Weekday Devotion With Pastor Chris

First, I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love, support and prayer for Brewster and my family.  You have been an incredible blessing, and I am so grateful for your presence and care.  Thank you!

     Back in 1995 I was a workshop leader at a prayer conference.  I was looking forward to hearing the plenary speaker but was surprised and disappointed when he said that the value of prayer is in the impact it has on us, the ones who pray.  He said he found it inconceivable that our prayers could have an impact on others – that what happens to an uncle, or a neighbor or a friend could be influenced by whether we pray for them or not.  If our prayers have an impact, that would place too great a responsibility on us.  It wouldn’t be fair to us or to those for whom we pray.

     I understand what he was getting at.  It is terrifying (his word) to think that what we do or don’t do could have that kind of impact on someone else.  But that is precisely the kind of world in which we live.  It is a world of interconnections, a world in which our choices impact the lives of others for better or worse.

     We take those interconnections as a given within the family.  A dad who drinks too much effects not just his own life but every member of the family.  A working mom who makes a point of being home for dinner every night, and spends part of her evening supporting the kids isn’t just impacting her own life.  She is helping shape the lives of those she loves, as well.  And as every parent can tell you, their own sense of well-being is very much tied to the well-being of each of their children.

     Those connections extend beyond the family.  Our taxes have an impact on the quality of education that is offered, and the infrastructure that supports the entire community.  Someone setting off fireworks at 1 a.m. disturbs the sleep of nearby neighbors.  Because a group of people are committed to making Second Harvest happen, people in Sharpsburg are going to have access to quality goods at affordable prices.  We are interconnected.

     We know there are people in the world who are going to starve unless others, in more prosperous regions, choose to do something about it.  We know there are people who will contract communicable diseases because they don’t have access to fresh water; and people who will die of easily treatable maladies because there is no medical care available.  All it takes to change that is other people who have the resources making the choice to do something about it.  Like it or not we are interconnected. 

     Yes, there is a sense in which it is a terrible responsibility to realize our choices can have such an impact.  But there is also extraordinary opportunity there.  It is wonderful to think that what we do here can save a life half a world away.  What a privilege!  What a joy!  And here’s the thing: our prayers aren’t any different.  They are just another form of currency in God’s economy.  Our prayers make a difference not just in our own lives, but in the lives of those we lift before the Lord.  What a privilege!  What a joy!

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16)