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25.2.09

eh

why is it that mostly men are prayed for during prayer meeting?  is it because men are better than women? is it because they have worse problems than women?  no.


i think it is because men are praying.  now, i'm not about to tell you i think women should get up and pray. absolutely not.  i just think that the men should think more about for whom to lift up to our Lord.  women are such the backbone to the body. women are the ones constantly lifting their husbands up, praying for the church. 

tonight, paul anderson and bob watts were prayed for.  paul anderson for safety on the road, and bob watts for healing.   amen to those things. but how about prayer for the safety and wellbeing of mary anderson while she's home alone? how about comfort and strength for janice watts during the trying time of having a sickly spouse?  

perhaps i'm a little sensitive because of my own situation. 

but i'm not being sexist. i'm not thinking in terms of conventional "equality" issues.  and i'm not above thinking that it is simply an issue i have with my own home assembly. 

growing up, all prayers were generally for my dad, his health, his strength.  i don't remember my mom ever being prayed for until near the end.  how is it that she, going through such an enormous struggle, was not lifted up until that point?  why was that not caught earlier?  i remember being puzzled about it then.  i also remember being puzzled about the fact that everyone always asked my mom how my dad was doing, but never how she was doing.  

i was puzzed about those things.  still am.  i'm more empathetic to whatever my mom must've felt now, being a spouse myself of a person not completely well.  and it didn't dawn on me till tonight that it was happening to me now.  

i understand concern and polite conversation.  but let's face it, if something is happening to our spouse, it might as well be happening to us.  we're one flesh, that's how it goes.   we need the support of our spiritual family just as much as from our physical family and our friends.  

i'm not even sure i can wrap this up logically.  my whole point is that we should all think beyond what conventional concern is. we should concern ourselves with spouses, children, parents, all those peripherally involved in a situation. perhaps we are missing someone the Lord is pointing to without pointing to them directly.  

2 comments:

ken said...

Wow. No comments? Did you get any personally? I pray for you from time to time and your Mom wondering how she is doing. I do pray for Peter and John but I've actually lost all connections with you, so I don't really know. I do pray for women at our local meetings as well as their husbands - especially when they have a few kids at home. I'm one of ten and I know everyone can't be angelic all the time. I wasn't even close! I even pray publicly for protection from the evil one in my relationship with LuAnn - too many in leading positions have stumbled and I don't want us to be among them. If I were you, pray about your concerns about how men pray and pray the Holy Spirit would move them to pray for the women as well, but don't neglect to pray for the needs for women you are aware of. In Christ, ken
email me cause my blog isn't a blog. kenluannkeane@juno.com

marti said...

Ok - I admit to having been lax in keeping up with you. Sorry this comment comes late. I understand where your coming from and I am so glad you posted your thoughts. I do want you to know that there are some of us who did ask your mom those things and have prayed much for her. Our assembly used to pray for her when your father was so ill. Please note that I still ask about her often when we're in Springfield and in OKC. I do wish we could sit down and have a good visit with her even now.

It may be true that your assembly doesn't pray that frequently for women, but I woud venture to say that they have at times. Regardless, I do think that the prayer that goes before the throne of grace at any chapel is only a very small fraction of the prayers that go up from individuals. As you said women are the backbone of the meeting. We as women feel things, have certain intuition that men don't and pray more about personal emotional hardships as a whole. Actually, not ever being inside the head of a man I really can't make acurate comparisons. But, I do feel that the prayer of the women is one of our greatest responsibilities.

All this to say, if you see a lack God would have you pray about it and encourage (not complain to) the men to consider their need to be more aware of it. Maybe you could suggest before a meeting, I was burdened for so and so today and was wondering if we could bring her up for prayer?

I trust your doing well. Praying for you too. Haven't heard from you for awhile. Drop us a line.