6 Things to Pray for Others

How to prayer for others blog post

How to Pray for Others

Every Christian prays for those she loves and cares about. Yet it’s easy to fall into a pattern of praying for the temporal things in the lives of those we cherish. It doesn’t take much thought to ask God to bless people financially or to resolve their health concerns.

We can soon find ourselves praying in a routine sort of way for family and friends looking for places to live, selecting colleges, or seeking jobs.

Then there are our habitual prayers for the daily little things in life—parking places, bargains, our children to nap well, safety for one more day.

List of Things to Pray for Others

God’s faithful servant Paul shows us a more significant way to pray for those we know and love. It’s far from what could be called a prayer for health, wealth, and happiness.

Paul prays for his beloved friends—a prayer for spiritual knowledge and discernment, sincerity and integrity, acceptance of what is godly and holy, and lives filled with righteousness. And by the way, these are not just topics to cover in your prayers for others. These are mature issues to lift up for yourself too. 

Praying for Others

Here are six things we can pray, dear friend and sister in Christ, for others and ourselves:

  1. Pray that we learn the discipline of lifting our thoughts and our prayers, our aims and our lives, heavenward, upward, far above and beyond that which is routine and mundane.
  2. Pray that we become stronger women of prayer—with regular, daily, unhurried, secret lingering in prayer.
  3. Pray that others will be encouraged by knowing we pray for them...and by knowing what we pray for them.
  4. Pray we will pray as Paul did, using the sweet-but-packed wisdom found in Philippians 1:9-11 as our guide to praying for others.
  5. Pray our lives will bring great glory and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ and God, our Father; that our lives will be filled with the fruits of righteousness.
  6. Pray that the fruit in our lives will be abundant and spill forth, blessing others and reflecting well on our Savior.

Becoming a Woman After God's Heart Through Prayer

When we love people, we can’t help but pray for them because we carry them in our hearts. Start by praying these above six ways to pray and then build upon them from there.

Every prayer you lift up for your friends and for others who are placed on your heart reaches God’s ears and heart. Ask Him to use His power, might, strength, and wisdom to help the people you care about.

RESPOND IN PRAYER

God, lead my focus away from temporal items. Give me a vision for those things that are eternal and of spiritual importance. And when I pray for others, help me be sincere and faithful. Amen.

RENEWING RESOURCES

Praying for the Right Things blog post

Prayers for Friends

One-Word Themes of All the Books of the Bible printable

 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCE

Prayers to Calm Your Heart: Finding the Path to More Peace and Less Stress by Elizabeth George—This beautifully designed gift book is part practical, part inspirational, and altogether essential to keep worry and runaway fear in check. It's a welcome gift to give at any time on any occasion.

REFLECT
Email or text several friends this week to ask how you can pray for their needs.

Why not write a few words of hope and comfort to a loved one who needs encouragement? Or call someone who needs God’s peace and pray with him or her. And share spiritual insights from God’s Word.

REMEMBER

Ask God to help you and the people in your life develop “spiritual eyes” for seeing and understanding your riches and blessings in Jesus Christ.


1 Response

judith chepkirui rutto
judith chepkirui rutto

May 31, 2022

i need prayers for my child to get job and become a trut man of God

Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.

Jim and Elizabeth George

Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:

  • Simplify life by focusing on God’s priorities.
  • Appreciate God’s Word and apply it to everyday situations.
  • Respond to circumstances with confidence by seeing yourself through God’s loving eyes.
  • Increase closeness in marriage by serving and honoring each other.
  • Powerfully shape the hearts of children and teenagers.
  • Enjoy greater intimacy with God.

Learn more about Jim and Elizabeth George here.

Jim and Elizabeth George

Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:

  • Simplify life by focusing on God’s priorities.
  • Appreciate God’s Word and apply it to everyday situations.
  • Respond to circumstances with confidence by seeing yourself through God’s loving eyes.
  • Increase closeness in marriage by serving and honoring each other.
  • Powerfully shape the hearts of children and teenagers.
  • Enjoy greater intimacy with God.

Learn more about Jim and Elizabeth George here.


Also in From Our Hearts

elizabeth-george trusting-God-with-everything
Trusting God With Everything

by Elizabeth George September 03, 2024

Contentment is almost an extinct virtue, yet it is one of the greatest blessings in the world. The Word of God calls us to be content. In fact, Paul shares with us in 1 Timothy 6 that godliness with contentment is great gain and that food and clothing are all we need to be content
Read More
elizabeth-george gods-perfect-peace
God's Perfect Peace

by Elizabeth George August 20, 2024

True spiritual peace comes with knowing that our heav­enly Father is continually with us—and indeed He is! God is omnipresent and therefore fully aware of every detail of our life at every moment and in every place. He knows our needs at all times and in every situation
Read More
Finding Peace
Finding Peace

by Elizabeth George August 06, 2024

Do you have a favorite place that ministers peace to your soul? Years ago, Jim and I had a place we loved to retreat, a pleasant 45-minute drive from our home. What drew us there? Well, there was an expanse of the Pacific Ocean and its never-ceasing surf. We loved to walk along its sandy shore.
Read More