I am so grateful for friends who pray for me…
...the ones who pray without even knowing what they are praying for but who know when I send a text saying "please pray" they need to pray. The Lord knows and that's all that matters.
...the ones who pray for Doc and I each and every day because they know the demands of being pastors.
…the ones who are prompted by the Lord to pray for me and do. Not only do they pray but they let me know they are praying. It is so encouraging to know the Lord knows my needs.
I am so grateful when the Lord puts someone on my heart and I take the time to pray for them. I know He is blessing them through me. I also know He is blessing me with having the opportunity to pray for them. Galatians 6:2 tells us to Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. I want to fulfill the law of Christ. I want to give Him the desires of His heart. Therefore, when the Holy Spirit prompts me to pray for someone I do.
In reading further in Galatians 6, verse five reminds me I do need to carry my own load. That means I can't expect others to do all the praying for me but need to pray for myself. I think sometimes it's easier to pray for others. But when we pray for ourselves we have to be willing to listen to what He wants of us and then follow through with doing it. II Corinthians 1:8-11 tells of the pressures that can only be handled through the prayers of others.
8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
Every believer has a responsibility to pray not only for themselves but also for others. If we don't, then what does that say about our relationship with God? Does it show that we don't really believe in Him? Does it show that we don't trust Him? Prayer is a crucial part in our spiritual lives. Prayer is the key to our spiritual growth. One thing we need to do is move from surface praying to deep-down praying. We need to face battles head-on and pray with faith that the Lord is in control.
Another aspect to our prayers is to be specific when we know details. Sometimes we don't know anything other than to prayer. As we pray for them to see the Lord's will in their situation, the Lord will bless our prayers. We need to go beyond praying for blessings over people and ask the Lord to give them victory in their circumstances. So many times we pray for things to happen the way we think they should. It's easy to pray for so-and-so to find a job yet what if the Lord has a lesson for them first? We need to remember that Daniel wasn't taken out of the lion's den but was kept in it!
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for these reminders about prayer. I thank You for the one who prayed yesterday to the simple text "please pray" when we were going through such a rough time. I thank You for the one who prayed and then sent me a text right before we started the funeral the other day. I thank You for the one who told me her and her husband prayed for us this morning. Father, life is in turmoil and changing right now but I know You will continue to be here for us with Your wisdom, Your strength and Your protection. I thank You for having people who are willing to listen to You to pray for us. Father, give them specifics in their prayers…we don't even know the specifics at times ourselves but You do and that's all that matters. Thank You Lord for being My Lord of All. Amen.
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