Praying For Others is a Great and Good Thing

Praying for Others is Something We are Called Upon to Do!

In John 16:6-24, Christ prays for his disciples—that God would protect them from the evil one as they went out into the world to spread the Word— and for those who would hear their message and come to believe that God had sent his son to save the world. Christ prayed for others and so should we.

We are commanded to pray for others:

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven" —Matthew 5:43-45a.

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should" —Colossians 4:2-4.

"I urge, then first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. … I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing" —1 Timothy 2:1-4, 8.

We are also given examples of praying for others by the Apostle Paul::

"Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends his greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured" —Colossians 4:12.

"I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe" —Ephesians 1:16-19a.

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through out all generations, for ever and ever! Amen" —Ephesians 3:14-21

Let Us All Pray for the People of Haiti

WE PRAY FOR HAITI

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As the eyes of the world turn to Haiti, let us join our hearts in prayer:
God of compassion
Please watch over the people of Haiti,
And weave out of these terrible happenings
wonders of goodness and grace.
Surround those who have been affected by tragedy
With a sense of your present love,
And hold them in faith.
Though they are lost in grief,
May they find you and be comforted;
Guide us as a church
To find ways of providing assistance
that heals wounds and provides hope
Help us to remember that when one of your children suffer
We all suffer

Through Jesus Christ who was dead, but lives
and rules this world with you. Amen.

(Adapted from Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church, USA)

More Declaring Prayers

Declaring prayer is taking the spiritual truths of God's Word and prayerfully declaring them into your life.  It is taking spiritual reality and bringing it into this plane with a declaration prayer.  Some call these declaring prayers "faith confessions" or "Godlly or Biblical affirmations."  Whatever you call them. these are power tools for the Christian, scripture quoted as affirmations that when you speak out loud in Jesus' name, you command your body, your finances and even the demons to do what God's Word in the Bible says.

Let the truth of the Word sink deep into your heart, which changes YOU at the deepest level and gives you peace and faith to overcome! As God's ambassador, declare His truth (from His Word) into this world!

These true statements of God's power are based on actual Scripture promises, and because of that we know we are doing God's will when we claim these as reality in our lives. In this way these things are manifested into our world by God's power, which is in His Word, and the Holy Spirit watches over and backs up the Word of God.

Here are some declaring prayers.  Look up the Scripture and meditate upon it as you pray.  End each prayer with "IN JESUS NAME, AMEN!"

Thank You God for your Love! Your word says that you love me so much that You gave Your only Son for me. Therefore, I declare that I believe in Jesus, therefore I will not perish. I have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Thank You Father that Your Word states that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Therefore, I declare I can do all things through the Anointed One and His Anointing which strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)

Thank You God that I am yours through Jesus Christ, therefore, I declare that the Lord delivers me out of all my afflictions. (Psalm 34:19)

Thank You God that I am a child of the Living God and an inheritor of Abraham's promise through Jesus Christ, therefore I declare that I am blessed when I come in and blessed when I go out. (Deut. 28:6)

Thank You God that Jesus bore my sins in His Body on the tree; therefore I am dead to sin and alive unto God and I declare that by His stripes I am healed and made whole (I Peter 2:24; Rom. 6:11; 2 Cor. 5:21)

Thank You Father that Jesus bore my sicknesses and carried my pain. Therefore I give no place to sickness or pain. I declare that God sent His Word and healed me. (Psalm 103:20)

Thank You Father that You have given me abundant life. I declare that I receive that life through Your Word and it flows to every organ of my body bringing healing and health. (John 10:10, John 6:63)

Thank You God that by Jesus stripes I am healed and I declare that the life of I Peter 2:24 is a reality in my flesh, restoring every cell of my body.

Thank you Lord for your provision, and I declare that my God supplies all my needs according to His riches in Glory. (Phil. 4:19)

Pray for the Children

Every child that is born is a miracle. “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward” (Psalm 127:3). This does not, however, mean that our children are free from sin and immune to Satan. Remember that while God has a perfect plan for our children’s lives, Satan has a plan for them too. Satan’s plan is to destroy them.

