How to Pray for Others

We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

─ Colossians 1:9b-10 NLT

Prayer requests flood in from all over – you hear them called in over Christian radio, posted on social media pages, and if you are known as someone who prays, you may even receive them by text. Sometimes we struggle to know how to pray for others.

Paul had never met the Colossian Christians, but he prayed faithfully for them. His letters (and prayers) are a great example for us to follow in learning to pray for others (Colossians 1).  He asked God to reveal His will to them, for God to give them wisdom, for their hearts to desire to honor God, for them to bear fruit, to grow in understanding of God and His ways, to be filled with God’s strength, to have patience and endurance, to be filled with joy and to always have a thankful heart.

As followers of Christ, we all have these same needs. When you don’t know how to pray for someone, follow Paul’s example:

• Give thanks for their faith and changed lives (Colossians 1:3).
• Ask God to reveal knowledge and clear direction of what He wants them to do (Colossians 1:9).
• Ask God to open their eyes to spiritual understanding (Colossians 1:9).
• Pray for the Holy Spirit to help them live for Christ (Colossians 1:10).
• Pray that they are filled with patience and endurance (Colossians 1:11).
• Ask God to pour out His joy, strength and thankfulness (Colossians 1:11,12).

When you pray for others like this, you become a support to them in their journey of faith.

Today’s One Thing

Ask the Lord today whom He would have you pray for. Take ten minutes and pray through each bullet point above for them. If you know them, encourage them with a text or call, letting them know you prayed for them.

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