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Copied from a local
newspaper, The Leaf Chronicle, December 1996.
Dear Santa,
This is what I want for Christmas.
I want freedom.
That’s
right, no toys.
I want kids to stop drugs.
I want gangs to close
down.
I want the wars to stop.
I want the world to be one big country
so we can understand each other.
I want more schools.
I want the
men to go to church.
I even want taxes to be lowered.
That is what I
want for Christmas.
I want people to give poor people
money.
I mean
a lot.
Your American,
Justin (7 years old)
Young Justin is certainly
an unusual seven year old.
I’m not sure what influenced him to
forego the standard fare of toys for Christmas but you can imagine
all kinds of challenges he or his friends face in his community.
Whatever those are, they are
significant enough to refocus this child on adult issues and enable
him to ask something for others rather than himself.
We can learn from Justin. When
was the last time you prayed on behalf of others, without asking
something for yourself? All
too often we pray generic prayers that mention the world, the sick,
the missionaries or the food and then jump right into a long request
for our own needs. God cares
about us and wants us to cast every care upon Him but He also
wants us to have a vision for others. James
5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for
each other so that you may be healed. The
prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” Did
you notice the part where it says we should pray for others so that
we may be healed? Our
prayers for others do have an impact on us!
Common Sense Application
1.
Make a list of the Christian friends,
and Non-Christian friends, you interact with.
2.
By each friend’s name begin listing
the prayer needs that you discover in their life.
3.
Begin to pray specifically for those
needs daily and note when you sense God moving in that area of that
friend’s life.
4.
When you feel it is appropriate let
them know you are praying for them and ask them to pray for your
specific needs.
5. This Christmas, give the
gift of a prayer for someone you care about.
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