Pray For Each Other
“ 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 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.”
- Ephesians 3:14-20 (NIV)
In Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, he demonstrates one of the huge things that we are called to as Christians- to pray. More than that, Paul prays for the people of Ephesus and intercedes on their behalf. He wants them to know God, to know His love and His provision-so he asks God to give this knowledge to them. In
Celebration of Discipline Richard Foster discusses prayer as part of a spiritual discipline. He goes further to say that if you love someone, really and truly and want the best for them then you will pray for them. He concludes that if one loves another and wants the best for someone else then they recognize that they will never be able to provide everything that they wish for another to have and experience. In recognizing this, that you want more for the person than you could ever give them, you pray for them. In Paul’s prayer he shows us this as he asks God to give to these people more than he, even as a teacher and preacher, could ever give to them. So, he asks the one who he knows has no end to what He can do and give- God.
Very often when serious and tragic circumstances arise we rush to our friend’s or family member’s side and rack our brains thinking of what we can say or do. We take food when friends are hospitalized or have passed away. We send cards and notes of consolation or encouragement when friends are facing troublesome times. We counsel, witness, cook, write, sit, watch and all the while we still feel at a loss as to what to do. We wish we could do more. We wish we could somehow make a difference- a REAL difference. My friends, we CAN do more-we can make a REAL difference- we can PRAY. The moment we hit our knees and begin to ask God for what our heart desires-when we ask him to come into the situation, to make it right, to ease pain and heal sickness, to mend families and bring peace- we make a difference. In fact, praying for one another is the greatest gift we can give- in any circumstance. This is because when we pray- we are giving more than our words- we are opening ourselves, other people and the situation up to God’s power and provision. When we invite Him in and prepare Him room- things change, situations change and most importantly, hearts change. When Jesus lived and walked among us, he was a teacher, preacher, healer and a huge prayer. He prayed for us while he lived, while he died and invites us to pray now for one another.
Remember that prayer is not a simple gift- it is a free gift but should never be taken or given lightly. It should however, be given FREELY. The kind of love that is going to save the world is the kind of loves that prays for each other. Encourage one another, support one another, witness to one another but always, PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER.
PRAYER: Dear God, keep prayer on the forefront of my mind when people in my life are in need. Give me the words and the heart to pray for the people that I love. Keep my heart and my ears open to what you will say to me as I pray. Make me always willing to do what you call me to do as I walk through my life, and as always Lord, speak loud enough so that even on my busiest days I can hear you. AMEN
Caitlyn Bailey, Lay Leader
Ginter Park United Methodist Church