Praying Friends
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you... (Colossians1:9)
Thank the Lord for friends who pray! There is no doubt about it; we don’t know who has been praying for us, unless they happen to mention it. That’s what the apostle Paul was doing. His statement was a controlled leak which encouraged the people by praying for them. To hear that someone is praying for us is a powerful, yet humbling blessing. I believe heaven will reveal the power of our prayers for others, as well as the prayers of others for us.
Early in ministry, a great encourager of young ministers, Frank Smith (lovingly known as Pogo) probed into my life’s journey at a retreat in the New Mexico Rocky Mountains. He immediately made you feel at home talking with him.
Because he wanted to know about my favorite subject (me), I was more than willing to share with him. Little did I know how God would use his sensitive probing to challenge my self-absorbed life. I told him everything I had been going through, all of my doubts and rebellion, eventually ending in surrender to the Lord’s will. After I unloaded all of this on him, he asked me a question I will never forget. “Have you ever thought the Lord was about to put you to the side because of your resistance and stubbornness, and look for another vessel to use? Because of the prayers of one of those old saints in your home church praying for you, is He giving you another chance?”
His probing rocked my soul. Still to this day, decades later, I can’t help but think he was right! And…one day, when I get to Glory, I will have the privilege of seeing face to face, those who prayed for me. The ministry of intercession is not for a privileged few, but for each of us who are known and called by His name. Choose this day to be a person on the “have not stopped praying for you” team. Do you have that person in mind right now? Pray intensely for this person today. Now, pray…and don’t stop!
Thank the Lord for friends who pray! There is no doubt about it; we don’t know who has been praying for us, unless they happen to mention it. That’s what the apostle Paul was doing. His statement was a controlled leak which encouraged the people by praying for them. To hear that someone is praying for us is a powerful, yet humbling blessing. I believe heaven will reveal the power of our prayers for others, as well as the prayers of others for us.
Early in ministry, a great encourager of young ministers, Frank Smith (lovingly known as Pogo) probed into my life’s journey at a retreat in the New Mexico Rocky Mountains. He immediately made you feel at home talking with him.
Because he wanted to know about my favorite subject (me), I was more than willing to share with him. Little did I know how God would use his sensitive probing to challenge my self-absorbed life. I told him everything I had been going through, all of my doubts and rebellion, eventually ending in surrender to the Lord’s will. After I unloaded all of this on him, he asked me a question I will never forget. “Have you ever thought the Lord was about to put you to the side because of your resistance and stubbornness, and look for another vessel to use? Because of the prayers of one of those old saints in your home church praying for you, is He giving you another chance?”
His probing rocked my soul. Still to this day, decades later, I can’t help but think he was right! And…one day, when I get to Glory, I will have the privilege of seeing face to face, those who prayed for me. The ministry of intercession is not for a privileged few, but for each of us who are known and called by His name. Choose this day to be a person on the “have not stopped praying for you” team. Do you have that person in mind right now? Pray intensely for this person today. Now, pray…and don’t stop!
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2 Comments
I have prayer warrior friends and we pray for each others prayer requests all the time. And I am surrounded by other Christians who pray for others, too. And who knows. There are many to pray for
I am so blessed knowing someone is praying for me and it's an a blessing to pray for others
Ephesians 1:15-16, "For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers." (NIV)