More thoughts on prayer today!
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should....Epaphras is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. Colossians 4:2-4, 12
From my Life Application Bible...
Have you ever grown tired of praying for something or someone? Paul says we should "devote" ourselves to prayer and be "watchful" in prayer. Our persistence is an expression of our faith that God answers our prayers. Faith shouldn't die if the answers come slowly, for the delay may be God's way of working his will in our lives. When you feel tired of praying, know that God is present, always listening, always answering - maybe not in ways you had hoped, but in ways that he knows are best....
Paul asked for prayer that he could proclaim the Good News about Christ clearly, and we can request prayer to do the same. No matter what approach to evangelism we use, whether emphasizing lifestyle and example or whether building relationships, we should never obscure the message of the gospel.
More things to add to our list of how to pray for people!
Pray for...
a watchful spirit.
a thankful heart.
God to bring people across their paths with souls receptive to the Good News
the ability to proclaim the Truth clearly
wisdom in relationships
graciousness
knowledge and insight to help us share the gospel accurately
Combined with the points from the other day, this is getting to be quite the list!
Tomorrow's passage: Jeremiah 25, 45-46, Hebrews 1
1 comment:
I think, really, if we're really concentrating on prayer ~ WRESTLING, like Epaphras did ~ it's not that hard to come up with things to say, even on behalf of people we don't know very well. I have sometimes told God I'm not sure what to ask for someone and asked Him to place a request on my heart for that person. You know what's really cool? That works!!
I didn't receive this vision in a dream or anything like that, but in one case in particular, I started praying about something a little more specific, and then a few months later, in talking about this person with someone else, I discovered my prayers had been answered!!!
Another thing I've noticed as I've been praying for my extended family over the last year is that a lot of the things I pray for others about, are essentially the same things I'm praying for myself. Christians and non-Christians alike, I seem to share something in common with virtually every single one! I think that has done a lot to make me feel closer and care more for the ones I don't know well and/or haven't seen for a long time. And caring more about people leads to more meaningful intercession.
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