As I mentioned last week, the post about prayer became so
long that I decided to split it up into two posts. So without further ado…
I want to give you a few ideas for who to pray for and
things that you could pray for them:
- Your spouse and children: you know them better than anyone else, so you can see there areas that they may struggle with. You can also ask them for things to pray about for them.
- Anyone you know who does not know God or has a questionable relationship with Him.
- All of your Facebook friends. This might be a long list for some of you, but each one of these people have touched your life in some way (I would hope). Write down each of their names. If you don’t know what to specifically pray for them about, put them in a category that I like to call “the unknowns.” My prayer for them is basically, “Lord, there are many people that I do not know specifically what they need prayer for. If they do not know you, let myself or someone else lead them to you. If they do know you, let their relationship become strengthened in you. Please help them with the things that you know they need. Lord, I pray for: [names of each and every one of them]. Lord, I ask for your mercy on each and every one of these people.”
- Your pastor, leaders, and their family. Look to 1 Timothy 3:1-13 for the qualifications for elders. These are the higher standard they are held to. Pray that they keep to those standards in face of opposition.
- Our
country and leadership. Can God
make the
Also, keep in mind these guidelines when praying:
- Do NOT equate prayer with meditation or “breath prayer.” We are to pray with our spirit, but also with our MIND! You cannot do that empty the mind praying. It is dangerous; something will speak to you but you can rest assured it will not be God. “What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also,” (1 Corinthians 14:15a). Also, look to how Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer. Doesn’t sound like mindless prayer either.
- Put it in your own words. Repeating some flowery words will not matter if it doesn’t mean anything to you. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them,” (Matthew 6:7-8a).
- Corporately said prayers are not necessarily a bad thing. Look at the Lord’s Prayer. Could you pray that prayer meaning every word with your heart? If yes, then great! If not, then don’t! (Again, Matthew 6:7-8a).
- Don’t know how to pray or even what you should pray for in a certain situation? Just try to pray as best you can. “For your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words,” (Romans 8:26).
- Be persistent in your prayers. “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart,” (Luke 18:1).
- You have to pray for others, even your enemies. If you only pray for those you agree with or like, then you are missing a big part of what you should be praying about. “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5:44).
- Holding on to wrongs done to you by others will only stunt your prayers and your walk with God. “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses,” (Matthew 6:14-15).
Obviously, these are not all of the ideas or guidelines you should follow when praying, but I tried to list the most helpful or important. If you have any, let me know in the comments!
through His grace alone!
Sarah
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