Yesterday, I was in a car after lunch in Evansville and we pulled up behind an SUV at a stop light. I was casually speaking with a friend who happened to be driving and as our vehicle came to a stop, I looked up and saw a large decal on the rear window of the SUV. It simply said, “Pray for Evalynn”. There was a silhouette of a young girl and I thought that I could make out the outline of a baby carriage but I’m not sure. Whatever the situation, it’s not important that you and I know – because God already knows. And there was no “please” or “thank you” next to the request for prayer. Just what we call in the trade an imperative… a command, if you will.
It was kind of like when you tell your children, “Sit down” or “Be quiet” or “Chew with your mouth closed.” It’s not that you don’t love your kids when you give them a command, but your comment is emphatic – you are passionate about what you are saying. In fact, there are many examples of imperatives in the Bible. Perhaps one of the most common is when you read the word “Behold”. You never see “please behold” or “thank you for beholding” – it’s clearly just “Behold.” It’s a way of drawing the reader or the audience to the importance of the situation.
So what does all this have to do with “Pray for Evalynn?” Well, for starters, the magnitude of Evalynn’s issue, whatever it is, is critically important to the owner of the car. Next, the owner is clearly a Christian and isn’t shy about petitioning others to pray for this little girl. Third, it seems clear to me that the driver wasn’t trying to be rude, but was just being emphatic, or issuing an imperative, with the wording of the message. And let’s not forget that it wasn’t some tiny decal – it went across most of the back glass.
I wonder how many people actually prayed for Evalynn after reading the sign. I did… But I also thought about how most of us call our family and friends when we are looking for prayer – we really wouldn’t make the request of strangers. However, here was someone bold enough to proclaim her desire on her vehicle. I admired her for what she did; and that earned my respect.
The verse for this evening is from the book of James, the”brother” of Jesus. We are told, in James 5:16, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” By the way, in the Greek, the words “confess” and “pray” are imperatives! Do it! A command from James…
My encouragement this evening is that God is emphatic about you! His desire is that we pray for one another and encourage one another. My prayer is that you might take a moment out of your busy day to attend to the request at the top of this post. Whoever she is, and whatever her unspoken issues are, God is already aware of Evalynn’s need and the community of believers should be honoring one of their own and petitioning the God of the universe on behalf of this young girl. So… “Pray for Evalynn” and I hope that you have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…