Don’t Let Anyone Steal Your Thunder

(Read Colossians 1)

Tuesday of this week, I had a strong idea of what this devotional would be about. Since that time, the world has been thrown into a dangerous fireball. No matter what we think our plans are, God’s plans will prevail. In this case, both personal and global events didn’t change my original intent.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives
Colossians 1:9

Last weekend, we learned that one of our church leaders died unexpectedly in his sleep. He was a husband and father of two. Way too young for that kind of tragedy. I didn’t know him but several friends from our small group knew him well and were greatly saddened by their sudden loss. One of my friends in particular was devastated. I saw him on Monday night and he was depressed, moody, and disinterested in our usual conversation. We spoke several times this week and he’s really struggling about it.

A gentle, loving Egyptian man, I label as a brother from another mother, has been struggling with serious anxiety, debilitating pain, and acute bouts of PTSD lately. It’s affecting his outlook on life so dramatically, that it’s creeping into his faith. We talk regularly but I wish I could do more for him.

Another friend in our small group who I have written about in a previous devotional is also swimming upstream with his life challenges. Last year, his wife committed suicide and two weeks ago, he lost his son-in-law due to a drawn out fight with cancer. His daughter is now without a Mom and husband. His grandchildren are now fatherless.

My wife’s 3 year-old grand-niece was driven half-way across the country for a critical life-saving surgery. This beautiful little girl was born with a congenital birth defect in her heart and has endured touch and go times just to survive. Without this surgery, she has no hope for a future. Her Mom and Dad have taken leave from work to drive her 1,500 miles to a special hospital for this complex surgery. Aside from the anguish of stress on them, I honestly have no idea how they’re absorbing the cost for this.

The Apostle Paul, writer of Colossians, described a process for prayer that not many of us live up to. He wrote about obedience to constant prayer for those we care about. He didn’t mean that we can’t take breaks with our prayers, but that our prayers should be frequent and constant every day. As believers, we are called to remember our brothers and sisters in our prayers. We fail when we don’t.

Have you ever tried to pray without stopping? Have you even prayed for a day or an hour? It’s more difficult than you think and more powerful than you can imagine. Many churches and faith retreats use the gift of prayer teams to give them clarity of purpose and endurance to lift their human spirit over fatigue. I used to volunteer for a half-hour of prayer, many times in the middle of the night. My first time slot was at 3am. You might think why would I ever do that? The middle of the night part wasn’t that bad. I was alert and ready to go. The first five to ten minutes was really difficult. My heart was onboard but my mind kept wandering, wondering how much time I had to go. But, before I knew it I was deep into my prayers. Time and all stimuli around me was irrelevant. I was so focused on the subject of my prayers, I had tuned out everything except my conversation with God. Each time I volunteered to be on a prayer team, the only thing that interrupted my prayer was an alarm I had preset to remind me that it was ok to close my prayer time.

As everyone knows, on Thursday morning Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As I’m writing this devotional, it appears as though Russian troops have taken over the Ukraine Airport, Chernobyl (a defunct nuclear plant still actively leaking radiation), and have begun laying siege on Kyiv, the country’s capital. This attack has the markings of the largest battle in Europe since World War II. If the attacks pivot to the civilian population of 44 million, it could be a bloodbath of epic proportions.

Ever since last weekend, I have been praying continuously for my friends from our small group, our grand-niece, and her parents. These people are in positions of dire need and are looking for help from the only source that can deliver them comfort. In Colossians, Paul mentions being filled, “with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding.” This “wisdom” he wrote about wasn’t about book smarts or intelligence. Paul was referring to speaking and listening to God, essentially knowing God by communicating with Him. Communicating with God is the first step towards feeling His loving arms and healing.

I know a teacher friend of my wife’s who came to America from Ukraine due to a marriage arrangement. She’s a lovely woman with a happy, warm smile and speaks English with a thick, beautiful Eastern European accent. The other night, she texted my wife asking her to please think of her and her family back in Ukraine. She said her home town of Kyiv, might not even exist when the war is over. She said, “Please pray for us.” Well, that’s a given.

It’s an incredible feeling to find out someone is praying for you. It’s so reassuring and hopeful. Immediately, you gain God’s righteous healing power. There’s nothing beyond His ability. The other day, I had a close friend tell me that he prayed for me that morning. It instantly covered me with the armor of God. I really felt like I was illuminated.

Prayer is a gift from God and a gift we can apply to others. Prayer connects us in community. Prayer connects us with God and it connects the people we’re praying for with God. Prayer, like Communion, is a complete circle. Believers, and even some non-believers, know that prayer is real and makes a difference. People outside the Christian circle know prayer is real because how often do you hear a non-believer say, please pray for me? God hears all our prayers. When God’s on our side, our problems become small.

so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience
Colossians 1:10-11

We all have people in our world who need our prayers. We have a need for prayers too. I will continue to pray for all my friends, my family, and for people in harms way. When faced with struggles, attacks, or fear of the unknown, prayer connects me with God’s perfect wisdom. The uncertainty of the war in Ukraine is overwhelmingly frightening. This conflict will most certainly have a drastic impact on that part of the world – maybe forever. I don’t know if this conflict will change my family’s life or if the entire world will be different when this is over. As helpless as I feel, praying to the One who knows the answers is the only thing that gives me rest. It’s the only thing that can give us all rest.

Key Application:

• Who is one person you could be praying for? Pick someone this week and devote 7 days of prayer for them. Each night, pray for fifteen minutes for your “one” but don’t tell them. Look for healing. Prayer comforts our targets and ourselves.

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:5-8

Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.