How do we pray for other people? Some years ago, I had a rather jarring prayer experience.
I was asked to be a part of a small group of people praying for a young lady, who had shared some things that were challenging her at the time.
I thought I was a pretty good pray-er, so I stepped up and along with the others began calling upon God, detailing what we wanted for our friend. Each of us approached her problem from a different angle and asked God for different things.
We finally stopped and waited for our friend’s gushing gratitude that she had been so thoroughly “covered” in prayer.
Much to our dismay, she looked up and said in great disgust, “God, I am so tired of everyone redesigning my life!” I felt an almost palpable “push back,” as she got up and exited the room.
I was initially hurt. After all, we had been there for her. We had stood with her. We had “covered” her. Hey, we were all good pray-ers. We knew how to get the job done.
A couple of the other ladies immediately decided we needed to pray more, noting this was a “spiritual warfare” situation and we needed to rebuke the “interfering spirits” so our friend could see clearly what we saw for her.
I wasn’t so sure. I excused myself and left, still licking my wounded prayer pride. It took many more days for me to begin to realize God had taught me a valuable lesson.
I realized it was possible to be a “prideful prayer partner.” We heard our friend’s story and each decided what we thought would fix things for her.
Then we conference called God and ordered. Some of you may have been a part of such groups.
We, in fact, did not know what God’s Plan was. We did not know what the real desire of our friend’s heart was. We just knew about the problems she expressed.
As I began to understand how badly we had failed our friend, I asked God’s Forgiveness. I then admitted I really didn’t know how we should have prayed for her or others to come.
I asked God what we should do. Over time, He taught me. I would like to share what I learned.
When called upon to pray, first focus on God … not yourself … not the “pray-ee.”
Clear every other thought but God from your mind.
Be still. Know that He is God. No one else is God. He alone will know The Plans He has for everyone.
Take a few moments to breathe in His Life Giving Spirit. Recognize you are in The Presence of The One Who knows all, past, present and future.
Recognize God’s Ways and Thoughts are higher than your ways or your thoughts. He can create far more than you can even imagine.
Recognize God is willing to share Great and Mysterious Things with you that you don’t know. Don’t try to guess what those things are. Just eagerly anticipate all He is willing to tell you.
Come into His Presence. We come into His Presence with thankfulness. Thank God for Who He is. Thank God for all He has already done. Thanking God will naturally lead to Praising God. Thank Him! Praise Him!
Free yourself of anything that would hinder you from being a worthy conduit of His Mercy and Grace.
Ask God to search your heart. Affirm He knows you. Allow Him to point out anything that would get in the way of your being His Minister.
Forgive everyone. Ask God’s Forgiveness. Receive His Mercy and Grace within every part of yourself. Allow Him to make you pure and whole.
When God tells you it is time to open the door to His Throne Room, so that others may also receive His Mercy and Grace, turn to those who desire prayer.
Listen intently to what they say. But also hear what they do not say. Do not just limit yourself to hearing the cries of their mouth. Hear the cries of their heart.
Encourage them gently to follow the same Pathway you did.
Encourage them to:
Be still.
Know He is God.
Know that He alone has The Plan for their lives and the lives of everyone else in all Creation.
Know that His Ways and His Thoughts are higher than your thoughts or their thoughts.
Know that He is willing to tell them what to do. He is willing to tell them Great and Mysterious Things they do not know.
Encourage them to prepare to receive Him inside themselves. Encourage them to allow God to reveal to them anything that would seek to get in the way of their hearing Him speak.
Give them quiet and privacy to talk with God.
Encourage them to forgive others.
Encourage them to seek God’s Forgiveness.
Affirm that God will forgive.
After giving them time to commune with God, ask God what He would like to tell the “pray-ee.” Wait expectantly.
You may want to encourage them to simply write, record or speak what comes to their mind.
Listen carefully for confirmation in your Spirit. The Spirit of Truth will confirm Truth through His Word, not yours. As He brings confirming Scripture to mind, share it.
End where you began. Thank God for Who He is. Thank God for His Presence. Thank God for His Answers to Prayer now and in the future!
“Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Jeremiah 33:3
