PRAYING FOR OTHERS

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against
the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you
the way that is good and right.”
(1 Samuel 12:23)

MEDITATION:
Whenever we are born again, it means we are now members of a new
family. We become adopted members of God’s family, which means
we have a new life, a new direction, a new perspective, new habits,
new attitudes, and a new leader to follow.

One of the areas where we can measure how we have changed is our
prayer life. When we are reborn into God’s family, we are taught to
pray for others. Sure we have needs, but so do others and we need to
be praying for them.

Why is praying for others important? For one thing, it takes our focus
off ourselves, which helps to develop humility and prevent egotism. In
our ‘new life’ we have the capacity to acknowledge the importance of
others, and show genuine concern for them when we pray.

Secondly, it shows that we have a desire to be more like Jesus.
Look at what Jesus said:
    “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world,
      but for those you have given me, for they are yours.”
      (John 17:9)

    “My prayer is not that you take them out of the
      world but that you protect them from the evil one.”
      (John 17:15)

Another reason we pray for others is given to us from the Old Testament.
Samuel had been the leader of the Israelites from the time he was young
until now. The people had asked for a king, and God told Samuel to give
them what they asked for.
Note:
    This might be the reason we say, “be careful what you ask for”.

As Samuel gave his farewell speech, the people agreed that he was
leaving his office blameless. Then Samuel gave them a warning. He
reminded them of past failures in hopes they would not repeat them.
His encouragement for the days ahead focused on serving the Lord
with all their hearts.

Then comes an interesting statement from Samuel. There is a sin
that he himself was determined not to commit.
    “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin
      against the LORD by failing to pray for you”
      (1 Samuel 12:23)
According to Samuel, failure to pray for others is a sin against the Lord.

ACTION:
Do you pray for others? If so, how often? Do you pray for them by name?
Is it a “one and done” prayer, or do you continue to pray for them? Is there
a possibility that praying less means you are sinning more? If every member
of a church was just like you, what kind of church would it be? Would it be
a church that is concerned about others and prays for them, or would it be
a selfish church that is only concerned about itself and its members?

Here is a challenge – think of five people outside your family
and pray for them by name every day for the next two weeks
(hopefully you are already praying for members of your own
family). If you know of some specific need someone has – pray
for that; if you don’t know of a specific need, then pray for God
to protect them and bless them, and pray for them to grow even
closer to the Lord.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me a greater love and
concern for others when You saved me. Help me to transition
from being selfish to becoming selfless. Remind me of the love
and concern Jesus had (has) for me, and as a follower of Him,
teach me to develop His mindset and character in my own life.
I pray that I will become more sensitive to those around me and
to pray for them more often. Your Word tells me that Jesus is
praying for me, which means that I should also be praying for
others. Forgive me for failing to pray for them in the past, and
remind me of my responsibility to pray for them going forward.”

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