DAY 12 - PRAYING FOR OTHERS
CONNOR GRIM, ASSOCIATE PASTOR & VOLUNTEER TEAM LEAD
“We always thank God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love you have for all God’s people.” Colossians 1:3-4
There’s no better time to start than now. That’s kind of been my mantra over the past few weeks as the reality of sitting in my home with only the memories of social interaction begins to take its toll. We’ve all heard that phrase before but let's be honest. There’s nothing like a good old government-mandated quarantine to really give you nothing but time to contemplate and start something new.
As a Christian prayer has always been something that was a part of my “spiritual routine.” But if I’m being honest, it’s probably the area where I have the most room to grow. Oftentimes I find my prayers being consumed with personal problems, things I wanna see happen in my life or things I’m believing for myself or my family. All these things are great and things that should be prayed for! But there’s a common theme arising that God has been showing me about my prayer life: me, myself, and I!
As I’ve been reading through the book of Colossians I noticed something almost right off the bat when I dove into this book. Paul says to the church in Colossae that he always is thanking God for them when he prays for them. Now I know that this can seem like a polite introduction in a letter but I don’t think Paul would have added that if he didn’t actually mean it. When the apostle Paul prayed, often he prayed for other people.
Now I know for most of you this won’t be some light bulb moment. Most of us know that we’re supposed to be praying for others. But do we? Do we actually pray for other people often or, if you’re like me, do you find your prayer life pretty self-obsessed. Again, I’m not saying you shouldn’t pray for yourself. Not at all. The Bible constantly encourages us to take all of our cares and concerns to the Lord. But in the same breath, the Bible also encourages us that our prayer life should be filled with prayers for other people. So what do we do?
I found the simplest solution to my problem is this:
In a journal or even the cover of your bible write down the names of 3 people you want to pray for. Just 3; no more no less. Make a commitment that once a day when you pray, you’re going to pray for these three individuals for 60 seconds each. 1 minute per person, per day, 3 minutes in total. Now, most of you may think that e minutes a day sounds kind of pathetic. But look at it this way:
3 minutes is better than 0
3 minutes adds up to 21 minutes a week
Which adds up to 84 minutes a month
Which adds up 16 hours and 45 minutes a year
There’s no better time to start praying for other people than now. Why don’t you take up this simple challenge and begin the amazing journey of lifting others up in prayer and see what God can do through you!