In January, 2009, I created a blogsite called “30-Second Prayers for Busy People.”
My inspiration was simple. More and more, I find myself caught up in or burnt out by the countless activities that fill my everyday calendar, and all I could muster is a few ticks a day to pray. Those precious seconds, however, work wonders in refreshing my spirit. I realized that, amidst the arid desert of work, a whisper of a prayer heaven’s way becomes an oasis to a longing soul.
So I wondered: “Are there people like me who have become too busy to pray? Would people appreciate receiving prayers?”
I wasn’t sure of the answer, but I posted short prayers just the same, and I did it day after day.
To my surprise, on the 11th day after I posted my first prayer entry, a total of 208 clicked on the site. Let me correct that – 208 people prayed with me in one day. After that, the stats on my blogsite showed that an average of 50 people pray the 30-Second Prayers each day.
I had barely figured what to make of the figures when, suddenly, comments started pouring in. A guy from Hong Kong wrote: “You truly are a blessing to all of us who are united in prayer even if it’s just for 30 seconds a day. For us, it is also a good way of praying in front of the computer…”
A Facebook aficionado wrote this reply to one of my entries: “Just want to let you know I took the liberty of posting your 30-second prayer in my Facebook profile. I was so struck by it and I just had to let my friends know. Keep these 30-second prayers coming, it is truly an inspiration and a wake-up call for all of us who may seem to forget that our God is truly an awesome God!”
A Christian from Branson, Missouri, whom I did not know from Adam, sent in this curt message: “Your blog is a blessing. Thank you for your prayers and sharing them. I found you through the blog roll of a dear friend. Just want to say thank you… Your prayers are so encouraging!”
A nun in Africa is in the “prayer group” as well. She typed this note: “Thanks for the honest-to-goodness prayers. They are short and yet soul-searching. Thanks for the K.I.S.S.- Keep It Short & Smart!”
Whoa! Once again, people – busy ones — are praying, and their prayers know no boundaries!
Incidentally, it may interest you to know that people who stumbled upon my site have typed the follow9ing words on their seach engines: “prayer for busy people, prayer about being busy, busy people prayer, short prayer for busy people.”
Sigh. I guess this only shows what people who are becoming busier by the day really long for.
In case you are wondering what these terse prayers are all about, here is a sample of a forgiveness prayer posted on the site:
Lord, I lift up to You this one person I find most difficult to forgive, this person who has caused me deep emotional scars. (Silently mention to God the name of the person.) Although I want to get even with him/her, I relinquish unto You my own right to exact revenge, and leave all issues of fairness for You to work out. As I make this difficult decision, Lord, I beg You to look at my own sins with Your eyes of compassion, and spare me from what I truly deserve. Amen.
Here is another one for people who find it difficult to forgive .
Lord, I still bear the deep wound that was inflicted upon me by this one person who hurt me most. Today, I make the decision, no matter how difficult, to speak and release forgiveness to this person. Today, too, I declare that my own healing has begun… in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Even with the heartwarming comments of people, I honestly cannot claim credit for crafting those prayers of the heart. Scriptures, after all, says: “When we don’t know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us…” (Romans 8: 26, CEV). For me, I just keep doing them because prayer is my lifeline. A busy person simply has to keep himself connected to the Source of life and power, else spiritual expiry be his lot. Hopefully, the blogsite could help people who need to keep their head above water amidst the increasing demands of work and society.
Now, for the confession: My blogsite’s title is admittedly misleading because praying the prayers would actually take more than 30 seconds. But I assure you that 30 seconds+ in exchange for a refreshed spirit is a good bargain.
I hope to see you soon at http://30secondprayers.wordpress. com. Blessed weekend, busy people!
My inspiration was simple. More and more, I find myself caught up in or burnt out by the countless activities that fill my everyday calendar, and all I could muster is a few ticks a day to pray. Those precious seconds, however, work wonders in refreshing my spirit. I realized that, amidst the arid desert of work, a whisper of a prayer heaven’s way becomes an oasis to a longing soul.
So I wondered: “Are there people like me who have become too busy to pray? Would people appreciate receiving prayers?”
I wasn’t sure of the answer, but I posted short prayers just the same, and I did it day after day.
To my surprise, on the 11th day after I posted my first prayer entry, a total of 208 clicked on the site. Let me correct that – 208 people prayed with me in one day. After that, the stats on my blogsite showed that an average of 50 people pray the 30-Second Prayers each day.
I had barely figured what to make of the figures when, suddenly, comments started pouring in. A guy from Hong Kong wrote: “You truly are a blessing to all of us who are united in prayer even if it’s just for 30 seconds a day. For us, it is also a good way of praying in front of the computer…”
A Facebook aficionado wrote this reply to one of my entries: “Just want to let you know I took the liberty of posting your 30-second prayer in my Facebook profile. I was so struck by it and I just had to let my friends know. Keep these 30-second prayers coming, it is truly an inspiration and a wake-up call for all of us who may seem to forget that our God is truly an awesome God!”
A Christian from Branson, Missouri, whom I did not know from Adam, sent in this curt message: “Your blog is a blessing. Thank you for your prayers and sharing them. I found you through the blog roll of a dear friend. Just want to say thank you… Your prayers are so encouraging!”
A nun in Africa is in the “prayer group” as well. She typed this note: “Thanks for the honest-to-goodness prayers. They are short and yet soul-searching. Thanks for the K.I.S.S.- Keep It Short & Smart!”
Whoa! Once again, people – busy ones — are praying, and their prayers know no boundaries!
Incidentally, it may interest you to know that people who stumbled upon my site have typed the follow9ing words on their seach engines: “prayer for busy people, prayer about being busy, busy people prayer, short prayer for busy people.”
Sigh. I guess this only shows what people who are becoming busier by the day really long for.
In case you are wondering what these terse prayers are all about, here is a sample of a forgiveness prayer posted on the site:
Lord, I lift up to You this one person I find most difficult to forgive, this person who has caused me deep emotional scars. (Silently mention to God the name of the person.) Although I want to get even with him/her, I relinquish unto You my own right to exact revenge, and leave all issues of fairness for You to work out. As I make this difficult decision, Lord, I beg You to look at my own sins with Your eyes of compassion, and spare me from what I truly deserve. Amen.
Here is another one for people who find it difficult to forgive .
Lord, I still bear the deep wound that was inflicted upon me by this one person who hurt me most. Today, I make the decision, no matter how difficult, to speak and release forgiveness to this person. Today, too, I declare that my own healing has begun… in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Even with the heartwarming comments of people, I honestly cannot claim credit for crafting those prayers of the heart. Scriptures, after all, says: “When we don’t know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us…” (Romans 8: 26, CEV). For me, I just keep doing them because prayer is my lifeline. A busy person simply has to keep himself connected to the Source of life and power, else spiritual expiry be his lot. Hopefully, the blogsite could help people who need to keep their head above water amidst the increasing demands of work and society.
Now, for the confession: My blogsite’s title is admittedly misleading because praying the prayers would actually take more than 30 seconds. But I assure you that 30 seconds+ in exchange for a refreshed spirit is a good bargain.
I hope to see you soon at http://30secondprayers.wordpress. com. Blessed weekend, busy people!