Who is praying for you?
- Derek Snyder
- Mar 12, 2010
Does that question sound a bit selfish to you? If so, this article might be just for you. Your probably thinking I should be asking “Who are you praying for?” While praying for people is certainly something scripture calls us to, this past week I was struck by hearing the question asked of me “Who is praying for you?” Fairly quickly I was able to take a guess on that number using one hand, maybe getting to the second hand if I am lucky.
I believe we are missing out on tremendous power if we are not interested in having as many people as possible praying for us. The Apostle Paul in the book of Thessalonians asked of the church twice “Brothers, pray for us.” In the book of Hebrews, he again asked “Pray for us”. These words had previously escaped me many times. When was the last time you asked someone “please pray for me”? Or when was the last time as husband and wife you asked, “Please pray for us”?
You may be thinking right now, “But who would I ask to pray for me?” Well, I have the secret key for you to unlock the answer to this question. That key comes in the form of a word for you to remember, community! That’s right, when we are in community with our fellow believers it is very natural to ask for prayer and to pray for others. A community group is the quickest and easiest way to know that a number of people are praying for you each and every week. In this context it will become evident very quickly that it is not selfish at all to ask people to pray for you. Rather it is absolutely necessary. Soon you will be delighting in the great privilege of being able to ask others to pray for you and you will increase in your prayers for others.
Here are some practical tips to make this easier for you. First of all get in a community group. You cannot wait for the “right” time. Life will always feel busy and it will never be the “right” time. Community groups can begin the practice of emailing a brief prayer request list to its members. Throughout the week others will be reminded to pray for you when they see the email and you can pray for others. Some people take to printing out the list and posting it on their mirror or in their car where they will see it continually. You can create a private Google group to utilize as a prayer board. The practical options are endless but the need to do something is great. So take a few minutes to be “selfish” this week and ask someone to pray for you. And while you’re at it return the favor and ask them how you can be praying for them.
