I don’t know if it is just in my specific environment but I see a lot of people that are suffering. Everybody does not suffer the same way; some are old, some are sick, some are lonely and others are financially crippled.
As a Christian my heart bleeds for these people and I want to jump in and help, but I have to be honest, there is only so much I can do. I can only do so much…
But my Father in Heaven…
James 5:16 (NIV) – 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.
… pray for each other so that you may be healed…
(I’m shying away from, confess your sins to each other, because I would like to focus on prayer.)
That verse is ambiguous in who exactly is healed AND what is healed. All the commentaries, notes and Bible studies I sourced for this piece agreed that this type of prayer heals in physical and spiritual realms. Secondly, there is no contention that this type of prayer heals the persons praying as well as the people being prayed for.
Praying for one another is powerful, very powerful. If we can get a few righteous people to agree on something and we pray together God heals us and the people we pray for in every possible way.
All of a sudden this scripture seems different somehow, it has a different feeling, more powerful…
Galatians 6:2 (NIV) – Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
If we then pray for one another, we fulfill another instruction from God. I’m becoming aware that praying for one another should not be the exception, it should be the rule.
But what if we don’t know what someone else needs?
Romans 8:26 (NIV) – In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
So we can pray for people we hardly know, and we can ask that God provides what they need without us knowing what they need, and He will provide it.
Philippians 4:6 (NIV) – Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
1 John 5:14 (NIV) – This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
Matthew 18:19 (NIV) – “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
Wow… Present requests, He hears us, anything they ask for… it will be done
We can ask that only God’s Will be present in peoples lives, that external influences or anything that does not come from God is removed, that request will be granted 100% guarantee…
John 16:23-24 (NIV) – In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) – And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) – Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) – Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Let Us Pray!
Our Father in Heaven
We approach you in the name Jesus our redeemer
We thank you with all our hearts for the salvation that You have provided us through Your Son Jesus Christ.
We thank you for this life You have granted us, for all we have and all we have received, we thank You, God.
We thank you for the unseen goodness and Grace that You bestow on us every day.
Glory to Your holy name; let the hearts of those who seek You rejoice.
Praise the Lord, all people on earth, praise His glory and might.
Praise God for his glorious grace, He rescues the oppressed from the power of evil.
You, God, are our God, we earnestly seek You; we thirst for You, our being longs for You.
Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
Father, we confess our sin to you and did not cover up our iniquity and we lay it at your feet.
You are our Almighty God and through the Blood of Jesus, You forgive the guilt of our sin in accordance with the riches of Your Grace. As far as the east is from the west, so far You remove our transgressions from us.
Father, we come before you in accordance with Your Word and we ask that with the help of the Holy Spirit, that You hear our requests.
We pray for every child of God, that they may receive protection from evil, that they receive strength and the joy of Your love.
Father we bring before you the sick, infirm, the helpless, the weak and the unhealthy, we ask that You move Your hand over them and provide them with Your healing power and remove any contribution to that sickness from evil.
Father, we place before you our children, both born and yet to be born. We ask that you accept them into Your kingdom, and we ask that You lead them to your path as soon as possible, and we ask for Your guidance an love in their lives.
Father, we place before you our leaders, irrespective of their status, origin or belief and we ask God that you keep Your hand on them, that You guide them and that they will come to know and acknowledge You.
Father, we ask that those that are wanting in earthly goods, that You would provide them with enough to allow them to acknowledge to praise Your wonderful Name.
Father, we ask that you give strength and clear guidance to our churches, church leaders and that You bless everyone that carries Your word to another.
Father, we ask that You intervene in families. We ask that You strengthen marriages, that You show children how to respect their parents and help parents to raise these children according to Your Word.
Father, we ask that You spend time with all the people that join us in this prayer. We ask that You bring a significant change and deepening of the spirit and dramatic healing of the body of all who used this opportunity to approach You.
Father, we ask that this prayer will be shared among Your children. We ask that the Holy Spirit adds that which is missing from the prayer, we ask that You Almighty God hears this prayer with a song in Your heart, because You know it is the prayer of Your earnest, faithful, and righteous children.
We believe that we, and all the people that we have included in this prayer, will receive that which we asked of You Almighty God.
We would like to that You God for Your love, Your Word and Your Grace.
Amen
Please share this prayer with your brothers and sisters. As the Scriptures show, the more people pray in unison, the more powerful the prayer becomes for everybody.
First published at https://discoveringgod491609808.wordpress.com/2019/05/14/prayer-for-others/
Anton van den Berg is a normal person. I have no specialized theological training but I have led a life of hard and tough lessons. Like silver, I had to be taken to the furnace to get rid of a lot of impurities. In that process, I have learned to let certain things go, and to attach to other values. These posts represent some of the pivotal growth-moments in that journey. I hope that it would assist you on your journey in some way. May God Almighty, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit be with you.