Praying beyond the surface

Several of my friends and co-workers just ran the Twin Cities Marathon (big congratulations go out to Mayme, Benj, Erica, Mara, Judy, Hannah, Katie, and Tim!). I admire these folks for their commitment to the marathon training process -- more than four months of long, hard running. I tried to remember to pray for them frequently during their training, especially on the long run days. I prayed especially hard on the morning of their marathon. I prayed for knees and ankles and muscles. I prayed for mental stamina. I prayed for joyful spirits and moments of inspiration. But I failed to pray for that which is most important -- the heart. If the heart fails, as it unfortunately did for one man on the race course, the strongest legs and sharpest mind can not keep running.

It is so easy to pray for things on the surface; the external, the obvious. When my cousin was in Iraq with the Marines, it was quick and simple to pray for his safety, and I did that often. While I was sharing that prayer request one day in the middle of his tenure, a wise friend pointed out that I ought to be going deeper in my prayers for my cousin. Don't just pray for safety; rather, pray that God's will would be done, and ask God to be working in his heart and mind. I had been failing to pray for that which is most important -- his heart, and God's work in it. Physical safety is worth nothing if the heart does not rest safely in God's hands.

So, as you and those you love are running the race, what are you praying for?