Week 48
The more you grow in your relationship with God, the more you will share your faith with those around you. God will give you opportunities to tell others about the things he is doing in your life. He will also give you opportunities to pray for those around you.
Many times we are given chances in our conversations with others. I once had a co-worker tell me about a test he was having done for a physical condition. I could tell that he was concerned about the test itself and the outcome of the test. It was a perfect opportunity to tell him that I would say a prayer for him. He seemed kind of surprised that someone would do that for him.
There have been other opportunities to tell co-workers that I would say a prayer for them. The Bible tells us to make the most of every opportunity to share the good news.
We have a prayer chain at our church. If someone has a need, they can call the head of the prayer chain and the need will spread through a telephone call list and an e-mail list so that before the day is over, they have been lifted to the throne many times. What a comfort it is to know that many people are praying for you or your loved one and all it took was a phone call to get the prayer started.
There are so many ways that we can have access to the needs of others. Sometimes people don’t want to share a concern because it is too difficult to speak about. But God may put them in your heart to ask for their needs to be met.
The small group that met at my house often shared the needs of others and asked that the people remain anonymous or that we not share the need outside the group. It was really wonderful to hear the people in the group pray for those they didn't know, maybe had never met but when we know there is a need, we also know that we have a God who is able to meet the need.
Sometimes people are too sick to even ask for prayer. They may have cancer and are undergoing treatment that just absolutely wipes them out. Maybe they are taking care of a parent with Alzheimer’s Disease. Their child may be sick or they may be burdened with financial problems due to a family situation. We all know people who are in need of prayer who maybe wouldn’t ever ask for it.
When we know of a need, it is up to us to present that need to Jesus. Sometimes our prayers are so self-centered and we are so focused on our own needs that our prayers are one-sided. Listen to your prayers, really listen to what you say to God. If there are a lot of I’s, me’s and mines, maybe it’s time to ask the Holy Spirit to put someone on your heart that needs prayer.
I recently was focused on myself and heard myself asking for this and that for my husband and myself. It was really an eye opener when I asked the spirit to put someone on my heart, there was silence and then I thought of the folks in my small group. I immediately started lifting them to the throne one at a time, remembering the concerns they had recently voiced.
It amazed me that in the course of 20 minutes (my drive to work), I had an opportunity to pray for each one of them and some of the special needs they had mentioned in small group. I was also amazed that my problems seemed to disappear as I prayed for the needs of others. What had I been asking for anyhow?
Sometimes we have the chance to really pray someone through a situation. It may be a sickness, a financial crisis, a problem with a child or family member, but God will continually bring them to mind and we can pray daily for them until the problem is resolved, until the healing comes or until the crisis passes. What a blessing to hear someone say that it was the prayers of loved ones and friends who brought them through a situation.
There are times when we hear about the answers and other times when it seems that God isn’t even listening. But perseverance in prayer is one of the most wonderful experiences we can have. Just keep praying and praying for the situation. Go daily before the throne of God asking for an answer. I have heard that some people prayed for 20 years or more for their answer.
Someone told me once that they prayed only once for situations and didn’t ask again, but I think that sometimes we really need to ask and keep on asking. Daniel is a good example of that type of prayer. He knew what God had promised Jeremiah the prophet that the Jewish people would be in exile for 70 years, but they would go back to Jerusalem. At the end of the 70 years, he began knocking on the throne room door asking God to send them back to Israel. He also repented on behalf of his people. He began praying and fasting in earnest. He continued fasting and praying for three weeks. (See Daniel 10:2-3.)
We are told in Daniel 10:12 what happened. An angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me 21 days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”
Daniel persevered in prayer, God heard and answered in a mighty way. God isn’t any different today than he was in Daniel’s time. He still answers and he still may have to do battle to bring us the answer, but it is up to us to petition him.
Is there someone you know who has a need? Does it seem impossible for the need to be met? Has God put it in your heart to pray for them? Then do it. Go to God every day if you have to. Don’t stop until you have prayed them through the situation. Forget about your own needs and focus on the needs of others.
Jesus told us in Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” So knock and keep on knocking, seek and keep on seeking, ask and keep on asking. The answer is waiting.
Father,
In the course of a day there are so many needs that I see around me. Just today I heard a mother who has lost custody of her children ask that they be returned to her, I heard a co-worker who is discouraged ask for encouragement, I heard the mother of four little children ask for strength to get through the day. We don’t have to look too far to find someone to lift to you in prayer.
We ask that your spirit put people in our pathways that need prayer and that we would respond by lifting them to you and expecting you to hear and answer our requests on their behalf.
We thank you that you a merciful God, a God of compassion and love. We ask that you restore the children to their mother. We ask that you give the young lady that needs encouragement something to be joyful about and we ask that you help that young mother keep up with her children today, may she be joyful in her job as parent.
Thank you for hearing our prayers. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray.
Amen
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