Prayer when you don’t have friends
By Kelly Ballery
Bible Reading:
“The human son eats and drinks. He says, “Here we have friends of big eaters and drunks, tax collectors and sinners.” But wisdom is proven by her actions. ” – Matthew 11:19 NIV
Listen or read the following:
Have you noticed anything? Is it possible to be around people and still feel alone? It is possible to be around people’s Galois and feel unknown, unprecedented, uninterested. I hate that feeling. I think my problem is I don’t like small talk. A small story feels empty, shallow and unworthy in the grand plans of life.
“what kind of work do you do?”
I think “Who cares?”
Then there, right or wrong, I decide that the conversation is boring. I suddenly have a strong urge to go to the bathroom. why? Because they couldn’t care how much money a person would make or how much money they would make about their thoughts about the food they were eating. Life is short. Time is precious. I want a real meaning. But the surface level talk makes me feel like I’m wasting my time. It makes me think that my life would be better if I were somewhere else. I have a great book that will captivate me with its clever truths and healthy advice.
But if I go a little deeper, I think there’s something more…friends? Sometimes I don’t feel like investing in people because I’m worried they’ll disappoint me, shorten me, or hurt me. I think I’ll get out the exit early with people. Sometimes… peeling off the layers of my heart is like peeling off an onion. Because I don’t always endure or hold back on others, but I often find myself self-righteous pride in searching for real meaning.
God, sorry.
Jesus had not made friends with people like him. He was a friend of “the tax collector and the sinner.” (Matt 11:19)
In this Bible, Jesus realized that he had formed friendships about them, not himself, about them, about sinners. Jesus never saw anything in his relationship, but he always moved in with words, prayers and influences that influenced others.
Father, forgive me and forgive me for being selfish in relationships.
Jesus was different from sinners, but he still came to know them. I?
Jesus was more holy than these people, but he spent time with them anyway. I?
Jesus was not involved with sinners on any level, but he still gave them a chance. I?
Often I don’t. I get anxious sometimes. But that makes me think – maybe I could do things in a new way… I can give more chances to incomplete (or potentially tense) people. Instead of coming out to the left after a shallow 10-minute conversation, you can ask questions that deepen people. I can go for a walk with the woman who asked and asked.
I wonder how it looks like you do things in a new way? To endure the relationship? To endure others? To get involved even if you feel scared? How to open it? Our movements in the face of fear are often God’s deep work that frees us. In many cases, God’s God wants us to love and connect with us – before us.
Let’s pray:
Father, I am lonely. I know I’m not alone. The Bible says that Jesus “often retreated to a lonely place and prayed (Loux 5:16).” Sometimes the world feels lonely. Sometimes there is a reason we are separate from people. Sometimes life situations continue to separate us. Father, I ask you to restore meaningful relationships in my life. I ask you to bring the right people into my world. I ask you to help my heart is open to them. Please listen and listen. Help me become the kind of friend you’ve gone to. Thank you for your friendship. I don’t want to be alone again. I want connections and relationships with others. Would you like to send me a friend? With the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
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Kelly supports his followers and raises his faith. Get Kelly blog posts via email and are encouraged every week. A cheerleader of Faith, Kelly is a blogger and national speaker and author of Take Every Thought Captive, Rest Now, Battle Ready, and Fear Fighting. Kelly loves to see the power of prayer acting. She loves to see expressions on women’s faces when they notice. Their God is faithful! Kelly’s work is featured in Today Show, CBN’s 700 Club, Relevance, and Christian Women Today.
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