Monday Morning Manna: Sending Prayers Where?

“Sending prayers your way.” Please don’t! There is little to nothing I can do with prayers sent my way. If you want to pray for me, please send your prayers to God, who can not only hear them, but is able to respond. I know I’ve written about this before, but I keep seeing it on social media, and it makes me wonder if the person sending the prayers knows much about biblical prayer. To my knowledge, nowhere in the Bible does it say that anyone other than God hears and responds to prayer. What the Bible does quote God saying is, “Call to Me, and I will answer you” (Jeremiah 33:3). The Psalmist said, “I cry out to the Lord with my voice; with my voice to the Lord I make my supplication” (Psalm 142:1). I know the sentiment is good, but I for one would prefer getting the wording correct, if for no other reason, so I know that the one praying knows what they are doing. Apologies if this offends, but if we’re going to pray, let’s get it right.

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.