I recently received a prayer request. I love prayer requests, even the hard ones, because I know that the God I serve is working. I know that even without my prayer, He is still working.
This got me to thinking about how I respond to prayer requests. I’m in the habit of dropping everything to answer these. Some might not think it’s that big of a deal to let a prayer request sit for a bit. I completely disagree. Here’s why.
First, we are sheep. Sheep are not load bearing animals. This means that we are not meant to carry anything.
John 10:27-28 (27)My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (28)I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.(ESV)
Psalm 23:1-3 (1)The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (2) He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. (3)He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.(ESV)
Second, since we are sheep and not meant to carry anything we need to know what to do with the things we are asked to carry.
Philippians 4:6-7 (6)do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (7)And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.(ESV)
James 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.(ESV)
Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.(ESV)
Isaiah 65:24 Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.(ESV)
There are many other verses like these that tell us to place our burdens where they belong, at the feet of Jesus. Here is a short list:
Here’s my take, as sheep, we are not meant to carry these burdens. We are supposed to place them at His feet so that He can take them. If we hear a request but don’t place it where it belongs then we are carrying that load until we do. Even if it’s just a friend saying that they’ve had a rough day, pray. Put that at the feet of Jesus. In praying with your friend, you share the burden then help them to put that burden where it belongs which removes the burden from you both.
Some people might not think it’s a big deal to ignore these small requests. Every burden that we don’t put in the proper place is one that we continue to carry. Carrying burdens that we were never meant to causes stress, anxiety, exhaustion, and destroys peace. Even the small burdens add up after a while. Why wait? Why carry things that you were never meant to carry?
Don’t wait. Pray!
Walking With Christ 
Leave a comment