A Preposition, a Confession, and an Invitation

Prayer.  

Both enigmatic and profoundly intimate.

One of my favorite things about our Jesus is that he's totally fine with the immense limitations of our minds. He offers a multitude of ways to speak about the deep truths, so we can begin to learn more and more about our infinite God. His is a beautiful love, isn't it?

So while a front door explanation of the power of prayer is locked to me, there is a back door that’s swinging open, so let’s try that one.

I’m a language girl through and through. Selecting the right adjectives, explaining grammar rules, aligning verb tenses, using parts of speech in blog titles…I love it all. And while it’s easy to see language as my personal playground or just a necessary tool, scripture makes it clear that our words matter much more than simple amusement or practicalities. Take a look:

“The tongue has the power of life and death.”
Proverbs 18:21

"Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing."
Proverbs 12:18

"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."
Proverbs 16:24

Words hold power. They matter. And there’s one word I haven’t been able to get off my mind: for. I’m particularly overwhelmed by its use in the common expression “I’ll pray for you.”

See, this phrase that I’ve heard since I could stand falls out of my mouth and slams into ears and I don’t think I pause to actually hear what I’m saying.

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Honored to be writing for Thrive today!