I'll Pray for You

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:18   

Have you ever seen someone who you knew was having a hard time or maybe they told you they were and you said to them “I’ll pray for you” and walked away shortly after? Me too. What causes us to not stop and pray for that person right where we are at? Is it because of fear?  The fear of sounding less than eloquent in our prayers, the fear of startling the person whom we want to pray with, the fear of others seeing us and thinking “What are they doing?”  I’ve been there myself, but I want to challenge you today that the next time you see a person that you know needs prayers, stop what you are doing and pray for them right there in that moment. Take your requests to the Father with them right there beside you. “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them,” Matthew 8:20. You will bless the person who is struggling, and you will be blessed yourself. Most importantly you will bless the Father.  

I often ask myself “What would Jesus do if he was in this situation?” If he was out walking one day and he saw someone that needed a touch from the Father in that moment? The only way to know what Jesus would do is by looking in his Word and studying his character. One of the greatest examples of Jesus praying with his disciples is in John 17, just moments before he was to be crucified. He knew death was on his doorstep but still he stopped to pray for those around him, those he cared for.  In that prayer, Jesus says, “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” Are we loving others with the love that Jesus made known to us? Are we putting our circumstances aside the way that Jesus did and caring for God’s people?  That’s what Jesus was doing and that’s what I want to do too.