“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.” Matthew 13:16
I was just scrolling through Facebook. To me, it is a tool to help me know how to pray. It tells me who needs prayer on this particular day.
There is a family who is grieving the loss of their 23 year old daughter from a drug overdose. There was a dog found buried alive in Georgia, that died the next day. It’s the one year anniversary of the loss of a best friend for another.
Prayers of comfort are needed.
There are the usual political posts from friends on both sides of the fence. Lots of people are enjoying the summer. Yard work is being accomplished today by friends in Florida. There is pool time being enjoyed in Pennsylavania and people heading to work in California.
Prayers of thanksgiving are lifted.
There are scriptures. I always wonder what it is about that scripture that made them post it? What is going on in their life that it touched them? What point are they trying to make? Is there someone specific they are hoping will read it? Is God telling me something?
Prayers of discernment are asked.
I’m always amazed at the ads. My husband and I share our Facebook page. He was searching for a generator the other day. Now ads for generators pop up in my feed. That feels very intrusive to me. How does Facebook know what we’re shopping for so quickly?
Prayers of protection for us.
All in a quick scroll through a social media page.
I’ve heard more than one message about Facebook. How it’s people posting their highlight reel of their life. That can definitely be argued. Or you could look at it from another perspective. If this is their highlight reel, how sad is the rest of their life?
I always try to look beneath the surface of the post for the motivation of it.
Often, it is pure. People are just sharing their life. Sometimes, there is more. There is sadness, loneliness and even despair. We can miss it though if we scroll to quickly. Within a few minutes you can see all spectrums of life. People hurting, people rejoicing, people living.
Slow down the scroll. Look beneath the surface. Don’t just assume it’s a highlight reel. Ask yourself is there more to this post than just the picture and the words? How can I pray for them? Do they need more than a “like” or a “comment”? Do they need a phone call, a text or even a hug?
Who needs prayer in your life today?
Slow Down the Scroll
