Pray For Others
“Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.”
Acts 12:1-5 NKJV
What a blessing to have people pray for you. To know that someone left their desires and issues and focused on yours is more encouraging than a phone call from a loved one on a bad day. Peter had this experience. Herod arrested him and was planning to kill him like he did James to please the Jews but the Church offered CONSTANT prayers to God for him.
Constant is a keyword in this text. The prayers of the church were not sporadic or seasonal. They didn’t pray for him today and forgot to pray for him tomorrow, every prayer watch Peter was a prayer point. Every opportunity they got they asked God to intervene in the matter of his arrest. They prayed for Peter until he came to the door to knock after his release. They set their personal needs aside and focused on their brother who desperately needed divine intervention.
This is the church that Jesus wants us to be; a church that prays for one another. But every day, most of us grow more selfish with our prayer requests. Our prayer lists are filled with our needs and those of those we benefit from, and there is hardly enough room for God’s people and agenda on the earth.
A Little Here and There
Sometimes we do pray for others. We remember them in our hearts and in that moment we pray and wait for the next time their memory pops up again. They are in a persistent battle but our prayers are inconsistent. We do not continue to offer constant prayers for them until there is a resolution. I have been guilty of this many times than I care to admit.
God is telling us in this season to step out of the comfort zone of our selfish desires, notice our brother’s problems, and devote ourselves as intercessors on their behalf until a change occurs in the situation. God is asking us to be like the early church and offer constant prayers for one another until we see that a miracle has happened. He is asking us to birth his purposes on the surface of the earth by being consistent in the place of prayer until we see His hand. He’s looking for watchmen, He is looking for you and I.
Beloved, God is a house of prayer. You are a house of prayer. The body of Christ is a house of prayer. Let us make that prayer about Him, His people, and His will as much as (or even more) than we make it about ourselves.
Prayer
If you struggle with this like I do sometimes, now is a good time to pray. Say “Father, I ask for grace and strength to uphold my brother and my sister in prayer today. I ask that you would show me who you want me to intercede for this season, in Jesus name”
Shalom
