Reflections

The Pieces of My Life

Part 2

We welcomed the New Year by considering Eugene Peterson’s version of Psalm 5:3:

“Every morning you'll hear me at it again. Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend” (The Message).

The picture of an Old Testament priest offering daily sacrifices on the altar provides a challenging model for us. For January, let’s talk about the pieces of our lives on which we invite God’s blessing daily in the coming year.

Family Circle or Family Circus—Prayer may make the difference!

Having offered our personal lives on the altar, we move outwardly to our circles of relationships. The family circle, the group with whom we interact most intimately, is the focus of much of our prayer.

The simplest family circle includes parents and children. However, in our complex world, this basic nuclear family is often unknown. Death, divorce, disease and other difficulties reconfigure family circles. Family life may seem more like a three-ring circus.

Whatever our family looks like, those nearest us need our prayers. Just as we bring ourselves to the altar daily, we can bring our family members one by one, asking God’s blessing upon them. The greatest thing we can do for our spouses, children, and grandchildren is to pray for them.

Our prayers include extended family members also, particularly if they have no one else to pray for them. If you are the only Christian in your family, your prayers are doubly important.

How do we pray for family members, we might ask? As usual, we go to the Scriptures for our answers.

Prayer for those away from the Lord

Abraham’s intercessory prayer for Lot (Genesis 18) is an example of continuing in prayer until the Lord delivers our loved ones from sinful circumstances. Distance and their apparent unconcern should not deter us from interceding for them.

Prayer for those needing healing

The Canaanite woman’s prayer (Matthew 15) challenges us to persevere in prayer. She continued past rejection by the disciples and silence from the Lord. As she continued in worship, Jesus acknowledged her great faith and answered her prayer.

Prayer for those needing guidance

Life today makes many demands on us and our family members. Often we find ourselves facing decisions for which we have little background knowledge or experience. This is when we listen to James, who taught us to ask for wisdom from God “who gives generously…without finding fault” with us for not knowing what to do (James 1:5, NIV).

Prayer for restored relationships

Christians are to be known by love, but too often side issues separate us. Hair and clothing styles will change tomorrow, but family relationships continue for a lifetime. Don’t let these or other transient issues separate you from family.

If you cannot find love in your heart, pray that He will place it there by His Spirit (Romans 5:5). Let God’s love flow through you to your nearest family members, particularly those greatly in need of God’s love and yours.

More people in our nation than ever now live alone, separated from family for a multitude of reasons. If you are one of those, you may be blessed with time you can give to prayer for those whom you consider family.

As you daily place your family members on the altar of God, the Spirit will lead you in ways to pray for them. Your compassionate concern in prayer may be your greatest expression of caring for those dearest to you.

Points to Ponder:

Prayer for others is different in one sense from prayer for ourselves because the other person’s free will is involved. Should those you pray for choose to ignore the wooing of God’s Spirit, they can. We understand that when we pray.

However, we must continue to believe that the “prayer of a righteous man (or woman) is powerful and effective” (James 5:16, NIV). Our prayers at least give our loved ones an opportunity to respond to the Lord.