Pray Deeper

As I prayed this morning, I thought about another lesson from India that I need to internalize once again. I was praying prayers for surface symptoms when suddenly God challenged me to prayer deeper.

After a long day in Siliguri, India, our conference ended with a prayer time that lasted hours. Women, young and old, swathed in colorful saris and sparkling fabics lined up to pour out their hearts' requests.

My interpreter, Merry, would listen carefully and then translate the requests. Woman after woman told Merry of physical pain and frailties. I felt such compassion for these women with true physical needs and scant medical care.

Suddenly, in the midst of praying for sores, joints and healing, a tiny woman spoke to Merry, and Merry's eyes lit up. Merry leaned toward me to interpret. "This woman says that she has many physical ailments, but she wants us to pray that she would know Jesus and live Him in front of her lost family," Merry excitedly explained.

Both of our eyes filled with tears as we passionately prayed for this woman who recognized her deepest need.

I am so thankful to serve a loving God who cares about even the smallest details of my life. He is the Healer who has compassion on the aches and pains of my aging body. He is the Father who sees my struggles in parenting. He is the Provider who knows that I can barely balance my checkbook let alone understand complex investing.

He cares aboug every aspect of my life and often listens as I focus on the minutae.

But how He must rejoice in the moments that I "get it", when I recognize my deepest need. That need is to know Him. All other needs either pale or are taken care of when I seek Him to meet that need.

I pray that a wise woman in India, you and I would pray deeper.