The Price of A Prayer

How much would you pay for a prayer? Not how much would you pray to know that your prayer would be answered, but what is someone else's outpouring to God worth to you? What is the cost of knowing the inner despair of another's soul?

Soon we'll know the answer to that question. Yahoo News recently reported that a man found a bunch of prayer letters washed up on the beach. Addressed to a now-deceased pastor, the prayers ranged from humorous requests to win the lottery to serious requests for assistance. Most of them were never opened until they appeared on the sand.

In a society where it seems like even people's souls have a price tag, the man is auctioning the letters on E-bay. It's just another example of the sacred becoming secular, of profaning for profit. Even the unspoken prayers of a soul in anguish are no longer protected. They're just another means of exposure and intrigue.

Imagine if you were one of those people whose letters were being sold; if a stranger could now read about the abuse you suffered or the grief you experienced. What would you do if your prayers were put on public display so that another could make a buck?

Thankfully, while there may be some embarrassment and unresolved issues, the people who wrote the letters have little need of real worry. Although the letters remained unopened, their Father in heaven heard their prayers long ago. And He's already paid the greatest price.