Monday, January 27, 2014

Praying

From time to time, I like to offer to pray for people.

All the time, I like to pray for others, with others.

I believe in prayer as an important part of my faith, of my relationship with God.

I believe that my purpose is to love others and one of the greatest ways I can love others is to pray for them.

Sometimes, when I ask, I get a few people who have prayer requests.  Sometimes the requests are very serious.

Yesterday, I asked.  I usually just post on Facebook and send out a text to some close friends or family members.

The response was almost overwhelming.

I wrote down all the requests so that I can carry them with me.

More than 40 people responded.  And I had some of my "regulars" on my list, too.

When I say I am going to pray for you, I mean it.

It might mean I stop right then and lift you in prayer.

It might mean I set aside time and sit with my list and pray over your name specifically.

It might mean I pray over the list and then take time to read Scripture as I stay connected in prayer.

Sometimes I take prayer requests to some of my other prayer warriors because more is needed.

I maintain confidences, of course.

You know what else?  Even if you don't believe in God or you just aren't sure about faith... you can still ask me to pray for you and the concerns or the joys that you are facing.

One of the best ministries in our church is our prayer ministry.  One of the things the prayer partners do is a monthly opportunity for people at church to come into a private and quiet setting and sit with a prayer partner so that someone else can raise up their prayer requests with them.

Maybe you've been praying about something for a while now.  And maybe you're struggling to hear, struggling to be still so you can listen, struggling with the answers you think you're getting.  And maybe asking someone else to step in and pray with you, to help you carry the burden, to simply be another voice can make a difference.


Please don't ever be afraid to ask me to pray for you.

And please don't ever be afraid to ask if you can pray for others.


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1 comment:

Karen M. Peterson said...

I love that, Liz. There is so much power that comes from praying for others.

I know there have been times in my life when I've really struggled and I can literally feel that someone is praying for me. It gives so much strength to know that someone would do that.