Proactive Prayer in Everyday Life

Lately, I’ve taken to proactive prayer in everyday life.

It’s not I didn’t pray for people before, it’s just I’m now more . . . focused to pray.

It took me by surprise the first several times.

It’s been taking others by surprise ever since!

What is proactive prayer in everyday life?

I’ve written about prayer often enough that I think I know what prayer is.

You can see a long list of posts on the subject here.

But what about the word proactive?

Here’s the definition from Wordnik:

• Acting in advance to deal with an expected difficulty; anticipatory.
• Acting in advance to deal with an expected change or difficulty
• (of a policy or person or action) controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than waiting to respond to it after it happens.

People ask me to pray for them all the time.

I’ve taken them at their request and started praying–right then.

It catches many people off guard!

Why proactive prayer?

As in praying as soon as the request comes?

Everyday life has too many distractions. Someone can toss off a request and then scurry away.

It happens all the time.

But proactive prayer in everyday life means I respond immediately.

My reasoning is several-fold.

1. I don’t always remember to pray if I don’t either write it down or pray right then.
2. If someone is asking, that means we’ve got at least two people agreeing. Jesus said, “Whenever two or more pray in my name, there I am in the midst of them.”
3. (Confession) It startles people and indicates if they’re serious about their request.

How do people respond?

They’re usually surprised.

But, most of the time, they join in.

What does it look like?

I give advance warning.

“Great idea. Let’s pray.”

If I know the requester well, I might take their hands.

If I don’t, well, I don’t touch them.

Sometimes I put up my hand–like a blessing.

It all depends on the situation.

And then there was the time I went freelance . . .

I’d been standing in a long line to pick up a prescription.

The woman ahead of me and her daughter had a lengthy conversation about her ailments.

Lengthy.

I kept looking between them, wondering if I should offer to pray.

Everyone standing around, by this point, had heard about their problems.

When a lull finally broke, I prayed out loud.

“Lord, you’ve heard this woman’s needs and her desire to get well. We pray that you would touch her where she needs to be touched, give her peace, bless her, and heal her.

“Amen.”

The two women turned to look at me and nodded. “Amen.”

Asking before launching into proactive prayer in everyday life?

Normally I ask, of course, but the above situation felt dire. (Though they already had announced all the details to the six of us standing in life with them!)

But then came another day while doing routine business with someone I’d gotten to know.

We’ve had bad fires in my county the last few years, and the woman’s eyes were wide and nervous as she took my money.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

The story spilled out. It was tragic. Her eyes filled with tears.

“I’m so sorry,” I said when she wound down. “Can I pray for your family?”

“Yes!”

We closed our eyes and prayed for the people she cared about and their awful situation.

When we reached, “amen,” I opened my eyes and smiled at her.

Through her tears, she smiled back, barely able to whisper, “thank you.”

Of course, I haven’t forgotten this situation since–and I have continued to pray.

What if they don’t want prayer right then?

That’s a completely understandable response.

So, I smile, tell them I’ll be thinking of them, and when they walk away I pray.

I can’t seem to remember if I don’t pray right then.

But, of course, I don’t have to pray out loud.

Other proactive prayer in everyday life?

While playing tennis one day, my daughter and I noticed a plume of smoke in a nearby neighborhood.

We weren’t in any danger, but it troubled me.

Finally, I met my daughter at the net (to pick up errant tennis balls!), and pointed.

“Let’s pray for that house.”

I prayed out loud, she agreed, and we returned to the game.

I felt better about it.

That afternoon, a prayer request came from church.

A member of my Bible study’s home caught fire that day.

It was the house fire we prayed about while playing tennis.

Someone got her napping husband out in time.

None of us every forgot that prayer.

I also always pray for ambulances, fire trucks, and any other emergency vehicles.

Getting to the hospital, to the fire, home safely, means a lot to many people.

The praying part is easy–and the very least I can do.

What about you?

Tweetables

What does proactive prayer look like in everyday life? Click to Tweet

What should you do when you get a tug to pray? Click to Tweet