Discipleship

Praying for others

Sometimes we find it difficult to know how to pray for other believers. What is God doing in their lives? What is God saying to them? What I really want is to know how to pray effective, relevant and God-directed prayers. Then I can pray knowing that my prayers match the will of God for other believers; I know that none of my prayers will be wasted but they will directly help in their situation. One day I found the answer to this important question. It came whilst I was reading through letters of Paul to the Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. Take a moment to read through the following passages. They are useful in understanding how to pray effectively for others:-

Ephesians 1:16-17
‘I… do not cease to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of His calling what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe according to His mighty power which he worked in Christ Jesus when he raised him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave him to head over all things to the church which is His body the fullness of Him who fills all in all’.

Ephesians 3:14
‘For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory to strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God’.

Philippians 1:9
‘And this I pray that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment that you may approve the things that are excellent that you may be sincere and without offence in the day of Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.’

Colossians 1:9
‘..and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding that you may walk worthy of the Lord fully pleasing Him being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God strengthened with all might according to his glorious power for all patience and longsuffering with joy giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light’.

Colossians 4:3
‘… praying also for us that God would open to us a door for the word to speak the mystery of Christ for which I am also in chains’

The following are a list of topics of prayer that I found I could pray from these passages. It may help you in your prayers for believers who are close to you and for those further afield.

For the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.
That the eyes of their understanding be enlightened.
That they may know what is the hope of His calling.
That they may know what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.
That they may know what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.
That He would grant them according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man.
That Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith.
That they may be rooted and grounded in love.
That they may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge.
That they may be filled with all the fullness of God.
That their love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment.
That they may approve the things that are excellent.
That they may be sincere and without offence in the day of Christ.
That they may be filled with the fruits of righteousness.
That they may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
That they may walk worthy of the Lord fully pleasing Him.
That they may be fruitful in every good work.
That they may increase in the knowledge of God.
That they may be strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power at work within them.
That they may be filled with all patience and longsuffering with joy.
That God would open up a door for the gospel to be spoken into situations and lives.

When we start to pray for our Church family, both near and far, we can use the language above to give us a starting point and focus our thoughts. As you pray, think about what it will mean for those people to have these prayers answered in their lives. For example, how will their circumstances be affected if their love abounds in knowledge and discernment?

Understanding the above points has really helped me know how I can pray for believers in other parts of the world who most likely I will never meet. I find it amazing that even though I might never go to where they live or ever meet them, through my prayers, I can be a part of their everyday lives. I can also pray for the whole church in that country to grow and become strong and change their nation with the gospel of Jesus. Through praying these prayers I am directly involving myself in building the church and evangelising nations.

Why not ask God to give you his heart for a particular country. Start praying for the church and evangelise that nation through your prayers. Below is a list of organisations that provide helpful information you can access online and find out what is happening in the nations.

Operation World
http://www.operationworld.org/prayer-and-nations

How to pray for unreached groups and nations:-
http://www.jwipn.com/pdf/cywtp_chapter15.pdf

How to pray for the leaders of nations
https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/Prayers-for-Leaders-of-the-Nations

How to pray for the nations
https://iliteam.org/prayforthenations/

Praying for the persecuted church
https://www.opendoorsuk.org/