I Prayed For You Today

by

Pastor B.J. Knefley

I prayed for you today, I prayed that you would laugh. If someone told you that, how would you respond?

My sister sent that to me the other day and I can tell you that it wrecked me. Wrecked me in the sense that it hit to the core of my being. I, like many, allow life to get me down. The trials and troubles of each day can and do become weights we carry. In the wake of life, we forget to laugh. It’s not that we don’t laugh but somehow, we forget about the joy that is there in front of us. Often all we can see is the thing that is pressing upon us in the moment.

Did you know that Jesus said that in this life we would have troubles? He also added that we should be encouraged because He has overcome the world. Great counsel but do we walk in it? Do we believe it? Or do we believe that the solving of all the problems we face is up to us to fix. Why don’t we just sit back and breathe for a moment. Why don’t we take the time to laugh? Must life be so serious all the time?

The Scriptures tell us that it was the habit of Jesus to go off by himself in the early hours to pray. Perhaps you haven’t thought about it but most of prayer ought to be about listening rather than speaking. Most of us don’t do well at listening. We’ve got too much to say. Sadly, when our mouth is running our ears stop functioning. What would happen if we each took the time every morning to just listen? Listen to the sound of quiet, to your own heartbeat, to listen to the everyday noises that we can’t otherwise hear because we’re too busy. Would it change us? Would we laugh more? Would it bring calm into our life?

Here’s the deal: peace, tranquility or even laughter won’t happen just because we want it. We first must admit that it’s a problem, then we must purposefully work at the things that will create it. Trust me, I’m not there. It’s something that I must work on every day. Think about it.