I WILL SAY A PRAYER
How many of you have uttered the words, “I will say a prayer for you?” I know I have said that many times, and I try to stop whatever I am doing at the time, and say a prayer. I don’t want to get busy and forget to pray for someone after I have said I would. But these are prayers said in private. These are words whispered at night when I go to bed. I have never prayed in front of anyone.
One of the first things I learned when I became President of our local woman’s club, was to always ask the person you had in mind to perform a task. If you wanted someone to lead the Pledge of Allegiance To The Flag, then you should ask them before the meeting to make sure they were fine with that. However, when Bertha became President a couple years later, she didn’t get that memo. At the beginning of the meeting, we will have a Thought For The Day, have prayer, and then eat a light meal before the “real” meeting starts. Bertha said, “Tania, will you lead us in prayer?” I was thrown for a loop, I stammered, NO! I just froze.
Typing is one thing, but talking is completely different. I had a hot spot on my Thyroid. I know you are thinking what does this have to do with prayer. The doctors decided that my over active hot spot would have to be radiated. The plan was to “kill” the hot spot and leave the rest of my thyroid alone. That is not what happened. Now I have to take thyroid medicine daily. One of the symptoms of thyroid issues has to do with memory and words. I can be talking to you and need to say the word telephone. I can tell you that you can make calls with this object, that you talk to people through it, but the word “telephone” will not come to mind. This is extremely uncomfortable when you are talking to anyone, you feel like an idiot. So saying a prayer, that is not one that has been memorized, is terrifying for me.
In a devotional this week, a lady was talking about someone being at her home do some odd jobs. After talking to this young man, she felt the uncomfortable nudge from the Lord to ask the young man if she could pray for him. He responded yes! She fought down the uncomfortable feeling, and did what she felt was prompted. In the end the young man was blessed, but so was she.
I am still working on my prayer life. I talk to the Lord as I would my father, my best friend, and my confidante. He knows me, and I am striving to know him. I ask for him to open my eyes and my heart. And I ask what I can do for him, what would please him.
Maybe in the future, I will be able to say a prayer out loud. But, until then, I will say a prayer for you in private.
I hope you have a blessed day.
I’ve gotten your post daily for several years but just started reading in full your devotional. Thank you for being God’s servant.
Kathy, I’m so happy to hear you are now reading my faith based posts!!!
Beautiful.
Thank you for sharing this.
How beautiful! I know what you mean about speaking impromptu. Let me know ahead of time so I can make sense when I speak….LOL.
I struggle with this also. Then one day I realized that prayer was just a conversation with God and Ididn’t have to use fancy words or Biblical phrases. So I begin my morning with “Good Morning God – Thank you and end it with Amen. So its an ongoing conversation, sometimes happy, sometimes angry but always grateful. My words don’t have to be perfect, just sincere. I still struggle with someone asking me to pray on the quick, but I also realize that if I had to think about it I would worry about what to say. LOL! Have a wonderful day and have a great time at the festival.
I too have a constant conversation with God. He always listens.😊
I, too, was uncomfortable praying out loud. One day a sweet friend at church prayed out loud and I was so drawn into all that she said and the way she said it. It was so open and honest. Every pause, ummm, & sigh struggling for what to say made it all more sincere and natural. So, I have learned that it doesn’t have to be perfect; it doesn’t have to be well said. God knows our heart. I love to pray with others because of her example.
Your post touched me. I have a friend whom I told just this morning I would say a prayer for her. You reminded me to do that and to “talk to God as I would my father”. I will also pray that my eyes and heart are opened. Thanks for all your posts- I really enjoy them!
I, too, prefer to pray in private and don’t like to lead prayer in a group. I would have said no, too. Matthew 6:6 makes me feel that this is not wrong. I personally think it is rude to ask anyone, on the spot, to speak in front of a group for any reason. If you expect them to to speak, ask them before hand.
In a woman’s Bible study group I used to go to weekly, we would stand in a circle and hold hands to pray at the end. We would go around the circle and each person would say a short prayer out loud if they wanted to and if they didn’t want to they would just squeeze the hand of the next person in the circle so that person would know to go next. No one felt pressured to pray out loud or called out if they didn’t want to. It was a great group.
That is a wonderful idea. Everyone gets a chance to get comfortable. It is not hard for some, but for others it is like torture. Everyone has strengths, we just need to figure out what they are, and the best way to use them. The Lord will let us know.
I appreciate how you have opened your life up to so many people by writing your blog. Your candor and honesty are such a blessing to me.
Thanks Kathe! I just write what I am feeling. I don’t even think about it as being open or honest, it just is me. I hope the Lord is using my messed up personality to his benefit.
I don’t know if this will help, but I sat down and thought about praying and what makes a prayer “good”. Keeping those parts in mind helps me formulate a prayer that will convey the message I want when I’m taken by surprise. May we all continue to grow spiritually and share with others. Thank you for sharing important parts of your life with us.
Tania,
I, too, have a memory problems due to MS. However, being nervous at the thoughts of speaking publicly of any kind, I have discovered the more I have feebly attempted praying out loud the easier it has become. I hope this is encouraging and I will be praying for you.
Thank you so much Patricia. It is encouraging, and I know that the more you do something, the easier it becomes. It is that FIRST hurdle that is the hardest.
Wow, everything you said resonated with me today! Thyroid issues, praying aloud, that word on the tip of my tongue, praying for someone before I forget. Thank you for this post. Have a blessed Sunday, Tania!
