26 Miles to Pray for Others
Today I had to stay home from church because my daughter was sick today. It’s the last day of our Christmas break and she would have to get sick. She is doing much better now. Yeah! I started thinking about this marathon that I am going to do next weekend and started to get a little nervous. I know that through Christ, He will give me the strength and what I need to make it.
I started to reflect and think about how much Jesus depended on prayer. He was up early to pray to His Heavenly father. This is mind boggling because here the perfect son of God is praying all the time and He is Lord. The bible even tells us that we should pray without stopping. I like to think that that scripture is saying that we should have a prayerful attitude at all times no matter what we are doing. The great thing about prayer is that you don’t have to have your head down with eyes closed to do it. Jesus knows our thoughts. Jesus also prayed for God’s will not His. The night before His death on the cross He was even praying for God’s will to be done even though He knew what He was about to face. So what does praying have to do with a marathon?
I tend to read a lot of running blogs to get ideas and new knowledge since I am a beginner. I was reading someone’s blog and she had 26 specific people that she prayed for during the marathon that she ran. I love that idea. I often talk to the Lord while I am running, so why not take advantage of this time to pray for specific people and needs. I know that I should pray a lot more than what I do now. If Jesus got up early daily then how much more to I need to get up to pray. Some of my heart issues would change. My goal for next Sunday is to lift people and needs up in prayer. I have specific people and needs for each mile. I have it written on a small index card that I plan on keeping with me so if I forget the need/person I have a reminder. I am going to leave the music at home and as I go through each mile marker, it will remind me to pray for others.
Mile 1: Michael
Mile2: Jacob
Mile 3: Rachel
Mile 4: Naomi
Mile 5: Rebekah
Mile 6: Mom
Mile 7: Dad
Mile 8: Brothers
Mile 9: Grandparents
Mile 10: Mothers and Father in Law
Mile 11: Sisters in law
Mile 12: Brother in Law (Only have 1)
Mile 13: Nieces
Mile 14: Nephews
Mile 15: Aunts
Mile 16: Uncles
Mile 17: My many cousins
Mile 18: Friends
Mile 19: Shiloh Baptist Church
Mile 20: Youth Ministry
Mile 21: Students at school
Mile 22: Coworkers
Mile 23: Those that are seeking Jobs
Miles 24: Homeless
Mile 25: Those that are hurting and have lost loved ones
Mile 26: Me
