Question: Do we know what we’re agreeing to when we say, “I’ll be praying for you?”
I will confess that this well-intentioned statement often remains just that—‘well-intentioned.’ That is, I have been guilty of not always following through with my promise of praying like I had intended. However, as my faith has deepened over the years, I’ve been convicted that my promise of prayers needs to be more than simply a good sentiment.
Prayer for one another is critical to our being the Church. James tells us to, “pray for one another, so that (we) may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective (James 5:25).”
Consider these good practices, then, of praying for one another:
1.) Don’t say that you will pray for someone if you’re not going to pray for them.
Quite simply, if you commit to praying for someone then pray for them. The prayer can be spoken aloud, journaled about, voiced internally, or even texted! Regardless of the way in which the prayer is prayed, pray!
2.) Repeat back the prayer that someone is requesting.
In doing so, the person will feel heard and you will remember the prayer concern more effectively. Here’s an example of what this could look like:
Suzy: “Pastor, please pray for my mother who broke her hip. She has surgery coming up and the doctors are worried that there may be complications from the procedure.”
Pastor: “Wow, Suzy. I’m sorry to hear about your mom. I pray that she will not be in pain as she prepares for her surgery. I pray that the doctors and nurses will feel confident in their abilities, and that there will not be any complications. I pray that her recovery will be swift and quick.”
3.) Identify a discipline of praying for others at the same time each day.
Consider praying for others as a family. Begin your mornings with prayer for others. Keep the church’s weekly prayer sheet on your kitchen table. Schedule time for daily intercessory prayer on your phone. Make it a habit of praying for others as you brush your teeth, or walk your dog, or fold clothes.
4.) Ultimately, our prayers are a chance for God to change us.
C.S. Lewis famously confessed: “I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God. It changes me.”
5.) As such, our prayers should generate empathy, and concern for others.
Prayer enables us to see through the eyes of those who may be hurting. Prayer makes it possible for us to see beyond ourselves. Prayer brings awareness and enables us to sit with the world differently.
6.) Our prayers should move us to action.
Prayer should bear fruit in us. When we pray for those who are hurting, our prayers should come alive in expressions of concern through communication, check-ins, and visits. When we pray for family and friends, it changes the culture of our relationship and helps us to make better decisions. When we pray for our community, our region, and our world, it challenges us to turn our prayers into deeds, our hopes into actions.
7.) Consider the powerful prayer of petition from the centurion.
In Matthew 8:15, a centurion is bold enough to share his concern with someone far more powerful than himself. He literally brings his loved one’s reality to the attention of Jesus. He said: “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.” What better way for us to pray for those around us than to bring their concerns to Christ?
Our church knows well the power of prayer. With this foundation of faith as our legacy, let us choose to actively pray for one another and the work to which God has called us.
