Smart People Pray Short Prayers

 It was about 4:30am and we were already in the car driving up highway 5 from the Central Valley of California to the Bay Area. My friend Megan, a Capernaum graduate, was coming with me to help me speak to a group of churches about how to include teens & young adults with disabilities in the church.

As we drove through the pre-sunset, pre-coffee morning, I was so sleepy. I said , “You better pray I can keep my eyes open or we might not make it there…” Without pausing in the conversation, without closing her eyes, Megan began “Praise the Lord, Christen’s eyes open, get there, I love you, God.”  When she finished she looked at me with the biggest smile and said “Smart people pray short prayers.”  When our laughter subsided and she had shown me how to slap my cheeks to wake myself up I was left with the thought “Smart people pray short prayers.”

I think of Megan’s prayer… no beginning or end to her conversations with Jesus, no fancy words, just short requests given with confidence. Part of this might be that her prayers are continual, and don’t need to be long. What if we would learn to continually, throughout the day “pray short prayers” with absolute confidence? What if we lived like Jesus was in the car with us?

God, give us your vision about friends with disabilities. Teach us. Help us grow to be more like you and to learn from one another. Use our friends. Provide the funds and leaders needed for Capernaum. Make us love you from our hearts. Amen

 

Christian and I with some of my favorite ladies…. Megan (on the left) and Marissa (on right) .
Ladies who teach me profound things and share all kinds of joy with me.