“Do not about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” 

Philippians 4:6 (NRSV)

Praying for Peace

Last Sunday I offered a prayer for peace, noting the rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine. I prayed for a peace that would limit human suffering and allow mutual respect and negotiation to flourish. While I was praying, the forces that move toward war were actively preparing to do what they had planned to do all along. 

The prayer was still worth praying. 

Sometimes a friend who knows we go to church will ask us to pray for them, say, in the midst of a health crisis. And at the end of the crisis, the wrong result comes: someone gets sicker, or dies, or fails to improve in the way we’d hoped. At these moments, it can be easy to say, “prayer doesn’t work,” or “that proves it, God doesn’t answer prayers.” 

The prayer was still worth praying. 

Sometimes The Answer Isn’t Easy

Then there are the moments when someone tries to be helpful by saying, “God answers ALL the prayers, just not always in the way you expect.” 

I disagree with that bromide completely. 

No. Sometimes our prayers are not answered. It’s as simple as that. 

But the prayers are still worth praying.  

So What Good Is Prayer, Anyway?

When I pray for peace in Ukraine, knowing full well that Russia will do what it does, I am aligning my heart with those who pursue peace. I am hoping for the best for those who are in danger. I will be more aware and alert to their plight and to opportunities to help in the future. I even alert God to the fact that I believe they are not alone or cutoff from human concern! Sometimes the best outcome is not possible,

But the prayers are still worth praying. 

Sometimes we pray for a friend who’s struggling with a health issue and the news is not good and they don’t get better. But they know we are with them. They know we are caring for them and that they can call on us. They may be open to more healing down the road because of our prayers today, and they may love receiving the notes we send. We don’t get to control outcomes, but we can put our hearts in the right place to be supportive. Prayer can be a big part of that. 

The prayers are still worth praying. 

Don’t Stop…Believing…

So keep praying for peace in Ukraine. Keep praying for people in crisis. Pray for our ill friends, struggling in body or in spirit. Align your heart with them and see what comes when we carry the spirit of prayer though dire situations. 

Prayer is no substitute for taking the right actions or doing the right things for people. But prayer can help us focus and keep us on a path that makes healing possible. 

I’ll never give up on prayer, and the prayers are still worth praying.