I'll Pray for You

How often do we tell someone “I’ll pray for you” and then go about our day and forget to pray?  Or when we pray, how much of our prayer time is focused on our own needs and desires instead of on others?  I’ve become aware of that in my life recently.  I pray for guidance through the day, for God to provide work for me, for my family to be safe and well, and when I remember, I pray for my friends who are sick.  But most of my prayer time is focused on myself.

This morning as I prayed, I intentionally didn’t pray for myself as an individual.  There’s nothing wrong with doing that, but I felt the need to be outwardly focused in my prayer.  I prayed that God would prepare our group as we go to Guatemala, and asked that God would use us and speak through us.  I prayed for the church members in the villages that we will visit, that God would give them boldness to stand for Christ and to invite their unsaved friends to the clinics.  I prayed that those that come will see Jesus for who he is, and they will accept him as their savior.  I prayed that we will be bold in sharing Christ here at home and not just in Guatemala.  I prayed for my nephew who once professed faith in Christ but now says he doesn’t believe that God exists.  I prayed for my sons and their girlfriends, that they will walk with God and grow in their relationship with Jesus.

I admire those friends who say they will pray for me and I know they will actually do it.  I want to be that kind of prayer warrior.  If I trust God to take care of me, I can spend less time praying for my needs and focus on the needs of my friends and neighbors.  I’m making a new commitment to pray for you.