From CAROLYN…

Good Morning, Friends, Beloved of God,

I have a dear friend who is going through lots of stuff in her life. You know the kind of things I mean:

~concern for an adult child,
~health issues,
~a big change coming,
~an overwhelming amount of life-details,
~and so many people to care about.

Well, my sweet friend had asked me to pray for a couple of specific things and I wanted to do so. When I talked with her recently she brought up something she had been and was still concerned about. Something big and time-sensitive I had promised to pray about this with her.

But guess what. I forgot! Certainly I had been lifting her up with some of the things I knew about. But this one thing I forgot. I told her and then wrote this issue down in my prayer list under her name. She is one of my Tuesday gals to pray for.

Then I also told my friend that God does not forget.

God has promised to remember.

Zion said,”The Lord has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.”
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, nor have compassion on the child of her womb?
Even these may forget but I will not forget you. Behold, I have you inscribed on the palms of My hands.” — Isaiah 40:15,16

God does not just make a note of you in His note pad. He has your name written on the palms of His hands,

always present,
always on His mind,
always in His heart.

Do you ever feel forgotten or have you really been forgotten? Well, not by God, the One who so loves you.

And as for prayer, we have this assurance:

...the Spirit helps us in our weakness: for we do not know how to pray as we should but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts know what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the true believers according to the will of God.  — Romans 8:26,27

At times I believe our prayer can become an idol. We think if we just get it right (because after all it all depends on us!), then God will do as we ask. However, His understanding and His love is far beyond mine in any prayer endeavor.

So of course, I want to keep my word. But when I forget, He does not. When I pray amiss, He is interceding in the right way.

The lesson for me is that while I want to pray for my friends and loved ones, God will always remember them and know what is best. He will address hidden issues I have no way of knowing. He has got me covered and He has got His other children, my friends, covered too. He invites me to participate with my prayers. He invites me to know He is the One who moves the stars at night and He is the One who is ultimately concerned for those I am concerned about. He knows the heart-needs.

 Therefore, all the glory and praise goes to Him who does not forget and who knows what to pray for much more than I do..

I still pray and want to. And I also rest in Him to be the ultimate One who remembers and prays. I believe this rest is pleasing to my Heavenly Father. He is God and I am not. One of the best things I can pray for my friends is, “Into Thy Hands I place this one.”

With love and prayers,

Carolyn