Say a Prayer for Summer

Psalm 66 can encourage us to tell the story of what God is doing and what He has done:
1 Shout with joy to God, all the earth! 2 Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious! 3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. 4 All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name." "Selah" 5 Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf !

I believe that we are called to pray with passion and persistence, not only presenting our requests to God, but praying for the needs of others as intercessors - standing in the gap!   And, we can actually communicate to God on behalf of other people, and periodically, we are called to let others know that we are trusting Him and enlist them to pray, too, as we stand in solidarity.    Corporate intercession, standing together before a mighty God, can be powerful and effective.

James 5 teaches us about the effectiveness of persistent prayer:
13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.


Summer Holt Miller is a wife and mother to 2 children.   She lives in Albemarle, North Carolina, where she tends to the family business and serves as webmaster for her church.   And, she has been diagnosed with breast cancer...

She also has a best friend who is a country music star and former American Idol finalist.  And, her best friend has done something very cool to stand with Summer - since Summer is undergoing chemotherapy and will likely lose her hair, she and her friend, Kellie Pickler, have shaved her heads.   For days, Kellie's act of solidarity has been trending, attracting searches online and tweets from supporters, using the hashtag #sayaprayerforsummer.

Summer tells E! that:

"If this compels even one person to change their mentality toward waiting until the age of 40 for their mammogram, then it will be worth it."

There's something to be said for people standing together.  Kellie Pickler has taken an unusual step, and since she is a celebrity, her actions can be used to garner prayers for Summer and awareness for early diagnosis of this type of cancer.   

So, are you fervently praying for someone?   God's hand of healing and comfort can be extremely powerful as His people call upon His name!   We can effectively stand in the gap for others as we intercede regularly and passionately before the throne of God, not casually or part of a checklist.  

And, your prayers may also require action - in this case, it's a rather creative form of solidarity, but there may be something that God is calling you to do to show your love for a friend or family member.   It may be a simple visit, or giving a treasured gift, or some other act of compassion or service.  It may involved taking the initiative to communicate that person's story to a wider audience.    Through our prayers and our actions, we show that we care.  As we stand together, we call upon the Lord to see Him do great and mighty things.