Pray For And With Others
OPENING PRAYER:
Dear Father, it is my prayer that you teach me how to pray for others and with others. Give me wisdom and direction through your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Ephesians 1:15-23 (NIV)
REFLECT:
Have you ever sat back and thought, “what do I really believe about prayer”? Two things I understand from Scripture are: 1) we are commanded to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and 2) understanding that it is a sin not to pray (James 4:17). There is certainly a lot more said about prayer in the Bible. The Bible also has many examples where people turn to and depend upon prayer. Jesus surely did. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35 NIV). Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians in our reading today thanks God for them and asks him to give the Ephesian believers “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation” (vs. 17); “enlightened” eyes, “hope” (vs. 18), and “power” (vs. 19). One interesting verse on intercessory prayer (praying for others) is 1 Samuel 12:23 - “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.” Failing to pray for others whom God puts into your care is actually sinful neglectfulness. Understanding the importance that the Word of God puts on prayer, what makes it so hard to be faithful in prayer? For me, it is an unintentional struggle to be faithful in prayer for several reasons. It gets pushed out, distracted from, and missed in my schedule all while I claim to believe in its power (James 5:16). We have an enemy that does not want us to draw power from the Father through prayer. We have a heavenly Father that desires to commune with us in prayer. We must commit ourselves to pray with, and for, those we walk alongside.
APPLY:
If you share this same struggle with consistent prayer, then stop now and ask God to give you a heart to pray. Open your calendar and mark out time for it. Find a good place, time, or companion that will help you to be faithful. For my wife and I, it is time on a walk or a drive when we bring requests before God in a scheduled way. Be scheduled, but also be spontaneous. Pray whenever something pray-worthy comes to mind. Be accountable with a partner to share needs and pray together. Memorize prayers from the Bible that add burden to your heart about prayer. Maybe a prayer journal will work for you. Whatever it takes, practice what you believe about prayer. Prayer shows your measure of concern for others and your trust that God will answer.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Dear Father, teach me to pray consistently and without ceasing. Give me a sense of the burden that you have for the lost and the needs of the day. Be with our leaders in government, work environment, and schools today. I ask all of this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
CONTINUED READING:
John 17; Luke 18:1-8; Ephesians 3:14-21