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One day I bravely shared a vulnerable prayer request with a neighbor. I was skeptical because I wondered if that person would really pray. I reached out anyway.

The next time I saw the person whom I gave my request to, I got “the look.” When I was walking in our neighborhood one afternoon I received a stare, even though I was within talking distance. The look I received seemed to say, “There is that pitiful man who____________________________.”

I wasn’t asking for pity, but for prayer. One of the ways I know someone is “really” praying is by their follow-up. “Tommy, how is that situation with___________?” “Glenda, are you still struggling with___________?” 

When I’m talking to a person on the phone and they ask me to pray about something or someone, I write down the request.

Could it be you share your requests with people rather than going to God because you think you have to be a saint? What is a saint?

A saint is a Christian. It does not refer to a perfect believer, because there is none. A saint is someone who God sees as having the righteousness of Christ. Christians are people who believe they are covered by the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ, which sets them apart. Not a person who is better than others, but saved. 

From reading some of the works of the late Oswald Chambers, he was clearly a saint. From My Utmost for His Highest he wrote the following in 1935:

“A saint’s life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, and He stretches and strains, and every now and again the saint says-”I cannot stand any more.” God does not heed, He goes on stretching till His purpose is in sight, then He lets fly. Trust yourself in God’s hands.”

Chambers continues, “You cannot see Him just now, you cannot understand what He is doing, but you know Him.” But do we really know God? The word “know” is the kicker.

Listen to another saint, author-Joni Eareckson Tada. She is a quadriplegic, painter, (she uses her mouth) and speaker all over the globe. “Some Christians treat God as a kind of insurance agent. In hard times, they expect Him to issue a claim check to restore what they’ve lost. While waiting for Him to change their circumstances for the better, they withhold fellowship from him.” 

Some of the idle words Christians use are “I’ll pray for you.” It’s almost like hearing-“Have a good day.” Maybe we run to our friends, family, and neighbors way too much with our prayer concerns, instead of keeping our mouths shut until we get to the throne room.

Hebrews 4:16 reads, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (NLT)

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