Blessed to Pray with Others:

I have recently been asked to have another role at church.  I was asked about a month or so ago to be a prayer partner.  A prayer partner stands up front at the end of the church service and is there to offer prayer to other congregants in church.  At first, I was very apprehensive.  I didn’t know how I would feel about this extra responsibility.  I  was already helping with Treehouse or the children’s ministry on a pretty much weekly basis.  I do know the church is always looking for volunteers though, especially with our growing congregation, and I wanted to be helpful.  Plus, it was not very long of a time commitment.  

However, I have been very blessed to pray with others.  It has actually been a great opportunity to meet more people who are in the congregation, specifically in the 11:00 hour time when I go to church.  I also have loved getting to learn more about the needs in our church, from the individuals who have come to me.  We are all experiencing different things from one another and this has helped me be there for them like the Body of Christ should.

 For one example, I was blessed to pray with a woman who was starting an outreach program in her neighborhood.  She would be giving out some small gifts, often ones including scripture and would spend time getting to know all of them.  Some of her neighbors are actually a home of those who are recovering from a drug addiction.  This was really empowering.  She was very excited and very joyful for this outreach to her neighbors.  And I was blessed. Another woman was getting ready for her mission trip in Brazil for her college to learn about nursing and doctoring there.  This is an amazing life and mission opportunity, and I do hope it goes well and teaches her many great things.  

Other times I have prayed with others, it has not been as joyful, but rather a bit more tear-filled.  However, I have still been blessed with the chance to pray over these individuals.  This includes a man who was praying for someone who used to work for him who recently had a fire at his house, from a woman who is trying to make more decisions about her health and whether or not she should continue her medications as is or should she decide to step away from them.  Another was praying over the students and the school a young woman goes to where the majority of her class have all fallen very ill with the Norovirus.  All these prayer requests are very selfless or are trying to find their way closer to God.  They are really thinking about others and are thinking about how they can be a better follower of Christ.  

I realized through this experience that it is really truly a blessing to spend time praying with others.  It is also something God has commanded each and every one of us to do.  This is said in James 5:16 which says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”  There is also Matthew 5:44 which tells us to specifically pray for our enemies and those who persecute us, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Jesus would also model praying for others through his actions.  He would show how to best pray for one another because he was often praying to God for his disciples. For one example, he taught the disciples how to pray with the Lord’s Prayer.  This Lord’s Prayer included praying for your enemies and that they will find forgiveness.  However, there was also praying in the land of Gethsemane.  Some may say he was mostly praying for himself, but he also knew he had a big role to play in saving everyone’s life.  He brought his disciples with him to teach them how to best pray with others when they are distressed and are in need of prayer.  He brought some disciples with him because he wanted them to pray over others.   

Jesus also prayed for his enemies when he was dying on the cross. While Jesus was hanging from the cross and was dying and in a lot of pain, he ended up crying out, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”  He asked for forgiveness for those who were persecuting and killing him.  He wanted them to be forgiven because he knew they were so blinded by their own sin.  

My challenge for you this week is to spend time in prayer for others.  Ideally, this challenge wants to focus on praying for others with them.  However, if that is not something that is available for you this week, then it is good to at least spend time in prayer for others on your own time.  This could even include texting some friends and asking what they would like to have prayers over. It really truly is a blessing to pray for others.