Early yesterday morning, one of my training partners set out for a 22 mile run. The plan was that I meet her around mile 15 so that she had the support for the last portion where it was most likely that she could hit the proverbial wall. When I first met her along the route, she was running strong and my main concern was whether I would be a burden by not being able to keep up the pace. Once we ran another 4 miles, though, I began to note slight changes in her posture and the intense concentration on her face. We had maybe 2 miles left with a brutal hill to finish a run of that length. I knew that I could not focus on my own abilities, but was there as a support system and the only thing that came to mind was to pray, and that is exactly what I did. I prayed first that God would ease the burden of heavy and weakened legs. This was to mirror the words within Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." The focus of my prayers were also that the Lord envelop her with the Holy Spirit in order to lift the heavy burden of the hills off her shoulders as we finished up at the university. After 5 minutes of relatively consistent prayer, we were literally booking it to the finish of the route that was mapped out. It was an exhausting push to the end, but my legs felt light and in my heart, I knew that God had heard my cries to watch over my training partner and help her remain determined to finish strong. It was so rewarding in my mind to again be reminded that God's presence is always constant and that it is even more important to remember our companions within our prayers so they too can be surrounded by Him.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Praying for Others in the Moment
Prayer is a very important piece of the Christian lifestyle. This varies from person to person. Some pray in the morning, others at night, and still others during breaks throughout the day. Also, these prayers take all manner of focus, and as much as we try, this focus tends to be on our own personal desires. Sure we might, at the last minute, remember a prayer request and include that throughout our prayers. Yesterday, though, I discovered how refreshing it is to pray for someone in the moment that I assumed that person was struggling, and in my mind, it was a prayer answered.
Early yesterday morning, one of my training partners set out for a 22 mile run. The plan was that I meet her around mile 15 so that she had the support for the last portion where it was most likely that she could hit the proverbial wall. When I first met her along the route, she was running strong and my main concern was whether I would be a burden by not being able to keep up the pace. Once we ran another 4 miles, though, I began to note slight changes in her posture and the intense concentration on her face. We had maybe 2 miles left with a brutal hill to finish a run of that length. I knew that I could not focus on my own abilities, but was there as a support system and the only thing that came to mind was to pray, and that is exactly what I did. I prayed first that God would ease the burden of heavy and weakened legs. This was to mirror the words within Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." The focus of my prayers were also that the Lord envelop her with the Holy Spirit in order to lift the heavy burden of the hills off her shoulders as we finished up at the university. After 5 minutes of relatively consistent prayer, we were literally booking it to the finish of the route that was mapped out. It was an exhausting push to the end, but my legs felt light and in my heart, I knew that God had heard my cries to watch over my training partner and help her remain determined to finish strong. It was so rewarding in my mind to again be reminded that God's presence is always constant and that it is even more important to remember our companions within our prayers so they too can be surrounded by Him.
Early yesterday morning, one of my training partners set out for a 22 mile run. The plan was that I meet her around mile 15 so that she had the support for the last portion where it was most likely that she could hit the proverbial wall. When I first met her along the route, she was running strong and my main concern was whether I would be a burden by not being able to keep up the pace. Once we ran another 4 miles, though, I began to note slight changes in her posture and the intense concentration on her face. We had maybe 2 miles left with a brutal hill to finish a run of that length. I knew that I could not focus on my own abilities, but was there as a support system and the only thing that came to mind was to pray, and that is exactly what I did. I prayed first that God would ease the burden of heavy and weakened legs. This was to mirror the words within Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." The focus of my prayers were also that the Lord envelop her with the Holy Spirit in order to lift the heavy burden of the hills off her shoulders as we finished up at the university. After 5 minutes of relatively consistent prayer, we were literally booking it to the finish of the route that was mapped out. It was an exhausting push to the end, but my legs felt light and in my heart, I knew that God had heard my cries to watch over my training partner and help her remain determined to finish strong. It was so rewarding in my mind to again be reminded that God's presence is always constant and that it is even more important to remember our companions within our prayers so they too can be surrounded by Him.
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