The Power of "Nothing"

While walking through the woods one day, I was surprised to hear a
child's voice. I followed the sound, trying in vain to understand the
child's words. When I spotted a boy perched on a rock, I realized why
his words had made no sense: He was repeating the alphabet.
"Why are you saying your ABC's so many times?" I asked him.
The child replied, "I'm saying my prayers."
I couldn't help but laugh. "Prayers? All I hear is the alphabet."
Patiently the child explained, "Well, I don't know all the words, so I
give God the letters. He knows what I'm trying to say."

Sometimes when I pray for other people~people I don't know, for example people on a prayer list, or someone who's name comes through my e-mail box with an attached note saying, "Please pray for so & so" I have trouble. I lose the words. I think to myself, "How am I supposed to pray?" I don't know the entire situation these people are in, I don't know who they are other than a word on a piece of paper. So, what do I say?

In those situations, sometimes I just say, "God, I don't know what to say. I don't know how to pray for these people. So, I pray that you would search their hearts and give them what is best for them right now."

And sometimes I just say, "Father, I don't have any words right now, please search my heart for me."

And sometimes I say.... nothing.

I've found that saying "nothing" in my prayers works best on my bad days. The days when I would just ramble or scream anyway. The days when the kids are arguing and slamming doors, running from one end of the house to the other, the TV is blaring seconds after I've turned it off, there are crumbs all over the counter from making lunch, the bread and lunch meat is still sitting there, too. The doorbell and telephone are both ringing at the same time, and I've had to use the restroom for the past hour but have not had the time to get there yet, and I have a little person pulling on my shirt saying "Look momma, I found a snail (and of course it's bigger than her hands, no less), wanna hold it?"

And, I stop and rest my hands on the counter (or whatever's nearest to me) and close my eyes. All the noise in the background fades away, and I am enveloped with God's love. I just close my eyes and feel Him, concentrate on Him.

Then the little voice behind me says, "I'm so glad you're my momma. You're the greatest.".....And I know then and there, that God has answered the prayer I never knew I said. The amazing thing? I say "nothing" a lot, and yet I know I've said more than if I said a lot of ... "somethings".