He regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer. Psalm 102:17
In one church we attended before we moved away, they would pray the weekly list for the sick, the pregnant, the soldiers, those traveling, those in the mission field and those who had died. People could add their own requests out loud, but at the end of the list, the pastor always added, “and for those for whom nobody else prays.” In the church where we are now, we pray a similar list, but there is also a place to pray for those whose faith is known to God alone.
How sad to think that there are people out there in this world who are so isolated and alone. They may be sleeping under bridges, or in ten bedroom mansions. They may be digging through trashcans or digging into their pockets to purchase the latest high tech toy. Destitution is not necessarily an economic thing. It is always a spiritual one.
Prayer is so much more powerful than we can ever imagine. It can reach across thousands of miles or just down the street. It can touch the heart of the person sitting in the pew next to us, or a lost soul under the shadow of a steeple in another city – one who has lost the ability to hear the church bells chime because their minds are so filled with the sounds of hatred or despondency. Prayer can reach into the crevices of a heart cracked from hurt and pain. It can filter through the closed doors of doubt. It can touch the lives of people we will never know, and change them.
Prayer never falls deaf upon God’s ears. He hears every whisper and every scream. He hears every sentence spoken, as well as those which are so deep inside our souls, we just can’t muster up enough gumption to voice them. If God has placed a thought on your heart, or a name of a person, or even an image, stop and say a prayer. And know this, when you are down and discouraged, when despair creeps in and you can’t find the words to send up to Heaven, He has already placed you on someone else’s heart. Someone on this earth, as well as the Son in Heaven amongst the throngs of angels, is praying for you.
