“Can you pray for me?”
How many times a week…maybe even a day…do you hear that?
It doesn’t just happen with your immediate circle of family & friends. One peek on social media and you often encounter a whole other set of requests.
And I love that.
I love that people reach out to people for prayer because they recognize the power of it. I’ve experienced it firsthand like many of you have.
So, in light of that, can I ask you to pray for me?
Please pray for me because….my prayer list is overwhelming.
Yes. Overwhelming.
This week alone, several friends and family have battled a stomach bug. Add troubled marriages, a new cancer diagnosis for a young mom, an on-going health issue for another family member; from allergies to accidents, the list goes on.
There are so many needs. Needs that need prayer.
And you know what the worst feeling in the world is…when someone says “Thank you for praying” and you know you didn’t because you were praying for someone else’s something and forgot about this person’s situation.
When someone asks me to pray, I’m so thankful that they trust me to intercede on their behalf so I take that request very seriously. As I am sure you do too.
What can we do to help us help other people through prayer?
- Pray for them right away. When someone asks for prayer, offer to pray with them right then and there. If that isn’t feasible for some reason, then just take a moment and pray for them on your own.
- Pray for them when you think of them. Your intercessory prayer doesn’t have to always be on your knees in your prayer closet. When that person comes to mind, don’t let it just be a thought – turn it into a prayer. That could be God prompting you in that moment. True story – and maybe TMI…I was in the bathroom at work and my husband came to my mind. Of course, he’s my husband so I think about him often but this time, I sensed that I needed to pray for him. So I did. Right there next to the hand soap, sink and air freshener. Interestingly, when I talked to him later that day, he told me about a situation he was dealing with around that time. It may not have been the ideal location but my prayer was still heard.
- Use technology. Create a Google document so you can have your list with you at all times (at least when you have your phone). Oh and there really is an app for prayer requests – ECHO is one that I am familiar with but there are likely more.
Another way to use technology is to email or text a prayer to that person. When our family was going through something last year, it meant so much to me when people actually took the time to send me a prayer…then I was able to come into agreement with them! - Don’t use technology. Go old school with a pen and paper or keep a list in your journal. You could even try something that my husband and I just recently started (and I love it):
I bought a dry erase board from the dollar store and set it up next to my bathroom sink. (At this point, you are probably thinking I’ve used the word “bathroom” a little too much in this post – I apologize.) When the prayer requests come in, we write them down there. The great thing about this is when I am brushing my teeth or just getting ready, the list is right in front of me…so I remember to pray. - Finally and probably most importantly…this might be more for me than anyone else: Don’t let the need or the list overwhelm you. We weren’t meant to be weighed down by it. We are just instructed to take it to the One who can do something about it.
“What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”
Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
~Anu
Featured image – “Pray” – from jenniferdukeslee.com
