disciples.
“I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.” John 17:9
One of the things I do to remind myself to pray is to pray for someone else. I have a friend who has a lot of stress and things that weigh him down. He shared with me his problems, and I shared with him mine. And we made a deal – that when either of us got stressed out over our problems, we would pray for the other one. And so I do – when I get stressed, or anxious, or angry, I remember it’s time to pray for him. And then I typically pray for a couple other things, too, always thanking God that I’ve been given this great way to remember to bring it all to Him.
Today, before school, you may have seen other students gathered around the flagpole at your school. Some may have spoken out loud. Some may have simply bowed their heads. But the one thing they all had in common is that they were praying, asking God for healing, for themselves, their schools, their
families, or their friends. I hope you joined them – let them know, just by being there, and without having to say anything, that you would remember them when you pray.