This past week, I was sitting in a window seat as we took off in a flight from the Midwest to the West coast of our vast country. It is a unique perspective as you quickly rise from a few feet to thousands of feet about the city and countryside and you catch a glimpse of little vehicles and houses along the way. I have done it a few times before, but I found myself praying for the people in those little cars, houses, and buildings as we flew overhead. A prayer in the air, way up there, could that even make a difference in some stranger’s life? What if we all asked ‘what is possible’ for the friends and strangers we encounter each day?
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16
Just stopping to wonder what God could do in someone’s life left me caring a little more for the stranger sitting next to me, as well as the one I may never meet. I took that further to the people I encounter on a daily basis, as I seldom fly above the rest of the world anymore. I often spend over 100 miles behind the wheel of my car during the work day and thought about the people who pass by me, as well as those who are driving a few miles per hour slower in front of me. My usual attitude is ‘how fast can I get around this guy,’ instead of ‘I wonder what kind of day this person is having?’ If I am running behind schedule, it is often more about me and my needs instead of caring at all about the people around me. This should not be. People should be more than obstacles to be hurdled, right?
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matthew 5:44
So, as you go through your day, look for opportunities to consider those around you and how God could touch their lives in a unique way that day. For those you see and talk to each day, and for those you may never even see at all, but just pass by for a moment, say a quick prayer and blessing, and ask God to touch their heart today. In doing this, maybe as often happens to me, your heart and attitude will be changed in a better way moving forward as well. If our prayers and concerns for people around the globe can be effective, how much more for the person crossing the path in front of us through our prayers, actions, and words. May your day be blessed as you go about life, right here, or way up there!
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18
Yours in Christ,
Clark
