I have been praying for my new coworkers this month, one by one. I have wanted to do this consistently in all my jobs but never really did. I think this time is different because this job is such an answer to prayer. I’m so grateful that I am praying for this team and their private and public success.
A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.Proverbs 17:17
They may not be in the category of friends yet, but the same principle applies. We should pray for those in our wider circle, especially when they face adversity.
Therefore confess your sins to each other
and pray for each other
so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous person
is powerful and effective.James 5:16
I have always taken this verse as a call to arms and a free license to pray lavishly for other people because there is a promise attached to it: you yourself will be healed, and this particular prayer is powerful and effective.
Win, win.
I also think about how much fewer problems would be in the church if we (myself included) prayed for each other more. All our burdens would be shared, which is the promise of Christ, to bear one another burdens. Granted people don’t always want to open up about what they are going through, but we can pray generally for them and cover all the bases. If they are human, it’s a sure bet that something is burdening them:
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
Lift Where You Stand
Speaking of coworkers, one of mine recently shared with me the concept of “lift where you stand.” It means carrying and working on the section directly in your sphere of influence.
It’s perfectly exemplified in this video of how the Amish move a barn. Everyone literally lifts the section of the barn where they are standing!
Here are some ways to lift where you stand and carry the burden of others around you so that you might be healed and have your own effective prayer.
How to Pray for Your Friends
Thank God for their lives
Pray for protection
Pray for good health (mental, physical)
Pray for wisdom over finances
Pray for their occupation or the search for one
Pray for wisdom over parenting
Pray for their marriage or, if single, their hope for marriage or flourishing in singleness.
Pray that they will either come to know the Lord or grow in their faith
Finally, pray that God will bless them and lead them into his will
To start, you can write a list of 30 friends/coworkers and pray over each one daily for a month, then rinse and repeat.
I’m of the opinion that while not favoring anyone in the body of Christ, God does listen intently to those who pray for others because it’s so hard to do. It’s also much easier to have faith on behalf of others than faith in yourself, like the paralytic’s friends who lowered him down to be healed by Jesus.
We would all rather pray for our immediate needs and problems. But what if you took time to pray for a friend or even a stranger? Someone you saw at the grocery store? A nameless human who you discerned through the Holy Spirit was going through difficulty. We could impact the world around us if we did this consistently—whatever that looks like for you.
Dear Jesus,
Help us be better friends to our friends.
Give us insight into their struggles
that we might help bear the load.
Give us strength, urgency, and desire
to pray for our brothers and sisters,
whom you love dearly
Amen.