For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
There is a battle raging all around us. We all feel it. For some of us, it wakes us up in the middle of the night. For others of us, it invades our thoughts the moment we open our eyes in the morning. The future, once something to look forward to, has been met lately with anxiety and uncertainty rather than excitement. What is the world going to look like in a few years? What kind of world are my children growing up in? Loneliness seems to cloak us like a prickly blanket, bringing neither warmth nor comfort. Many of us have found ourselves struggling with relationships, especially in this time of hypersensitivity and offense. Everyone seems to be on opposite sides no matter the topic. Amid all the turmoil, Satan is having a heyday destroying relationship after relationship, family after family. I believe he aims to convince us to hate each other, view the church as useless, and get fear to rule our hearts and minds instead of Christ.
So how do we fight back? By praying for each other!
Whether we see it or not, we are all in a battle. Each of us needs as much prayer as we can get. One of the best ways we can intentionally love our friends and family is by praying for them. We all need it.
These last few years have been hard. So many of us have been hit with multiple tough issues, all at the same time. Living through a global pandemic, job loss, social and political turmoil, not to mention just the “normal” issues we all face daily, it can be hard to navigate. Even the wisest of the wise need prayers for wisdom and discernment. Make no mistake, we are all feeling the pressure.
Today, I want to encourage you to intentionally pray for your friends and family members. When we choose to slow down and pray for others, that’s where the “rubber meets the road” so to speak. That’s where our love for each other gets put into action. Instead of casually saying “I’ll pray for you” when a friend or loved one shares a prayer request, stop and purposefully pray right there in that moment. I know at first it can seem a little weird or embarrassing, but I promise it will bless the person you are praying over!
5 Ways to Encourage and Pray for Others:
- 1. Stop and pray on the spot, in person.
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13)
- Send a text.
“And I pray this, that your love may abound even more and more in knowledge and every kind of insight so that you can decide what is best, and thus be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9–11).
- Send a video message.
“Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace, and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God). With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and petitions for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:10-–18).
- Write a note or card
“I thank my God every time I remember you. I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:3–6).
- Create an alarm on your phone and pray each day at the same time for this person.
“Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another. Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer” (Romans 12:9–12).
Thank you in advance for intentionally loving and praying over your friends and family! Arm in arm and covered in each others’ prayers, we can advance God’s kingdom with His help and one another’s support…one prayer at a time.
Love God Greatly!
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Let’s start the New Year right by focusing on prayer! As we set new goals and routines, let’s commit to filling our time with prayer first! The Importance of Prayer will walk through how we pray with boldness and confidence and how we grow in our faith as we connect with God through prayer. We would love for you to join us!
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