Pray with a humble heart
By CHERYL CRUCE
It was a time when I was seriously ill. I had just received a chemo treatment and stopped at Walmart on my way home for a couple of items. I was puffed from the steroids, and my hair had long since fallen out. I was pale, and I was weak.
On three separate occasions, I was face to face with a man I did not know. Finally, as I neared the checkout, he stood before me. He said, “Three times I felt the need to pray for you, and three times I passed you by.” He continued the conversation by asking permission to pray for me.
Standing in the checkout line, I bowed my head as he placed his hands on my shoulders. It was the only time I heard the silence in Walmart. Tears fell from my eyes, and a warmness filled my being as he prayed. The words of this stranger brought me comfort. My spirit was thirsty for a touch from God. I was still sick when I opened my eyes, but I felt safe and grateful.
If it is true that prayer can move mountains, then there was a noticeable shift in the landscape of my soul the day a stranger prayed for me. Prayer is the greatest gift we can ever give ourselves or someone else. Nonetheless, it is the most overthought and overly complicated act known to man. And yet, prayer should be the most accessible, natural act of human existence. Prayer is a simple conversation between the Father and His child that begins with a humble heart.
We read about a humble heart of prayer in scripture. John the Baptist had been the one crying in the wilderness, preparing a way for Christ the Lord. As Jesus stepped into His ministry, John’s ministry began to lessen. John’s prayer would be that Jesus increased as he decreased (John 3:30). John humbly recognized the need for Jesus in the people’s lives.
Mother Teresa walked this same path of humbleness, for she prayed, “Lord, help us to spread Your fragrance everywhere we go. May our lives only be a radiance of Yours.”
I had an opportunity to witness this exact reflection of humble prayer as I hosted a men’s prayer breakfast. During prayer time, I heard an elderly gentleman pray, “Lord, let me walk so others see you coming.” They were simple words, but they carried the strength of a humble heart that served the Lord. I often use these words when I pray.
We may never change the world completely, but through prayer, we can change our hearts. And we can become the pebble in the pond that causes the ripple effect of peace and healing. I have never seen the stranger from Walmart again. However, I have never forgotten his gift of prayer to me. The gentleman from the prayer group has journeyed to Heaven; his prayer remained as a gift, and now I have given it to you.
Take this simple gift of prayer and walk so others see Jesus coming. Become the fragrance of the Father and the calming of the storm. Pray for our children, our schools, and each other. Pray for our country and government. Pray for the soldiers, law enforcement, and first responders. Pray for the drug addict, the lost, the broken, the lonely, and the scared. Pray for forgiveness. Pray for grace. And pray with a humble heart.
James 5:16 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.
Cheryl Mixon-Cruce is Pastor of Ochlockonee Bay United Methodist Church and Sopchoppy United Methodist Church.