I've mentioned before that I belong to a Christian chat network. We often receive prayer requests there. Many of them cater to what might be termed, "mundane," such as, "Please pray that the air conditioner in my car gets repaired." But is that really a mundane request? What if the request is coming from a single mother in Texas, who has a long commute each day with an infant, or small child in the back seat of her car in sweltering heat? Not so mundane then is it?

We also receive requests which are staggering by their sheer emotional content. I won't go into this in detail, but I will say that there are Christians all over the world who need our prayers. Christians who live in countries where their beliefs are oppressed and for which they are even persecuted unto death by others while their government appears indifferent.

A young missionary from my own congregation had to run to the American Embassy to seek refuge from mob violence in a country she was called to just over a year ago. I suggest we make an effort to pray for the body the world over for strength and perseverance, and for those in the service of Christ in every mission field, the mission field across the neighbor's fence and the one across the globe as well.

The Father knows everything, and though He allows people to endure torment and great trials, He is there with them and He has called us to support each other in prayer. Let's not be an indifferent family. Let's not forget any of our family members.