A Forgotten Prayer Request

‘Please pray for me and my family,’ said Laxmi, her eyes filled with tears. ‘I belong to a non-Christian family and praying to your God is forbidden in my house. My husband is critically ill.’ I assured her that I would indeed pray for her family.

She mentioned the names of other family members and her belief that Christ can do miracles. But I forgot to pray for Laxmi. As a busy doctor, I loaded my prayers with petitions for my own family and my patients, and Laxmi was just a face in the crowd, easily forgotten.

A couple of months later, Laxmi came to thank me for praying for her family and said that her husband was on the road to recovery. I was embarrassed to receive her thanks when I had actually forgotten to pray for her. At that moment I asked Laxmi to sit with me and we prayed together for her husband and her family.

We often tend to forget our neighbours and those in trouble—even those who seek us out and request our prayers. It takes effort to live as a Christian, especially in India where we are only about two per cent of the population. But it’s worth it because we can make a difference in the lives of those around us as we pray for those in need.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, we thank you for teaching us to pray.  Help us to use prayer to bring more people to you. Amen