Praying For Others

By Smana Petit-Frere

WHY SHOULD WE PRAY FOR OTHERS:  Praying for others benefits both the intercessor and the one for whom you are interceding for. (Job 42:10)

 Some, who are still on the right path today, are only there because of the prayers of their parents, church family, or a friend. (Genesis 27:28,29)

 Jesus while on earth spent hours interceding on behalf of others. Everything Jesus did was rooted in His love for mankind. Therefore, to love like Jesus, we must pray for others like Jesus. I know that it can be difficult to pray for longer than a few minutes, many share that struggle. This can be caused by any number of reasons, could one of those reasons be that we are not taking the time to pray for others? Your prayers are not supposed to be only about “I”, look at the Lord’s Prayer; it is all about “us” and “our”. (Matthew 6:9-13) When praying for others and not focusing on your own wants and needs … time flies!

WHAT DO WE PRAY FOR: For most of us, praying for others tends to run along these lines: “Lord, provide my friend with a job, a car that runs, good health, and safety.” If we know someone well, we might pray for his or her marriage or other relationships. There is nothing wrong with praying for these things; in fact, the Bible encourages us to pray for everything (Philippians 4:6). It is right to pray for health and for good things to happen. (3 John 1:2).

However, When Jesus was praying for others, He prayed for their faith (Luke 22:31,32), He prayed against temptation in their lives (Luke 22:40), He prayed for their unity (John 17:11), and He prayed for their sanctification (John 17:17). Paul prayed for the salvation of the lost (Romans 10:1); he prayed that the brothers would stay on the right path (2 Corinthians 13:7); he prayed that believers would be strengthened by the Spirit, rooted and grounded in love, able to comprehend God’s love, and filled with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:14–19). These are all prayers for SPIRITUAL blessings; they are all “in Jesus’ name” and according to the Father’s will—prayers that are guaranteed to find a “yes” in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).

PRAYING FOR YOUR ENEMIES:  The definition of an enemy is "a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something." (English Oxford Living Dictionary)

So, please remember that though people might see you as an enemy, you are not to see them as such.  That’s why prayers for others are important. How can you hate someone that you spent hours interceding for? When you see this person, will your heart not have a greater affection towards him or her after you’ve spent time praying for them? Because you spent time praying for this person, you will also have a greater desire to love this individual in practical ways too.

And sometimes we might think we have valid reasons for making others our enemies, but we must ask ourselves, after all we have done to God are we okay with Him making us His enemy? If the answer is “no” then there you have it. (Matthew 18:21,22)

 In Matthew 5:44 Jesus said, “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Certainly, we should pray for our enemies because then we are expressing the love of God, which is the type of love that is given despite it not being deserving (Matthew 5:45).

Remember God knows your heart; just be sincere in your communication with Him. Go to Him in prayer and ask for a new heart, a heart like His, a heart that forgives all trespasses, He will answer you! We must understand that in our own nature, it will be impossible, but like (Philippians 4:13) says “I can do all things through Christ which Strengthen me.”