The Hugging Prayer

Do you have a really good friend you just love being around? Maybe you've been blessed with many such friends. I have a few. Each time we part company we always give each other a hug. But until today I never recognized those hugs for what they really are - prayer.

There are several kinds of hugs I guess. The appreciative hug of a child, a hug of sympathy for someone going through a struggle or loss, the hopeful hug of a teen on his first date.

I saw a Facebook post from a friend the other day that said a hug is actually a prayer. After considering that for a moment I decided it was true.

If you have family members or friends that you hug, isn't it really a silent, unspoken prayer? And doesn't the Holy Spirit interpret our prayers to make the pleasing and acceptable to God?

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." - Romans 8:26

Try this. Speak a short prayer the next time you hug someone.

"I thank God for you!"

"I love you, my brother."

"Thank you God for the gift of my friend."

Trust me. Your friend won't mind.

We should always thank God for our blessings. Why shouldn't we give thanks while hugging one of those blessings?

One of the most precious prayers we can pray is praying for someone we love while holding them in our arms or while holding their hands. Thoughtful, compassionate, prayerful touch is an extremely powerful and emotional prayer.

Is that how we pray? Do we pray with that kind of closeness and emotion? We should.

Draw Me Close To You - Michael W. Smith