Give the Gift of Prayer

By Sabra Ciancanelli, Tivoli, New York

I spent the better part of the morning going over the stack of catalogs searching for gifts for my sons, husband, mom, sister, brother, in-laws, friends, nieces and nephews.  Despite a warm wood fire and the comforting tune of The Little Drummer Boy, I felt overwhelmed.  I knew the things they wanted, but I also knew they had other needs.  Like the friend who was searching for a job or my sister desperate for a clean bill of health or my mom longing for pain-free knees.  If only I could wrap up my prayers for my loved ones and give them those gifts too.

What was I thinking?  I knew exactly how to do that.  As the editor of OurPrayer.org, I work with our volunteers and staff who do an extraordinary job of praying for thousands of people every week.  Of course, I pray on my own but at the end of a busy day it’s comforting to type in a request, knowing it will go to one of our thousands of prayer volunteers.  We all need support in our prayer lives.

That’s exactly why we launched Christmas Day of Prayer.  So that people could give the gift of prayer at this time of year.  As OurPrayer manager Peola Hicks says, “When you pray for others, you’re showing how much you care for them.  You’re sharing your love for them just the way Christ loved us.”  What a perfect present!

This year Christmas Day of Prayer is December 15.  You can make your request online, privately or publicly.  Each request is prayed for by one of our dedicated and trained volunteers.  For a one-on-one session with a volunteer, you can use RealTime Prayer when it’s available.  You can also call us at 203-778-8063 and speak directly to a volunteer.

I felt better about my shopping when I considered the added gifts that would go along with everything I bought.   Give the gift of prayer this year.  It’s free and absolutely priceless. 

Send your prayer requests for Christmas Day of Prayer.