In order to stop Satan and deter his plan, we must pray for our children, teach them about God and ensure that they ask Jesus Christ into their hearts. This is the only way to save them in this life and eternally. Never underestimate what your belief in Jesus and the power of prayer can do in your children’s lives. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you ." (John 15:7).

The Bible also tells us “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). Remember that Jesus gave us authority over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). This means that through the prayers we say on our, or other’s, children’s behalf, we can save them from the enemy. As a praying parent, grandparent, guardian or Christian, we can make a huge difference in how a child’s life will turn out.

Prayer is an opportunity to talk freely to God. It is your opportunity to tell him all of your fears, concerns and worries that you have for your children. Pray for your children’s present and their future’s. Pray for their protection and their health. Pray that they will become Godly people and continue to grow in His Word. Pray that God helps you to teach your children through the mistakes of your past, and your families, so that your children may not repeat them. Pray you will be surrounded by Godly people, or that you will find the right school for them, or that they will have a strong sense of self. Every single detail of your child’s life is important to God. Nothing is too small or too big for God – he wants to hear it all. God is your Father, your best friend and your confidant. He wants you to come to Him, believe in Him and trust in Him.

Pray for your children (or grandchildren or neices or nephews or church school kids you know) each and every day. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in the specific things your children may need that you may not know. Then allow peace to move into your mind and soul. God’s Word tells us “Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matthew 21:22). God is telling us that he wants us to lean on him. He wants us to be able to feel relief and a sense of freedom from our worries knowing that we have turned them over to Him. His Word tells us to cast “all your care upon Him” (1 Peter 5:7).

Watch and wait for answered prayer. Remember that God works in many different ways. A prayer may be answered immediately, or take a great deal of time. Some prayers may not be answered for reasons that we cannot understand. But, we must always recognize and trust that God does what is best for us.

We must also remember that our own lives, and the paths we choose to take, will affect our children. “The righteous man or woman walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him". (Proverbs 20:7).

Praying for God's Favor: May His Favor Surround You!

Favor with God is important to the success of God's people in the Bible. Remember the story of Joseph in Genesis forty, and the favor God showed him, and Mary, the mother of Jesus in Luke one and two, who was "highlyfavored."  Remember the favor bestowed upon two children:

And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favor both with the LORD, and also with men. (1 Samuel 2:26)

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:52)

The psalmist said that the favor of God was the difference between life and death. "For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. LORD, by thy favor thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled." (Psalm 30:5-7) I

In other psalms we find that the favor of God is the same as his mercy and, importantly, God's salvation of man. "I entreated thy favor with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word." (Psalm 119:58) "Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation." (Psalm 106:4) So it is important, even vital, that we find the favor of God.

One of the things Solomon emphasized in his treatise on growing up that makes up much of the book of Proverbs is finding wisdom. Chapter 8 is all about wisdom, and concludes with the relationship to finding wisdom and finding God's favor. "For whoso findeth me [wisdom] findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the LORD." (Proverbs 8:35-36)

Further, Solomon says we find God's grace by following his mercy and truth. "Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man." (Proverbs 3:3-4)

Here we see that God can give us favor with others.  When we concentrate on pleasing God, HE will give us favor with others when we need it most. We can even ASK God to give us favor with others. When we do that, we're not being selfish or prideful, but scriptural. Nehemiah was a devoted servant of the Lord. He was called by God to rebuild the city walls of Jerusalem during the reign of King Artaxerxes. As cupbearer to the king, he asked the Lord to give him favor with the ruler so that he could complete his God-given assignment. "Give Your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man." (Nehemiah 1:11)

Here, we learn an important Bible principle--that God will grant us favor with others when it will help us carry out His will and plan. We can also pray for favor when we take a stand for the Lord. In the first chapter of the Book of Daniel, the young prophet "resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine," and he needed the cooperation of the chief official in order to carry out his commitment. Daniel 1:9 says, "Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel." When receiving favor will glorify God, we shouldn't hesitate to pray for it.

