“Have you ever thought a little critically and maybe uncharitably about someone else’s prayers? It’s hard to admit, but there have been times when I’ve scoffed a little when someone prays, “Lord, please be with them.”
My theological mind immediately sends out an alert. “Um, don’t you know about the omnipresence of God?” And then the critical and uncharitable part of my flesh secretly scoffs, “What a generalized prayer. What these people needed was more specific and targeted prayers that focused on their exact situation and struggles!”
Thankfully, my God renews his mercies every day and has gently convicted me over the years of this ungracious and unkind reflex of my flesh. But lately I’ve come to realize there’s more dimension to this prayer than I had thought. Many of us might grasp for these words out of a kind of desperation, hampered by a stilted prayer vocabulary, but I think these words are much richer than we have imagined. Let’s examine the phrase and the meaning behind it.”