Praying for others

Ask any believer about his prayer life, and he will invariable acknowledge something like, “It’s not what it should be.”

And as a pastor, I am not only called on to pray often, but prayer is actually part of my calling.  You won’t find “prayer” in most pastoral job descriptions, but the apostles believed that it was one of two primary duties for them (Acts 6:4).

And while I find that no matter how long, how frequently, and how intimately and openly I pray, I still would agree that my prayer life is not what I’d like it to be.  I want more intimacy with the Lord and I want more effectiveness and persistence in my prayers for others.

Two things, though, have still been helpful to me in my praying for others.  The first is that I regularly pray that the Lord would assist me in my praying.  “Lord, make me quick to pray with others and make me wise in praying for others, so that I would pray your will for them when I have opportunity to pray with them and that my prayers would be an encouragement and help to them.”  I want to be able to pray with and for others in ways that will help them to think biblically and theologically about their needs.

The second thing, then, that has been helpful in my prayers for others, is reading and meditating on the biblical prayers.  There are many prayers in Scripture, and these prayers not only record the prayers of a particular moment in history, but they also provide direction for how we might pray in similar circumstances.

So, Paul’s prayerful desires for the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 3:11-13) provides instruction for how we might pray for those who are persecuted, afflicted, and suffering (cf. vv. 3-5).

Because Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica was so short (see Acts 17:1-9), he wanted to return to them to teach them and encourage them by the Scriptures (see 1 Thess. 2:17-20; 3:6, 10).  So the first desire in his prayer was to return to them (3:11) so he might minister to them.

And the rest of his petitions relate to their spiritual condition, particularly in their demonstrations of love (v. 12).  When persecuted, it was tempting to become bitter and unloving to both those in the church body (perhaps over disagreements about how to respond to the trials), and to those outside the church body who were persecuting them.  And while they had already proven exemplary in their spiritual maturity (1:6-7; 4:1), still Paul desires that they mature still more in their love.

And finally, Paul desires the Lord would completion their salvation and maturity.  No matter how effective he or other servants might be, it is the Lord who will fully establish them and provide the inner stability they need (v. 13).

So here is a prayer we might offer for those we see today who are suffering and afflicted:

“Lord, would you bless our fellowship together in such a way that I might be a real minister of Your grace to my friend.  Would you direct me to speak and pray and encourage in such a way that my friend is led to You and encouraged to hold onto You.

I particularly ask that You would strengthen him to continue in loving the church body that You have graciously given him, and even loving those who persecute him, as Jesus commanded.  His temptation may be to resist loving; the temptation may be to cultivate anger and bitterness.  Give him the grace he needs through Christ, the Spirit of God, and the Word of God, to do that which is unnatural — to love others when he is suffering and hurting.

And I ask this of You because you are the One who must do this.  As many godly friends and teachers You have given my friend, we know that it is You who are going to strengthen and establish Him, so we ask You to do that very thing.  Embolden him.  Strengthen him to live in holiness before You.  And give Him a longing for Your coming and a confidence to stand before You on that day. We ask this in the name of Christ, Amen.”