The offering of thoughts and prayers has become so cliche that it just rolls off the tongue or typed nonchalantly these days without us actually taking the time to approach God's Throne Of Grace. It is also possible that the circumstances that caused us to use those words may very well not be given a second thought because this is just "something people say."
If your social news feed is anything like mine, on any given day it will be filled with friends asking for prayers. This has been the case for a while now but has ramped up since the pandemic. We use praying emojis and type "praying" but did we really stop and actually say a prayer? Thinking about praying and not doing it won't accomplish anything. Copying and pasting someone else's prayer is not praying either. We can be in agreement with that prayer but that's as far as that goes. The person asking for prayers needs us to actually talk to God on their behalf. Some may be so burdened that they feel they can't do it themselves.
I think about how we always ask someone how they are doing as a greeting, which has also become something people say in passing. Are we genuinely concerned about how someone is doing? What if they were to really tell us exactly how they are doing because they may be going through a rough time. Are we prepared to listen attentively. Though we all have issues and go through rough patches at different times, this doesn't mean we shouldn't be sensitive to what others may be going through. Your perspective will change once you realize your problem at the time is nothing compared to that of the person you decide to take the time to listen to.
Let's get back to a time when thoughts and prayers meant we actually take the time to pray for someone and follow through by reaching out to demonstrate that we were thinking about them during their time of difficulty. Note to myself as well.
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