Prayer Triage

I was recently talking about a school where I taught in Southern California. It was one of the best run schools I have ever been associated with. When we had safety drills, we also had triage drills. Thankfully, we never had a real incident but I was very glad that I wasn't the one having to make the decisions on who was most in need of treatment. But it got me thinking about prayer and how I really do perform prayer triage.

I've had several urgent prayer requests brought to my attention over the weekend. The first was from a friend who has a son serving in Afghanistan. Her son had just lost a buddy and had another buddy whose leg had been blown off by an IED. This is a serious request, not only for the young man who has lost his leg, the family who has lost a beloved son, but also for my friend's son who is now dealing with the horror of this situation. Now it is time to focus on praying for these men and their families fervently, perhaps laying aside for a short time those less pressing prayer requests.

The second urgent request was for the terrorist bombings in Uganda. At least 50 people were killed in three synchronized bombings. A young American man working with the organization Invisible Children was among the victims. An IJM intern in Uganda sent out the request via her blog. To read more about it check out this New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/world/africa/12uganda.html?_r=4&ref=global-home

There are only so many hours in a day and in this life there may be times when we have to perform prayer triage. Since we cannot physically pray for every prayer request every day for everyone, we must sometimes make difficult choices as to which prayer requests are most important today. It doesn't mean that we do not return to praying for those other issues on another day, but it does mean that today we may have to focus on something more urgent. The point being that whatever we are doing, we can more than likely be praying and we should allow the Holy Spirit to direct us in our decisions on who most urgently needs prayer today.

Triage according to Merriam-Webster is the sorting of and allocation of treatment to patients and especially battle and disaster victims according to a system of priorities designed to maximize the number of survivors, the sorting of patients (as in an emergency room) according to the urgency of their need for care. It is also the assigning of priority order to projects on the basis of where funds and other resources can be best used, are most needed, or are most likely to achieve success. Prayer triage would then be the prioritizing of prayers for today, the sorting of requests according to the urgency of their need for care. Just be sure that you are using God's system of priorities and not your own. And most of all make sure that you are praying without ceasing as it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:15-22 (ESV), "See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil."

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." James 5:16 (NASB)

"Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day." 1 Kings 8:28 (NIV)

"When disasters strike, famine or catastrophe, crop failure or disease, locust or beetle, or when an enemy attacks their defenses—calamity of any sort—any prayer that's prayed from anyone at all among your people Israel, hearts penetrated by the disaster, hands and arms thrown out to this Temple for help, Listen from your home in heaven. Forgive and go to work on us. Give what each deserves, for you know each life from the inside (you're the only one with such "inside knowledge"!) so that they'll live before you in lifelong reverent and believing obedience on this land you gave our ancestors." 1 Kings 8:37 (The Message)

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Colossians 2:4 (NIV)

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." Ephesians 5:15-17 (ESV)

Dear Lord, Please make us faithful prayer warriors who put into effect Your priorities for prayer. Give us wisdom and understanding concerning what You would have us pray for today. And give us a heart for prayer and a heart that prays without ceasing making use of our time for the days are evil...