Moving away...

We only lived about an hour and a half away from dad. But when he would wind up in the hospital it was rough trying coordinate the kids to go see him. At one point my brother and I spent some time deciding who he should live near, so we could better manage his care...and than we tried to discuss it with him. LOL!
Dad was an independent soul. He had no desire to be "looked after" by his children.
I have friends who have moved across the country to be close to thier parents to help them out as they aged and others who have moved thier folks in with them. Moving to The Bronx was not an option for my brother or I as we both have families settled in communities we love.
So what do we do with parents that are far away? We can support them financially if the Lord calls us to, send notes or cards, arrange for meals. Those are all nice things, but what can we do in a physical sense to serve from a distance?
We can pray.
"I'll keep you in my prayers" has become such a catch phrase that it is often used to the point of abuse. Do we really pray when we say will? How often and with how much fervency? What does God's word tell us about prayer?
Lets take a look:

Exodus 9:29Moses replied, "When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the LORD. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the LORD's.
1 Chronicles 5:20They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.
2 Chronicles 6:19Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence.
Ephesians 6:18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
James 5:15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

We all know that there are plenty more scriptures on prayer! Think about it: We are invited to ask our Heavenly Father, the Creator of the universe to help! There is so much more to write on this , but for now, pray about your active role in prayer. You are doing something. Many would argue, the most important thing: praying.

How about you?
Are you feeling helpless, like there is nothing you can do? Are you willing to tell your Abba just that? Can you get some time alone to be with Him? Will You ask Him how to serve even from a distance?

Lets pray:
Father in the name of Jesus, thank you for the privilege of prayer. You invite to approach Your throne of grace with fear and trembling. Lord I ask that we approach You about our parents and how best to serve them in this season. I ask that You would make us bold as we seek Your hand in any situation we face. We know in our heads that prayer is essential, I ask that You would reveal it in our hearts as well.
Amen.