Please Pray for Me
Sisters and Seekers,
This is the post that started my recent quest to grow in prayer. Throughout my faith journey, I've counciled many women, taught God's word as a way to help us grow in faith, and basically been at the front lines of walking with women through every season of the soul. I've had consistently in all the things that have cultivated my own deep life of faith over the past 20+ years now-- regular time with God through prayer, study and worship, fellowship with other believers, receiving great teaching, and serving others. Because of my role in the body of Christ, a women of exhortation and a teacher, I'm often asked by others to pray for them.
Prayer is something that has come naturally to me because prayer is just talking to God and I have a great intimacy with Him and a sensitivity to His spirit. John in Moving Mountains calls this type of prayer a Cry of the Heart (see a previous post for more of my reflections on this). Yet praying for others' needs has been something I'm not so sure I've been handling the way that I should. I often get asked to pray by others and take the responsibility very seriously. I feel that I have some part to play in bringing God's will to earth through prayer and my love for the person asking makes me want to be effective in how I'm praying. These requests can be as simple as good weather for an important event, to bigger needs--life decisions, job loses, physical healing.
If I'm honest, I have great faith in God but not in how to pray. How do I agree with God in prayer and help something come to pass? For the prayer of intervention is when we approach prayer with a desired outcome and a belief that prayer will make a difference in what we see unfolding here on earth. As I've waded in these muddy waters I've prayed safe prayers. For long-suffering instead of healing. For patience in pain instead of results. In part it's because I don't presume to know God's will in all situations and don't want to put myself above it. This is a good attitude to hold in prayer; a way to reverence God and knowing that not all prayers are answered in the way I want, trusting that God has a better answer than the ones I understand in those cases. But I've been challenged that the opposite is also true, that we are to come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). Our posture in praying for things we hope to come to pass should be with confidence. Much of this has to do with our view of who God is and what He is able to do. It is indeed presumptuous to assume that I know how God will answer before I pray. God won't really heal that person? God won't really give them this job, will He? Sounds like the whisper of a lie from our enemy (John 8:44) more that then life-giving truth of the Spirit to me (John 15:26).
Some things I've learned since reading this chapter in Eldridge's book are some things that are easy to put in practice when it comes to this type of prayer. This first thing is stick with it! Often people don't want to pray for something more than once. They find it difficult to make time or sincerely forget. They might spend about 30 seconds on this prayer. In life the things that are most important need the most time. So spend time in prayer for needs-increase the amount of time you spend and come back to it again and again. Another thing you can do is ask others to pray for you and with you. Use scripture to proclaim truth over a situation, with in turn will realign your heart to the power and character of God that you pray to. This brings you back to seeing yourself as His ally and not a beggar. The most helpful thing I've put into practice is ask God what His will is in the situation and wait for Him to answer your heart before praying for a specific outcome (more about how to hear God in a future post on listening prayer). If I know His will, I can be confident it will come to pass! Jesus teaches in John 15:7 that the one who abides him Him, will have his words remain. Then we are equipped to ask in His name, conformed to His will, and then it will be done. Then I can pray with a God-shaped perspective, boldly and with reverence.
This is the post that started my recent quest to grow in prayer. Throughout my faith journey, I've counciled many women, taught God's word as a way to help us grow in faith, and basically been at the front lines of walking with women through every season of the soul. I've had consistently in all the things that have cultivated my own deep life of faith over the past 20+ years now-- regular time with God through prayer, study and worship, fellowship with other believers, receiving great teaching, and serving others. Because of my role in the body of Christ, a women of exhortation and a teacher, I'm often asked by others to pray for them.
Prayer is something that has come naturally to me because prayer is just talking to God and I have a great intimacy with Him and a sensitivity to His spirit. John in Moving Mountains calls this type of prayer a Cry of the Heart (see a previous post for more of my reflections on this). Yet praying for others' needs has been something I'm not so sure I've been handling the way that I should. I often get asked to pray by others and take the responsibility very seriously. I feel that I have some part to play in bringing God's will to earth through prayer and my love for the person asking makes me want to be effective in how I'm praying. These requests can be as simple as good weather for an important event, to bigger needs--life decisions, job loses, physical healing.
If I'm honest, I have great faith in God but not in how to pray. How do I agree with God in prayer and help something come to pass? For the prayer of intervention is when we approach prayer with a desired outcome and a belief that prayer will make a difference in what we see unfolding here on earth. As I've waded in these muddy waters I've prayed safe prayers. For long-suffering instead of healing. For patience in pain instead of results. In part it's because I don't presume to know God's will in all situations and don't want to put myself above it. This is a good attitude to hold in prayer; a way to reverence God and knowing that not all prayers are answered in the way I want, trusting that God has a better answer than the ones I understand in those cases. But I've been challenged that the opposite is also true, that we are to come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). Our posture in praying for things we hope to come to pass should be with confidence. Much of this has to do with our view of who God is and what He is able to do. It is indeed presumptuous to assume that I know how God will answer before I pray. God won't really heal that person? God won't really give them this job, will He? Sounds like the whisper of a lie from our enemy (John 8:44) more that then life-giving truth of the Spirit to me (John 15:26).
Some things I've learned since reading this chapter in Eldridge's book are some things that are easy to put in practice when it comes to this type of prayer. This first thing is stick with it! Often people don't want to pray for something more than once. They find it difficult to make time or sincerely forget. They might spend about 30 seconds on this prayer. In life the things that are most important need the most time. So spend time in prayer for needs-increase the amount of time you spend and come back to it again and again. Another thing you can do is ask others to pray for you and with you. Use scripture to proclaim truth over a situation, with in turn will realign your heart to the power and character of God that you pray to. This brings you back to seeing yourself as His ally and not a beggar. The most helpful thing I've put into practice is ask God what His will is in the situation and wait for Him to answer your heart before praying for a specific outcome (more about how to hear God in a future post on listening prayer). If I know His will, I can be confident it will come to pass! Jesus teaches in John 15:7 that the one who abides him Him, will have his words remain. Then we are equipped to ask in His name, conformed to His will, and then it will be done. Then I can pray with a God-shaped perspective, boldly and with reverence.
Comments