“Please pray with me!” The call comes from a dear friend early this morning.
“Hold on,” she says, “I’ll call you back in a minute.” Click.
I go to sort my laundry while I wait, even though I should be showering.
Wow, it gets so out of control…
Squeezing around the door between the washer and the piled laundry pushing the door so it barely opens
I start thinking about praying with my friend.
I looked at the laundry piled high.
I begin to mumble a prayer for her while I wait and realize there is pride baring my prayer like my laundry bared the door.
I realize God caused this delay.
Hindered, my prayer, piles up on the floor amongst the rest of my over due dirty mess.
I’d love to offer excuses but I simply have a hard time wanting to use a washer that starts spraying water out after it spins and a dryer that takes an hour and a half to dry a load.
So it piles up, like my pride, the whole huge dirty mess of it.
It’s so cluttered I barely know where to start.
So I decide praying for my friend is an easy excuse.
It’s easier to excuse our messes, our pride, then to begin the sorting process…
The actual picking up and looking at each dirty piece,
And being so discouraged over the mess that we really are in
But I start.
I pick up a handful of darks; this towel bleeds all over everything.
I pick up the area of my heart that grew stained with pride from the thought of a person coming to me for prayer.
Like I’m something…ha ha
“God I’m nothing… especially if I compare myself to You. My prayer, also, is no good if it’s blocked by pride and I need you to hear this prayer for my friend.”
“God I’m nothing… especially if I compare myself to You. My prayer, also, is no good if it’s blocked by pride and I need you to hear this prayer for my friend.”
I sort the whites into the first basket.
I know my heart needs bleaching.
I know my heart needs bleaching.
How dirty I get so quickly.
How long I leave the stains.
“Forgive me for being more focused on what You do for me then on You.”
I pick up the lights. Those socks that seem to fall everywhere…
My heart feels saddened. “Forgive me for falling into the trap of thinking too much of myself.”
I pick up the bathroom rug, the blanket, the pillow and set them aside.
I again see myself for who I am, in comparison to Him, and set myself aside.
He forgives my sin.
I start my first load.
I hear the phone ringing.
I smile over my straightened room. His job also accomplished.
No more distractions. I humbly go.
“Hello. Yes, I’m ready to pray!”
The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous. Proverbs 15:29
