Prayer Legs …
“Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it?” James 2: 14
“Sheila, you’ve been in my spirit all week and I’ve been praying for you. But this morning, I said … I’m going to reach beyond the prayer and call you.”
This was my friend’s message to me one morning. Her spirit’s intuition was laser sharp and the hour-long conversation that followed was exactly what both of us needed. Her initial prayers covered me but her taking the step to follow up and directly reach out to me connected me.
The encounter reminded me of the quote from one of my prophets and sheros, Civil rights advocate and justice warrior Fannie Lou Hamer. – ‘You can pray until you faint, but unless you get and try to do something, God is not going to put it in your lap” The sages taught me that after we pray, we need to put legs on it by stepping out in the direction of what we prayed for. Prayers fortify us to take the actions that we are called to do.
Our encounter reminded me that prayer is not a substitute for following through on what was shared during the prayer.
“ For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?”
James 2:15-17
This prayer shawl was given as gift several years ago. It was prayed over as it was created. After it was complete, several group of women prayed over it fr weeks. When I received it, they wrapped it around my shoulders, they prayed over me. It has been a connection of physical and spiritual touch. They put legs on their prayers and covered me.