It was nobody's idea of a prayer. A family member had just called to ask me to pray for and, as I considered her predicament, the thought that came to me was, "Don't be ridiculous!"
On the face of it, my relative's situation seemed anything but ridiculous. She had been waiting for a long time for money that was owed her, which she needed to pay her bills. And it now seemed that someone was intent on standing in the way of her getting it. But what did seem ridiculous to me was the idea that God would allow anything to prevent one of His Children from having what they needed. So that ended up being my prayer. "Don't be ridiculous!" And believe it or not, that prayer seemed to be effective. The family member told me later that her anxiety subsided almost immediately, allowing her to resume her own prayers. Not long afterward, the problem was solved. The money was released and the bills were paid.
I love what this experience taught me about prayer—that it comes in all shapes and sizes. As the articles in this month's cover story demonstrate, the ways in which God communicates with each of His children are as varied as the children themselves. There is one thing that unites our prayers, though. It's the Christ, God's message of love to humanity, which speaks at just the right time in just the right way to every hungering heart that reaches out for comfort and healing.
