Prayer.

I'm fairly good at praying about me. I'm not traditionally very good at praying for other things.

Like many Christians, the problem of unanswered prayer bothers me. If God can allow awful things to happen to Christians (and he does), then what's the point in praying for anything? Or at least, that's what I tell myself. Sometimes I suspect that really I just feel guilty that I don't pray for others more, and the above thought is just a way of rationalising my way out of feeling guilty: a way to make it God's fault that I don't pray for others, and not my fault.

Well, a number of things have built up, like water behind the straining dam in a disaster movie, to challenge this long held 'grievance' I've been holding [against the creator of the universe. Ha!]. These things are:

- Hearing Pete Greig, the founder of the 24/7 prayer movement, saying that we do need to be really honest about unanswered prayer (he's written a book about that), but that we don't need to get cynical - miracles happen when we pray

- Reading a section from Dallas Willard on fully abandoning one's heart to God's purposes, no matter what the circumstances. I was really annoyed with its simplistic, modernistic approach. And then I realised I was really annoyed with the way it was challenging me.

- Reading Jeremiah 40: he had had a really rough deal, but he experienced God's grace in a really practical way it. Then I remembered Moses, Elijah, David, Job and the whole Israelite nation, who all experienced the same - God showing his grace in horrible situations.

- Hearing the same day from a friend of mine for whom I'd been praying. She'd just been at the funeral of a close friend, who was diagnosed with cancer 2 months ago. She saw the hand of God in the funeral, and in his life leading up to it.

I've made enough excuses. Now I'm committing myself to actually PRAYING.

It's fairly simple - I just want to pray for one thing, that's not directly about me, every day.

Hold me to account on it, and if I there's anything can pray for you, let me know!