I went out for dinner not that long ago with a friend that I used to go to school
with in College Station. We hadn’t spoken in a while so it was great to catch up
while we waited for the food. When the food came, I expected that one of us would
pray and we would begin eating, but things didn’t go as I had expected.
The waiter delivered the plates to our table, and I watched, more than a bit
surprised, as my friend explained to him that we were getting ready to pray over
our food and asked if there was anything he would like us to pray for. Our waiter
seemed stunned as he came to the realization of what we were asking. Then an
amazing thing happened. He began to open up to us, telling us that his mother
had just been diagnosed with cancer, how the family was dealing with the news,
and letting us know how much he appreciated us asking, and would appreciate
our prayers. My friend and I then prayed with him before letting him get back to
work.
What does the idea of prayer without ceasing mean to you? It’s so easy, especially
for young professionals and students, to get distracted and caught up in the
events of everyday life. Sometimes we can get so caught up in the “busy-ness”
that we think to ourselves that we simply don’t have time to pray, but what if we’re
looking at life from the wrong perspective?
I was talking with a Rabbi friend recently and he explained to me how the Jewish
people have a blessing to God for almost everything in life, from a blessing for
beautiful weather to even a blessing for when they see a beautiful woman. It’s
these blessings that help them to be continually mindful of all God has done for
them.
As disciples of Christ, prayer is our way of continually expressing our gratitude
for all the gifts God has given us. Prayer is our opportunity to release our burdens
and give up our concerns to God. What would happen if we began to incorporate
these prayerful attitudes into the events of our everyday lives?
We may end up having a dinner conversation we never expected.
