How to Pray for Others
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.
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Paul had never met the Colossian Christians, but he prayed faithfully for them. “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).
His letters (and prayers) are a great example for us to follow in learning to pray for others. In the Scripture above, Paul asked God to:
- Reveal His will to them.
- Give them wisdom.
- Open their hearts to desire to honor God.
- Allow them to bear fruit.
- Help them grow in understanding of God and His ways.
- Fill them with His strength.
- Grant them patience and endurance.
- Pour out His joy to them.
- Encourage them 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.
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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