Bridging: A Shift in Spiritual Thinking

I am asked quite often by others for prayer. Usually I respond by saying, "I'll be praying for you". Now don't get me wrong, I am very intent on actually bringing these requests before God, but life sometimes gets in the way. Distractions detract from our spiritual life and its impact on others.

My pastor shared a statistic this past Sunday. Married couples that pray together (not meals) at least twice a week only have a 1% chance of divorce. Wow! When we consider that the divorce rate is flirting with 50%, that is quite a drop.

I suspect this is not just true of marriages. People everywhere need this bridge of prayer in their life. It forms a relational connection that says I care and have a vested interest in your personal well being. Some friends and I recently sat down with about 10 youth pastors individually. What we found was that when we would ask how we could pray for them that they were taken back. It had been up to 3 months since some of them had had anyone pray for them in their presence. If this happens in ministry then it surely is an epidemic in the Christian and secular worlds.

Jesus said that where two or three are gathered he will be with them. Are we taking some of the effectiveness of our prayers away by hearing needs and waiting to pray for them in private? We need to change! We need to build bridges spiritually with anyone who may have a need. I can SHOW I care by praying WITH my spouse, friends, and anyone who expresses hurt. Our marriages will be stronger, people will be encouraged and God will move.

Let's make a shift in spiritual thinking. The need until prayer time needs to be about three seconds. Three seconds from the time we have actively listened to a concern before we are taking that need before our Father together. Be a part of the mind shift and build a bridge with someone today.

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