Fields of Prayer

I’ve recently been taking the time to pray more intentionally for other people. Like, more than the, “I will be praying for you!” line that is delivered to every Christian in America at least five times in their life. That doesn’t mean that I’m making a list, checking it twice, and crossing off names as prayers have been prayed. But really praying, listening to the heart of God, and offering up whatever there is to offer.

That being said, waiting to see fruit from seeds sown, waiting to hear answers to prayers…not quite easy stuff.

What if what we hope to come from our prayers is really not what we hoped to see? Like, what if the chick that I pray over for a few weeks, unbeknownst to her, never shows a single sign of the Holy Spirit moving in her life? What if a miracle doesn’t happen and someone dies? What if the fruit is just downright ugly? What if the fruit never shows itself?

Too many what ifs, right, and not enough “it’ll be good!”. But I have this tendency to expect something majestic of my prayers, as though I myself am a great prayer warrior who commands the Holy Spirit and It obeys. Hello. That’s not me. But really, what if I stopped looking for the greatest change and started looking for the smallest? A smile. A laugh. A tear. What if I stopped altogether searching for the fruits of my labor and just praised God for His works, which are always miraculous, always happening, and always working, even when I can’t see it.

The Lord is so good, in so many ways. How He has delivered me is miraculous. I don’t have a monumental, life-changing story, but my God is life-changing and monumental. Just because fruit isn’t popping up in all my fields of prayer doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Like potatoes grow beneath the earth and carrots sprout in the dirt, so will much of the fruit that I long to see. Friends, I long to be intentional in my prayers, but sometimes I get over-intentional, seeking out the product of all my good deeds rather than letting my right hand not know what the left is doing.

Join me:  praying intentionally and worshipping God all the same, despite the fruit we do or do not see. For He is relentless, and He is the miracle worker. Me? I belong to Him & His glory, and I will work for His good always. Seen or unseen. Known or unknown. Not quite easy stuff. But there’s no greater investment that I know.