Actor Chris Pratt Asks Fans to Pray for Children Battling Cancer
When he's not filming his next action movie, Chris Pratt is volunteering to help sick children and asking others to pray for them in the process.
The 36-year-old "Jurassic World" star took to Instagram right before Christmas to share his experience at the Seattle Childrens Hospital where he volunteered with Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and his R&B superstar girlfriend, Ciara.
"Had the most amazing day @seattlechildrens hospital. Got to meet a ton of great kids and parents," the 36-year-old actor wrote on Instagram. "Also got to spend some time with one of my personal role models @dangerusswilson and his lovely lady Ciara. I am truly living the dream. Say a prayer for all those kids who don't get to be at home for Xmas. #merryxmas #HappyHolidays."
More than just sharing the image of himself volunteering with Ciara and Wilson at the hospital, Washington state native Pratt shared a scripture which reads, "Psalm 37:3–4 "Trust in the LORD, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture. Also delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
As a father of a 3-year-old son named Jack Pratt, whom he shares with wife and actress Anna Faris, the actor knows what it's like to watch his child struggle with health issues. When his son was born nine weeks early, Pratt's faith in God was renewed.
"We were scared for a long time. We prayed a lot," Pratt previously told People magazine. "It restored my faith in God, not that it needed to be restored, but it really defined it.The baby was so beautiful to us, and I look back at the photos of him and it must have been jarring for other people to come in and see him, but to us he was so beautiful and perfect."
Since 2014, Pratt's fame has skyrocketed with leading roles in "Guardians of the Galaxy," and "The Lego Movie." Before the fame, the actor, who has also appeared in "Zero Dark Thirty" and the television comedy "Parks and Recreation," had a Godly encounter when he was living in Hawaii.
Pratt recalled not being old enough to drink liquor, and admitted that he and his friend got somebody to buy alcohol for them before a man stopped to evangelize to them.
"This guy came by and was like, 'What are you doing tonight?' I was like, 'Oh, I dunno. I was just gonna wait out here, my friends are gonna buy me a bottle of Carlo Rossi and a sixer of Milwaukee's Best Ice," Pratt recalled to Esquire magazine. "So he's like, 'Will you fornicate tonight?' I was like, 'I hope so.' 'And drugs and drinking?' It's like, 'Most likely, yeah. Probably all three of those things. I mean, at least two of them, possibly all three.'"
But the man's message put an end to Pratt's juvenile plans.
"He was like, 'I stopped because Jesus told me to stop and talk to you. He said to tell you you're destined for great things,'" Pratt recalled. "My friends came out, and I was like, 'Hey, I'm gonna go with this guy.' I gave my soul to Jesus within two days. I was stuffing envelopes for his organization, Jews for Jesus. I'm not even sure, at that age — I was 19 years old — I knew what Jewish was."
Four weeks later, the actor was discovered which he believes was a part of his destiny.
"I do believe in destiny. I'm lucky," he told Esquire. "But I didn't walk into 7-Eleven, buy a scratch ticket, scratch it off, and star in 'Guardians of the Galaxy.'"