With my first post in about 2 months I just want to come to you with a simple but hard challenge.
In my small town almost everyone knows that I am a minister or at least that I work at a church. Because of this many people come to me with prayer requests. My response has almost always been the same: "I sure will!" The other example is when someone tells me about a hardship in their life my for response is "I will pray for you." I am good about remembering about 90% of the time.
This week it has been on my heart that I don't just need to pray FOR people I need to pray WITH people. Our God is a mighty God and will answer prayers, but how much more relief and comfort can I give to someone when I pray right there on the spot. 1 Thessalonians tells us we should "Pray constantly." Why do we always think we have to wait until it's our "prayer time" to pray for someone?
Over the last week I have had people pray with me. There is something special about someone who has such a strong relationship with Christ that their first response is to pray, not wait but pray immediately. I believe in the power of prayer, and I want others to not only hear me talking about praying for them I want those people to feel the power of prayer.
My challenge is that when someone asks for prayer, or tells you of a situation in their life, take time right then and pray with them.
Thanks for reading, as always comments and suggestions are always welcome. I hope it won't be 2 more months before I post again! :)
Do not be afraid, for God is on your side,
Tyler
This week it has been on my heart that I don't just need to pray FOR people I need to pray WITH people. Our God is a mighty God and will answer prayers, but how much more relief and comfort can I give to someone when I pray right there on the spot. 1 Thessalonians tells us we should "Pray constantly." Why do we always think we have to wait until it's our "prayer time" to pray for someone?
Over the last week I have had people pray with me. There is something special about someone who has such a strong relationship with Christ that their first response is to pray, not wait but pray immediately. I believe in the power of prayer, and I want others to not only hear me talking about praying for them I want those people to feel the power of prayer.
Thanks for reading, as always comments and suggestions are always welcome. I hope it won't be 2 more months before I post again! :)
Do not be afraid, for God is on your side,
Tyler
I think this is a wonderful idea. A few months ago, I read somewhere else that you should either pray with the person making the request - right then and there - or you should at the very least pray for that person right away.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm not good at praying with people in general (I'm one of those shy introvert people... until you stick me behind a keyboard and monitor), I have started praying FOR people right away. I don't wait until my evening prayers. I don't wait for Sunday. I don't wait until I get home. I stop what I am doing as soon as I possibly can (which is usually immediately) and I pray.
Anyway, good post and good challenge. And welcome back to the blogging world.
Tyler! This has been on my heart quite a bit too. Mostly because I'm the person who will forget. Usually I'll remember the person, but not the specifics of the request. Thanks for this reminder to be much more intentional and proactive about praying for others!
ReplyDelete