The Coin In My Pocket
Written December 2017
Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV)-do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Forgetfulness, it is a terrible word and a dreaded condition. However, regardless of who you are, you have a little bit of it. The human race is cursed with being forgetful and I am hopelessly infected with this dreadful disorder. It is for this reason I have decided to carry a coin in my pocket.
The other day I listened to a powerful sermon by James MacDonald on prayer and he spoke about how he wanted his prayers to be like sweet incense going up to God and how he was convicted to truly be a prayer warrior constantly and consistently praying for breakthroughs and the movement of God in his life. As I thought about this it struck me on how often truly meaningful, passionate, and consistent prayers were forgotten in my everyday life. Now to be true I pray each and every day. Some days I have tremendous times of prayer and yet at other times I am rushed, busy, overwhelmed, and occupied by a whole slew of things.
As I heard this message I was convicted, how can I focus and remember to pray each and everyday both with fervency and focus. I remembered that not long ago we had a Wednesday night where the ladies learned how to make prayer beads but that did not do me much good because, though it is a wonderful tool that I know helps many pray, I could not see myself either wearing a strand of beads or carrying one around.
As I thought about how I could be reminded to pray my mind wandered to my grandfather and how he collected coins. These days I very rarely have coins in my pocket because I purchase everything with a credit card, but I thought, if I had a coin that was large enough and unique enough it could remind me that I need to pray each day in a focused and fervent manner.
I went home and sure enough the perfect coin was sitting in our change jug. Some years ago i had procured a number of silver dollars. It is large, heavy, and unique. I won’t spend it and I’m unlikely to lose it, but it is sits in my pocket, reminding me each day to pray fervently and focused on God and those things near and dear to my heart.
How about you? How has your prayer life been as of late. Are you plagued like I am with forgetfulness? Have the important things and the business of life pushed you away from praying like God urge us to do in His Word. For me the help I needed came in a coin. For you it might be something else. What I hope we all will do is pray more fervently and focused in the days and weeks ahead.
