This article will be a little different. I normally write about an idea or an issue that has come up in my daily life like growing tomatoes or peppers and such or even missing loved ones. Todays article is about prayer. Seems like the older I get, sleeping the night through without getting up happens less and less. It used to be I could sleep through the night and not get up. That doesn't happen hardly at all anymore. Some nights I can make it through just getting up once. Most of the time it's a couple times a night. And most of the time it's a necessity trip. But there are times when I kind of need to get up and stretch and work out some kinks. A few times, I get up and have a cup of coffee and then go back to bed. Coffee on these mornings doesn't seem to bother me at all.

Usually when I wake up I get the business done, put a couple pieces of wood in the wood stove, work on the computer for a few minutes, and then it's back to bed. By the time I go back to bed I'm chilly because our house is usually down around 60 degrees at night. So I need to warm up in bed before I can sleep. Usually when I'm lying in bed, I pray for some of my friends.

Back when we moved to Scott City, my prayer list was a group of old men who I really liked. They were old. Bill was probably 75 or so. Willie was pushing 75, I'm pretty sure. Henry was, I'll bet, close to 80. Another Bill with one leg was pushing 80 or 85. Jack was mid 60s to 70. At that time, I'd spend time several times a day praying for them. Most of them never had a clue I was praying for them. I never told them I was.

I think all of them have passed away and went on to better things. So as I was lying in bed the other day praying for my friends, I realized the old men on my prayer list were friends of mine. And as I thought about it, they were my age. Now I was praying for guys my age. No disrespect for the ladies who I also pray for, but I spend more time praying for guys I know.

I usually pray that they are kept safe and healthy, which is a real challenge. Many of my friends are sick and in poor health. Some are sick from things like diabetes and heart disease and some from cancer. Diabetes is a real bummer. With meds and a lot of effort, one can kind of slow down its effects, but there will still be problems from being diabetic.

Cancer is a real bummer. It kind of sneaks up on a person and, wham, one is sick. Sometimes the doctors can slow it down, and once in a while they can eradicate it. Many times the doctors seem to be able to give us a few more disease-free years. Great strides have been made when it comes to heart problems with some amazing things being done surgically. So I pray for my friends that God will give them strength and peace as they face physical problems.

Also have a prayer list of family and acquaintances I pray for as they come to mind. I don't have a real list I've written down on paper. It is a mental list. Some I ask for protection. When we are young and dumb, we really need help staying safe, so I pray for physical protection. The older we get I pray that God will be there with them as they go about their daily activities. Marge and I feed our steers every morning. All of them but one are gentle and wouldn't hurt a flea intentionally, but as big as they are, one can get hurt accidentally. So I pray for their safety.

Many today have had things happen to them in their lives that have left them mentally damaged which is still impacting their ability to have a healthy life. So I pray that God will come into their lives and bring health mentally. Many of our soldiers have problems from being in the service. Some have been impacted by crime which has left them damaged. The list goes on and on.

There are some really neat things about prayer. One neat thing is that prayer has no physical boundary. I have a couple friends from China, so their loved ones and friends have been on my prayer list as to protection and strength. Another neat thing about prayer is one can pray for another, and they might never ever know you are praying for them. Several places in the Bible it talks about doing acts of kindness, but doing them in secret. Doing them in such a way that only you know what you did. Most of the time these secret acts are thought of as monetary gifts, but prayer I believe is the greatest gift one can bestow on another.

There are times when we need to tell others we are praying for them. Maybe they need a bit of encouragement or just a smiling friendly face. Marge and I've had individuals come to us and tell us they are praying for us. It was an encouragement to us. It almost seemed like they were helping us carry the problems and burdens we had been facing.

Those who are true prayer warriors normally don't stand out in a crowd. They might be the frail little widow lady who is your neighbor. It might be your neighbor who did all his praying at the altar or on a lawn mower. They might be well-to-do or as poor as a church mouse. They simply have the ability to reach out and touch heaven for you and me. Men and women of prayer are formed through prayer.

Pray for me and mine.