Caring V (SA)

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone . . . 

 - From 1 Timothy 2

We talk a lot about how to care for others. We're supposed to have a heart for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the homeless, the unemployed, the suffering, the bereaved, the underprivileged, the unclothed, etc.

And how do we manifest this care? Well, usually, by announcing the name of the politician for whom you will vote, or have voted. 

That's it. I have a bumper sticker for Candidate A. Therefore, I care. And it's not enough that I care. I care more than you. 

But why are we supposed to care so much? 

I think the reasons are numerous. But I think the most honesty answer is that we all had a period in our life - a fateful period - where we felt like we were not receiving the care we should be receiving. We were mistreated unfairly by someone. Someone was mean to us. We decided to become someone that "cares." But not only that . . . we will make sure that people know that we care. 

We're also supposed to kind of mock the idea that prayer is an important way to help others. 

The Apostle Paul writes about the first thing, the priority - - - supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings - - - is what we should do first.

But how does that help? Okay so here's a starving person. Shall I pray for him, only?

Not exactly. The prayer process, done first, focuses our minds on the needy person. 

It focuses us on the face, the name, the particular need, of the person - the individual - the live human. 

How can we pray for people we don't know? Our first focus us to pray for them - - - and the only people we can really pray for, are people that we know. And then notice that the people we don't know, for whom we should pray, are our leaders. 

Are we people that care? Then let us be people that pray; and then let us be people that start with the ones we know.