Pray for Someone Else

Prayer can easily become a list of the things we need.

Help me with this decision. Give me strength for this problem. Guide me through what lies ahead.

There is nothing wrong with bringing our own needs before God. But prayer also gives us an opportunity to turn our attention away from ourselves.

Think about the people around you.

A Brother may be carrying something he hasn’t spoken about. A friend may be worried about his family. A neighbor may be facing a difficult decision. Someone you love may simply need strength for a day you know will be hard.

You don’t have to know exactly what to ask for.

Sometimes it is enough simply to place that person’s name before God and say:

“Be with him today.”

And perhaps there’s another lesson in that.

When we regularly pray for other people, we may begin to notice them differently. Their burdens become a little harder to overlook. Their victories become easier to celebrate. Their needs become more difficult to walk past.

Prayer can change more than the person we’re praying for.

It can change the man doing the praying.

Today’s Work:
Choose one person and pray for him or her by name today.

Don’t tell them you did it. Don’t expect anything in return.

Simply carry someone else’s needs into your prayer.

Tonight, ask yourself:

Did praying for someone else change the way I thought about them today?

Masonry works when it’s done daily.

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