The Bible teaches us that we can pray for God's favor, which can be a powerful weapon against the enemy's attacks. Psalm 89:17 NLT says, "Our power is based on Your favor." And Psalm 5:12 says, "Surely, O Lord, You bless the righteous; You surround them with Your favor as with a shield." We are God's children; His chosen; His elect. And He is committed to protecting and providing for His own. When we concentrate on pleasing God, we can depend on Him to change people's hearts for our benefit. Proverbs 16:7 says, "When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies live at peace with him."

If God is willing and able to change the hearts of our enemies, surely we can expect Him to give us favor in the sight of our teachers, employers, neighbors and others we come in contact with. But we mustn't assume that this favor is automatic. Often, we will have to ask God for it, expecting Him to act on our behalf. If a relative or friend or parishioner needs help in situations, I have asked the Lord to give them favor, and He has always been faithful. I have also asked God to grant my family favor in the sight of our bosses and coworkers. And I have seen my family acquire jobs, often with salaries well above what we expected. When you pray for favor, people will bless you, and they won't even know why. But don't just take my word for it. Begin today to pray for favor, and discover for yourself that "the Lord bestows favor and honor" upon His people! (Psalm 84:11)

Please pray for favor for me as I do the work God has called on me to do in the churches and the greater church, and at the university, and in all the things God is leading me to do.  I will be praying God's favor will rest upon you also.  Praise the Lord!

Prayer: Lord, help me to always concentrate on pleasing You, and teach me how to pray for favor for myself and my friends and loved ones to have favor with others, especially when we need it most. Reveal to me how praying for favor can open doors that appear to be closed. Thank You that blessing me with favor will bring You glory! IN JESUS NAME AMEN.

Testify to the Lord's Goodness! Praise the Lord with Public Witness!

Part of our prayer life comes in praising God for Who He Is and What He Has Done.  One way is by giving testimony to His mighty deeds.  Public witness is an important part of the Christian's life.  The remarkable Psalm 9 shows us an example of that.  This is a Psalm written by David and set to music as praise and thanksgiving for God's justice and judgments upon David's enemies. In verse 1 of Psalm 9, David said, "I will show forth all Thy marvelous works." The 'show forth' means to declare, to tell of, to speak of, and that's what David is doing in this Psalm, declaring what God has done for him to his people, the nation of Israel.

David privately praised The Lord for what He had done, and David also publicly declared what The Lord had done. Verse 14 of Psalm 9 says: 'That I may show forth all Thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion'. That's a reference to the city gates of Jerusalem, the most public area of the city, the place where everyone came in and went out. David wanted the words of this Psalm to be sang in the temple and taken to the streets, so all would hear how great God is.

As Christians, we are to 'show forth', to declare what God has done for us. Verse 11 of Psalm 9 tells us that we are to sing praises to the Lord.....declare among the people His doings.

Psalm 40 verse 5 tells us 'Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered'. The Lord's wonderful works and good thoughts towards us are more than we can even number!

We are to speak of this, to declare this, to others.  Privately thanking and praising The Lord is very wonderful and must be done as a part of your prayer life.  But public witness must also be done.  Praise the Lord!

What Does the Lord Require of You? Read Micah 6:8!

One of the keys to a strong prayer life is obeying God.  Showing God respect in obedience is a door to the supernatural.

Sometimes you may wonder if obeying God is worth it. Reemember that God is just and does bless those who obey him. If you don't reap the benefits of obedience in this life, you will in the next.

The Pharisees in Jesus' day obeyed the law, but for all the wrong reasons. Jesus warned in Matthew 5:20 that God looks at people's hearts. He wants obedience that flows out of love for him.

Jesus said: "But I warn you—unless you obey God better than the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees do, you can't enter the Kingdom of Heaven at all!"

When the religious leaders commanded Peter and the apostles to stop preaching the gospel, their priorities were put to the test. Their answer, recorded in Acts 5:29, teaches us that obedience to God must come first, even if it requires personal sacrifice.

But Peter and the apostles replied, "We must obey God rather than human authority."

God has not hidden the secret of obedience—he has made his expectations clear. Micah 6:8 summarized the way people can please God.

"No, O people, the Lord has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. "

May we do just that in our lives -- To do justice (what is right), to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.