Not For Ourselves

Scripture

Most of all, I'm writing to encourage you to pray with gratitude to God. Pray for all men with all forms of prayers and requests as you intercede with intense passion. And pray for every king and magistrate, so that we would be able to live tranquil, undisturbed lives, as we worship the awe-inspiring God with pure hearts. It is pleasing to our Savior-God to pray for them. -2 Timothy 2:1-3

As we mature in Christ, our hearts will begin to shift from looking inward to those around us. As we take on the nature of Christ, we'll begin to think the way He feels and love the way He loves. Compassion for humanity will swell in our hearts. We'll begin to understand that part of our calling as believers is to bear one another up in love. This includes praying for them. When we go to God on behalf of someone else, we are displaying his heart for humanity. Do we love people enough to pray for them? How many times have we told someone, "I'll pray for you," and forgotten to pray for them because of our busy schedules? 

When we make praying for others a priority, it pleases God. He desires that all would be saved, and it is not in His design that people get bogged down with troubles and trials. His design is that people would walk in victory over their situations. We are also called to pray for those in leadership. We can pray that God guides their leadership in the decisions that they make that affect our lives. Our intervention in prayer for world leaders can shift the climate for nations. Paul encourages Timothy to continue in prayer because prayer is effective. The scripture says that the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much. This means that if we continue in prayer for those around us, those prayers will eventually be answered. 

Every time we receive an answer to the prayers we've prayed ought to be encouragement to continue in this call. Prayer is a necessary, yet fundamental practice for all believers. The purpose of prayer is to enable believers to live out their faith in peace and holiness. Keep praying, Beloved.

Prayer

Father, we come before you today desiring to make prayer a cornerstone of our lives. Help us to be devoted to prayer, to be watchful and thankful in our prayer life, and to find joy and strength in communing with you. Grant us the discipline and the desire to make time for prayer, even when life is busy or challenging. Amen