I am glad I am not the only one like this, Terry.
Oh my, I remember a Pastor I had once. He would call on male and female for closing prayer. He called on me a few times and I got through it, but ask me what I prayed and I could not tell you. Then I went from Baptist to Pentecostal (I call it Bapacostal lol) It was then I learned “how to pray”. I still have trouble praying in a crowd, but I do like you….just talk like he’s my best friend, which he is! I totally agree with you, please give us a head’s up so we can at least get our “nerves” in order. lol lol Have a blessed day Tania!
Oh my goodness…I love this post….I have recently been struggling with this same issue. It’s only recently that I’ve found my faith and have been blessed with a lovely church family. I’m in several small groups and we always begin and end with prayer. Last week I was one of the discussion leaders. Having been a teacher, leading the discussion was not an issue but I was paralyzed with fear over the prayer. Fortunately my co-leader took that part of our responsibility. For years, off and on but with little faith that I was heard, I’ve had, what I call, conversations with God…in the car, when I’m walking or running or alone at home. I’m weird in that I always felt more “heard” if I said the words aloud. So I don’t know why I can’t say them aloud in front of others, even grace before dinner. I think some of my hesitation is that I never felt worthy of God’s love until the past year or so. I have so much joy now. So I hope to reach the point where I can find the appropriate prayer words for various occasions and be comfortable sharing them with others. Have a good Sunday.
Thank you for such a prayerful message. I agree that most people are uncomfortable praying aloud. It has nothing to do with their faith. A dear friend who is a great public prayer gave me the “close your eyes tip and talk from your heart”. But I too suffer from a thyroid condition. And for a person who had no trouble with public speaking and off the cuff presentations, the inability to find the right word WAS embarrassing. I found that it makes me be a better listener. So maybe God was trying to tell me something. LOL thanks again for a beautiful post.
I am one that likes to be prepared. I try to dress nice, have my makeup on, and know what I am speaking about when I talk in front of others. My thyroid issues have gotten better because of medication. There was a time, long ago, when I didn’t even want to answer the phone. You’re right, it was embarrassing.
Thank you for your prayers and God bless you
I just love you girl!!! God bless.?
Thank you for inspiring me to be a better person. On the outside and the inside.
Keep being brave, Tania and gurlz. Just remember that those standing in need of intercession aren’t judging your eloquence; in fact, hearing your authentic words to the Father on our behalf encourages us like little else can! I have no remembrance of the person who voiced “the worst” prayer over me, but I have dozens of memories of those who didn’t shrink back but bravely stood in the gap for me when I needed their strength. Let’s keep functioning in our giftedness while faithfully exercising those areas that we’d rather not but need it – spiritually and physically! PS: I, too, am on thyroid supplement, and though I’ve experienced the symptom you described, I had never paired it with my deficiency – thanks for the tip!!
Thank you for your honesty and openness as you shared about praying aloud. I am a Ladies Bible Study facilitator in my church, as well as a Sunday School Teacher for young adult couples, so I am comfortable praying aloud. However, your post was a good reminder to me to be sure to ask ahead of time before calling on someone to pray in either of those groups. I have just been introduced to your blog recently, but I am really enjoying it! Blessings to you this Sunday…..
Thanks for this inspiration. I feel intimidated by folks who have such eloquent, “perfect” prayers where mine just kind of ramble and I just talk to God, as you said, like a friend. Guess there is no “perfect” prayer. God listens to all who come to him.
Thank you once again for a very inspiring Sunday post. Your candor and honesty is what all of us love about you. Praying publicly is a struggle for most of us it seems. God looks at the attitude of our hearts anyway and our conversations with Him is what is important, be it public or private. You honor Him in so many ways with all of your other talents. You are a blessing.
Thank you Tania for your honesty. My husband doesn’t like to pray out loud. We always take turns (including our teenagers) saying a prayer before we eat so this gives him a little practice. What better practice to have…,in front of your family. He doesn’t have a hot spot and will not pray out loud in public but that is okay because “God knows his heart”. I said a prayer for you that God would give you Christ confidence and the words to say if you ever have to pray unexpectedly. Enjoy your Sunday. ~Lisa~
When I went to work for a religious nonprofit I had to pray in front of the entire organization and I was petrified. God got me through it and after that it was a little (emphasis on little) easier. God is so good and faithful. I am so grateful He is patient with and understands us. Thank you, Tania, for again touching everyone who has been asked to pray publicly. I will pray for you and so happy I found your blog! Have a blessed day!
Thank you for this lovely post!
I love this post! I feel the same way… I can type all day but if asked to speak or pray (which I have also been put on the spot to do in church at a choir rehearsal and I also froze up in shock and disbelief that I was even asked at such an impromptu time) in public it just doesn’t go well. I also have a hard time finding the words that I want to use, they’re on the tip of my tongue but they just don’t come out. And lastly, I too try to pray for someone right on the spot so that I won’t forget. I hate to tell a person that I will pray for them then I don’t. So happy to know that I’m not alone in this. ? Be blessed!
I too have difficult praying in front of a group. Fine if only a couple but a large group!!!!! Several years ago our church women’s group I had to open with prayer. It was hard and always felt I didn’t do good. Learned the lesson it was a heartfelt response not a “good job” that was pleasing to God.
Thank you for sharing with us gurls.
Love your blog here in Perth Western Australia. I too have thyroid problems. I’ve had half of mine out. My memory is the same.
Love you fashion. I look everyday. It’s winter here but I’m getting ideas from you for Summer.