Prayer

There was a man in my past whom I always wanted to be like. His name was Norman Sutton. He was a small man in stature but a giant in the world of praying. I knew if I asked him to pray for me or someone else, he would. Why did I know that?



Anytime anyone would ask him to pray, he would stop everything he was doing, and pray. He literally would stop walking and stop talking...grab the person's hands who asked him to pray, and he would. It was a powerful testimony to me even then and especially now, when so many people are asking for prayer.



Almost all the time when someone asks us to pray, we say we will. Most the time we do. Some of the time we forget until days or even weeks later when we see them again. GUILT sets in and satan takes hold and begins to hammer us with our inability to be the "Christian" we thought we were.



I have discovered a "lightbulb" in my own prayer life that probably everybody else has thought of ... maybe I'm just slow.... but I've realized I can just lift their name at that moment...not their problems...not their troubles....not their needs... and just say "Dear Jesus... [their name]"... God knows their problems...God knows their troubles...God knows their needs...I just need to lift up their name. Being able to do that keeps satan from getting a foothold in that part of my life.



Norman died this year. I think of the many jewels that man had in his crown...jewels of love, sacrifice, prayer and devotion. I can just see him grabbing that crown off his head and running to Jesus' feet and laying it down in front of His King... and Norman's happiness in being able to say, "Jesus, you answered every prayer I prayed. Thank you for being my Savior." I believe Jesus looked at Norman and said, "Well done my good and faithful servant."



I want to be more like Norman....Jesus' example for me on earth.