A daily prayer from my lips before I rise each day is simply to ask God for strength to meet the challenges of the day. Sometimes I need my prayer answered just to get my arthritic joints out of bed. I depend on God’s strength rather than my own because the older I get the more uncooperative my body becomes. It’s certainly not wrong to ask God for something for myself.
On January 1st this year, however, I thought how amazing it would be to focus a daily prayer on one person. I asked God whom I might choose and finally settled on her. I found a blank journal and after preparing a cup of tea, I began writing a prayer for this person each morning. Doing this has been such an inspiring thing for me personally. I think about how I pray for myself before getting up and then I pray for my friend in a similar way. She may not deal with arthritis but her health, body, challenges and work all need prayer.
I smile as I add pages to her journal because she has no idea I’m doing it. I try to imagine her reading what I’ve written on any given day and wonder how she will receive my prayers. My heart pours words onto the page when I know she’s hurting, or I sing words of joy knowing she is rejoicing. I’ve prayed God’s Word for her, inserting her name instead of person pronouns. At the end of this year, New Year’s Eve, I will reveal the journal and present it to her, excited to see her reaction.
Writing prayers for my friend has been a commitment to prayer. It has been a testimony to my faith because I firmly believe God has and will continue to honor my effort to be faithful in praying. January 1st next year I will pray for another recipient and continue this endearing method of praying for a friend. I treasure the short amount of time it takes to write a one page prayer asking God to give a friend strength for the morning, every morning for a year.
Teacup Treasures 