Being Triggered

Many people today speak of being "triggered," which is usually a negative reaction to something that has occurred. I have moments of being "triggered" as well, but they are much different. 

I usually easily go to the Lord with thoughts of my own needs or those of my family, but I often need reminders to pray for the needs of others.

I was thinking of that today when I was cleaning the sink.  It reminded me to pray for a friend of mine who recently underwent a cardiac procedure.  You may wonder why my sink made me think to pray for her.  First of all, I am sure the Lord used the cleaning of my sink to prompt me to pray for my friend because one day, she and I had a conversation about cleaning the kitchen sink.  Not an earth-shaking topic nor an earth-shaking conversation, but the Lord used it to bring my thinking to her so I would pray for her.

I am a firm believer in what I call "prayer triggers." For example, the sound of a siren reminds me to pray for first responders. Seeing a school bus reminds me to pray for our friend who drove a school bus for several years. (I imagine she needed those prayers!) I have many such triggers, where everyday things remind me to pray for someone else. Now, I have a "kitchen sink" prayer trigger.

The wonderful thing about prayer is that we can do it anytime, anywhere, in any position.  Our prayers are not required to be long and flowery.  A simple lifting up of that person's name is sufficient; God knows the details.  However, if we do desire to pray about specifics, that is perfectly good as well.

If we had just a glimpse of how precious our prayers are to the Lord, we would find prayer to be one of the most delightful events of our day. Our prayers to the Lord are so precious to Him that we find this verse in the Old Testament: 

"...let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice..." 

Song of Solomon 2:14.

If My Voice
If my voice is sweet to you, Lord,
As Your Word declares,
And if somehow you find delight in my prayers.
And if Your face You call me to seek, Lord,
Your face I will seek…
And my voice You will hear…