Honorable Mention

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Reading today's passage reminded me of saying my bedtime prayers as a child. My brother and I prayed the standard children's prayer for Christians of our era. You might know it.

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. 

The prayer was always followed by these words: God bless mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, uncles and aunts, friends, cousins, and even pets. Of course, the generic pronouns were replaced with actual names.

I wonder if that prayer is still recited by children in today's culture.

I will admit that as a child the first part, the part that rhymes, always made me feel uneasy. I would ask myself, "Where will "the Lord" keep my soul while I sleep? Will I get it back? Am I actually anticipating death tonight? Where will "the Lord" take my soul?" Frightening thoughts for a young child of 6 or 8.

The second part of that prayer, however, always brought me comfort and joy. The knowledge, insofar as a child can be knowledgeable of these things, that the names I've mentioned to God would be blessed made me somehow feel responsible for the care-taking of those close to me. The people who I place into God's care would be blessed, they would have good things happen to them, and that thought made me feel at peace with things around me.

Fast-forward 40-odd years and I take a look at my current prayer practices. While I no longer ask that my soul be anywhere except with me, I still be sure to include people in my prayers who I think could benefit from a blessing. My aging parents, my brother and his family, my wife, my son, my wife's sisters and nieces and nephews and brothers, coworkers, church family members, friends both close and distant, the youth I work with both in church and in the high school, the church staff I work with, and the list goes on.

The fact is that while I have all these people I pray for, I don't always pray for them by name. That prayer would last a very long time and at my age I would probably fall asleep going through that list. Instead, I name those who come to my heart first, then when I feel as though I've covered most of those with whom I really want God to focus on, I include everyone else with the generic term, "And for all those on my heart and not named."

Prayer is a very powerful thing. I believe that with all my heart and soul. Somehow when the words "I'll pray for you" or "Do you mind if I pray for/with you?" are spoken there's a calmness which can be felt, regardless of what the situation is. Prayer is a way to let people know you care, while at the same time taking action to show how much you care.

Prayer, especially intentional prayer, is another way we can show our love.