Pray to be a miracle, not see one.

​I'm working on a bad habit I have. I'm trying to stop saying the words "I'm praying for you." I'm not trying to quit praying for people - quite the opposite really - I'm just trying to stop saying that I am.

Coming from someone who professes the power of prayer, from someone who has survived a lot of battles in life because of the unwavering folded hands of prayer, this all might sound like a slap in prayer's face.

It's not. It's actually an attempt to harness a more transforming kind of prayer in my life.

This is all driven by two things.

First, it is the number of times I've found myself saying to someone "I'm praying for you" and then never uttered the first word of concern to God on their behalf. I've discovered in my own life that I'm far more dedicated to talking to someone else about prayer than I am to talking to God in the act of prayer.

Second, I made this discovery about my prayer life as I've heard people say to me "I'm praying for you." Many times "I'm praying for you" sounded like the kindest way to say "I have no idea how to help you" or "I'm too busy dealing with my own stuff in life to get wrapped up in the burden of yours."

Too many times "I'm praying for you" has come across as the Christian way of saying I have your back without actually having to have someone's back.

Believe me, those points I make about other people - they come so harshly to me because I have realized how frequently I do that to other people. And thus - the reason for trying to break this habit.

Sadly, I think we Christians have used "I'm praying for you" to hand over all power to transform lives to God. We use "I'm praying for you" to either directly or indirectly deliver the message to God that this or that person needs your help, God. I think too often we've turned "I'm praying for you" into the quickest way to remove from our to-do list the possibility that WE might be the help they need.

I wonder, how many prayers each day does God hear someone ask him to be the miracle in someone else's life. I wonder, as well, how that number compares to the number of times God hears someone asking for the opportunity for THEM to be the miracle in someone else's life.

Well, the only meaningful answer I have to those wonders is my own prayer life. And I will tell you more often than not my prayers start with - be there for them God, be there for them God, be there for them God - and then occasionally I might add - and if there's anything you think I can do, God, feel free to let me know.

So, I'm letting you know, I'm working on asking God to show me what I can do to help you more than I'm asking him what he plans to do to help you.

I'm working on asking you if there's anything I can do for you more than I avoid that question by telling you I'm praying for you.

I'm going to spend more time asking God for the opportunity to be a miracle and less time asking him to let me see one.