In Your Thoughts And Prayers

"We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,"  Colossians 1:3

This is going to be a quick post this morning.  Last night my sweet son crawled into bed with me after a bad dream, and all snuggled up and comfy we both slept an extra hour this morning!  Feels great to have the extra sleep, but now I'm a little behind...

Anyway, today's verse is something I woke up with, because for two nights in a row now, I've had a dream about the same person.  You know, sometimes I have a dream about a celebrity or other famous person, and when I do, I tend to wake up feeling like I should pray for them.  That's happened a few times- hey, these people need Jesus too, and they go through trials that a little back-up prayer may be just what they need to get through the trial.  But I've never dreamed about the same person twice.  And not twice in a row.

I really believe that when we allow ourselves to become more sensitive to God and his desires for us, that He can bring people to mind to pray for.  Sometimes He'll bring a family member or a friend to mind, and I'll feel a need to pray for them.  Later on, I've occasionally heard about someone going through a rough time or a bad day, and then they suddenly feel so much better.  Yay God! But when a celebrity comes to mind, I always think twice before praying for them- especially when I've had a dream about them, because I want to know what God is trying to tell me.

In this case, I'm not sure if there's more there or not.  I recall much of the dreams as being nonsense, but the presence of this person is vivid.  There could be a deeper meaning there, and I will spend time talking to God and asking Him to show me what He's trying to tell me, but in the meantime, this person is most definitely in my thoughts and prayers. 

In my thoughts and prayers.  How often do we say that to someone and then discard it?  I see that phrase a lot, actually, in the virtual worlds I participate in.  I know I myself have been guilty of saying that to someone, and I do say a quick prayer for them, but then I don't continue to dwell on them, and they are not really in my thoughts and prayers.  But then I read little snips of Paul's life, and I can't help but wonder exactly how much time every day did he spend in prayer?  I bet it was an awful lot, because I bet he truly spent time praying for every individual he knows in communities he's been in.  And when he says "praying always for you" I have no doubt that Paul meant that in a very heartfelt way.

We can learn from Paul.  We can learn to not be so flippant with our words.  When we tell someone that we are praying for them, let's follow through and really pray for them.  Maybe that's all that God's waiting for to activate someone's miracle or healing. Maybe He's just waiting for you to get on your knees and start to intercede on behalf of that person. 

And maybe that's what's going on with my dreams.  I admit, I didn't think on this person much at all yesterday.  Merely a thought that this person had showed up in my dreams somehow.  But a second night in a row?  This person is being prayed for, because if nothing else, I know that God loves them so much, and I also know that they are in a position where they could share the love of God with so many, if they would only open up to Him and His desires for their life.  May God visit this person in an incredible and mighty way, and may they feel His love and know that it's real, and true, and everlasting for all time.