Do You Need Someone Praying For You?

Imagine being told that someone is fervently praying for you daily. How would that make you feel? Encouraged? Would it give you more strength? Would you be pleased?

Now imagine that someone is praying for more than just a good day for you; more than simply asking God to bless you. Imagine you found out that they were praying boldly for you for something specific and substantial? Would you accept that prayer and the results of what it evokes from God?

Imagine being the Colossians and hearing this:

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. (Colossians 4:12)

Would that encourage you? If it wouldn't for you it sure would for me. Knowing that someone is praying, for the purpose of me standing firm in all of the will of God, would encourage me to rise up to do exactly that. Instead of praying for God to bless my life their prayers are for my maturity and that I would be fully assured of all the promises of God. Now there is a prayer warrior.

We need to start changing the focus of our prayers, to start praying in the wisdom and direction of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit knows what we need better than we do so it is important that we are attentive to his direction and prompting.

We also need consistency in prayer. Jesus told us not to stop until we have received what we are asking for. Of course we are not talking about prayers born out of selfishness but prayers provoked by the Spirit of God in us; prayers directed at the heart of the matter. Not prayers to be polite so that we can say that we prayed but prayers that shake the foundation of the enemies fortress and cause it to crumble.Not prayers that God would hedge people in but that he would strengthen and encourage them for the fight.

It doesn't matter how old you are or if you think you know how to pray or not, you need to pray because there are people who need you to pray. Even if all you start off with is that Jesus would strengthen and encourage them, it is a great place to start. If we saw every Christian, every person who calls on the name of Jesus, begin to pray fervently, believing the promises of Jesus, then we would see some pretty incredible things happening in and through the Church.

Without the Spirit; without prayer, the Church is nothing more than a social gathering for people who want to do good in life but often fail. With prayer and the Spirit we become a force to be reckoned with. Start praying today. If you have no one to pray for then start with me. I need an Epaphras in my life.