You don’t have to have a theology degree, you don’t have to be ordained, you don’t have to work at a church or ministry, you don’t have to leave your house, you don’t have to be young, you don’t have to be old, you don’t have to money, social media influence or special permission

to serve -to be of incalculable use- in one of the most desperately needed, deeply wanted & biblically sanctioned ways on earth: praying for people. Several years ago, we started opening the doors at living proof at the Tuesday noon hour for anyone who needed prayer. We literally

put out an old school sign “Need prayer?” on the side of the road by our building. And people came. Thus began one of the most grounding, holy things we’ve ever done in the existence of living proof ministries. We’ve had to go to phones and zooms during this pandemic but it only

served to broaden the number of people we could receive over that prayer hour. Every week at 1:15 as our prayer hour ends, I want to say on here what it has meant to us. How in touch it has kept us with people. What it has done for the ministry in such difficult times & differing

ideologies. No matter how we may vary on this issue or that, our hearts, minds & souls are utterly united in one purpose as we serve people in need of prayer in the great and holy and saving and healing and delivering and abundant life-giving name of Jesus. Talk about something

that will strip down some pettiness, competitiveness, cynicism about the church and the body of Christ, superficiality, quarreling over tertiary issues & a good bit of pride & meanness, start listening to people share their needs then pray for them. It doesn’t need to be fancy.

Your prayers aren’t heard based on their quality or quantity but based on the access you have to the very throne of grace by the blood of Jesus, our Great High Priest. My teenage friend, Hannah, who was fearfully and wonderfully made with Downs, started her own prayer ministry

based on ours. It started with a sign on her bedroom door: Need prayer? Her family members did. Then her ministry expanded to others by phone. Her ministry matters greatly. So does yours. People need prayer so badly. People are also incredibly lonely and they just want to know

someone cares and someone will listen and then that same someone, who knows it’s not often within her/his power to fix it, will take it to the Lord in prayer who loves & knows that precious one intimately. Though we may not receive the answer to prayer they & we so wanted, we

know God WILL be merciful and gracious and kind and loving to them and present with them. We can ask him to make his nearness and undying affection known to them.

We don’t have all the answers, saints. But we can pray. And make no mistake, prayer is ministry. To them. And to us.