The preceding article on “Prayer Lists” reminds me of an experience I had a few years ago. We employed a home handyman who had done work for us several times previously to install new storm doors on our house. We gave him a down payment so he could purchase the doors. Months passed with no response to our repeated phone calls. Finally, six months later, he came to our door and apologized profusely for the long delay. He ashamedly admitted that because he hadn’t gotten any jobs for months he had used our down payment to put food on the table for his family.

        I forgave him, and, because we had known him so long and he had done such good work for us in the past, I gave him another down payment. But I also took the opportunity to ask him some questions. He had a strong Christian testimony and was (and still is) a member of a large evangelical church in our community. I asked him if he had told his pastor about not having any work. He replied that he had just done that the past week. I asked him if he had asked other members of the church to pray for him that he might get work, or if he had posted a note on the church bulletin board about his availability to do home improvement projects. He answered, “No.”

        What a shame! We are “members one of another in the body of Christ” (Rom. 12:5). God has purposed this that we might have “compassion one of another” (1 Pet. 3:8), “pray one for another” (Jas. 5:16), build up or “edify one another” (1 Thess. 5:11), and help one another in times of need.

                God doesn’t expect people to read our minds. Also, God often is pleased to use other people to answer our prayers. So let us not be too ashamed or embarrassed or proud to share our needs with our fellow believers. As pointed out in the previous article, even the great apostle Paul asked his fellow believers for prayer for himself. Let us humble ourselves and follow the apostle’s example.