I took a huge amount of pleasure listening to a conversation between Luke Norsworthy and Barbara Taylor Brown on a recent episode of Luke’s podcast. 

Though it wasn’t remotely the main focus of the podcast, there was a throwaway line from Barbara that I’ve been pondering since I heard it.

She said that worrying about friends and family was how she prayed for them.

I loved this! I’ve written about my journey with prayer in the past. And I’ve shifted to a much more contemplative approach and far less saying of prayers. Thinking about my daughters in particular, I realised that I ‘worry’ about them a lot. Not in some negative, crippling sense; rather it’s a wondering about the challenges they face, the issues they encounter, the circumstances that encroach upon them. I struggle to put much of that thinking into ‘proper’ prayer though.

But what if that wondering, that contemplating, that ‘worrying’ was all the praying I need to do? 

I find that thought both empowering and freeing. 

It makes the Apostle Paul’s ‘pray without ceasing’ call a whole lot more attainable too!

–Sam

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@samradford | samradford.com