Anybody out there familiar with The Wailing Wall? I wasn't, until this week when a friend offered to take any prayer requests to this wall with her as she is going to Jerusalem in a few days.
If you are not familiar, and have to Wikipedia it like I did yesterday, then let me give you the jist of it. The wailing wall is a remnant of the ancient wall that surrounded the Temple Mount. It is said that whispering your prayers to the wall will get your prayers to God's ear faster since it is the holiest of holy places and the gate of heaven is near. Apparently, people also leave prayer notes in the cracks of the wall.
Here's the thing. I'm not sure I really buy into it. I'm no biblical / religious / theological intellect, but I believe in God. And from what I've heard, I don't think He's going to push someone's prayer request to the bottom of His to-do list because they traveled all the way to this wall while someone else just had to jot down her prayer on a bathroom wall of the discount mart.
BUT here's the other thing...I'm gonna send one anyway. From what I've read about prayer, you're supposed to do it earnestly and without ceasing. We're also supposed to carry one another's burdens and pray for one another like they are our own children. It is in this spirit that I am going to send a prayer for someone else halfway around the globe. It's a prayer I have been asking for years, that I am going to trust someone else to carry to God's ear. Not because I think that this particular wall is any closer than what's in my very heart; but as an act of never ceasing to bring to God the burdens of those I love.
If the answer to my prayer is to keep on praying....then maybe I will just get out my sharpie and head over the The Boutique or the other discount mart and start my own little wailing wall...
or maybe I'll just blog about it. ;)
It's probably safe to say that most people who pray at the Wailing Wall don't necessarily believe that their prayers will be answered any quicker. However, the experience of placing a prayer in the crack of the wall is still very powerful precisely because it connects folks to a custom that is hundreds, if not thousands of years old. Like all forms of prayer, there is a ritual and a tradition involved that heightens the feeling of connection to a higher source, and this is the great value of placing your prayers in the Wall. For the record, I operate a website called Ask The Almighty that allows people to send prayers directly to the wall, at any time, right from the comfort of home. I also keep a blog that discusses the Wall in more depth at blog.askthealmighty.com and I encourage you to come learn more and join the conversation on our site!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the insight Ron. I will check that out.
ReplyDeleteNikki
Nikki, I'm glad I ran into to your post. For quite a few years now, we have been praying for Denise as she battled cancer. Last night, the battle ended. I have to say that even I though I believed with her that the battle would be won. I guess I never thought that her passing would still be considered a victory. God's will called her home. She did not go defeated but surrendered all her energy to a better team. Please keep her family in your prayers as they adjust to her loss. Thanks. Sonja
ReplyDeleteSonja, We were heartbroken when we heard about Denise. We continue to pray for her family that they feel the comfort of God. Send our love to the whole culinary team for us. Nikki
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