Most people are well meaning people and you are no different.  When people ask you to pray for them you will have the best of intentions.  However, if you are anything like me, you will find that your memory will fail you and your schedule will overwhelm you.  What began as the best of intentions can have the power to leave you feeling guilty days or weeks later when you run into that person you said you would pray for only to realize you never did.

I have felt that feeling of disappointment more times than I care to admit.  One of the things that have helped my is to tell people no.  Not that I won’t pray for them but I will not put off praying.  If there situation is important enough to ask for prayer then it is important enough to be prayed for when they ask.

The next time someone asks you to pray for them take a few moments and pray for them on the spot.  Engaging with someone else and sharing your faith through prayer only strengthens your own faith.  It is a much better feeling than the guilt and disappointment that follow when someone asks us to pray and we walk away with good intentions and forget.

Written by Larry Westfall.  Copyright © Finding Wonder 2013.