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October 04, 2020
by Pastor Chuck SwindollScriptures: Ephesians 6:19–20
IF WE HAD THE unusual opportunity to spend a day talking to the apostles, men like Paul, Peter, James, and John, I think they'd emphasize an oft-spoken discipline-but one that's rarely deployed in our lives: praying for others.
IF WE HAD THE unusual opportunity to spend a day talking to the apostles,
men like Paul, Peter, James, and John, I think they'd emphasize an
oft-spoken discipline—but one that's rarely deployed in our lives: praying
for others.
Most things in our lives conspire against such a commitment to prayer. Our
busy schedules, our intense desire to give our kids the best education and
life experiences, and simply forgetfulness.
Yet praying for God's people was forefront on the minds of the apostles in
the early church. They counted on it from those they served.
Dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord's
message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when
it came to you. Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil
people, for not everyone is a believer.
2 THESSALONIANS 3:1–2
Here's another exhortation from Paul:
Pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly
explain God's mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles
alike. I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God's
ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I
should.
EPHESIANS 6:19–20
Ever wonder how to pray for pastors who have been arrested for their faith?
You just read it. Don't delay. Start praying that prayer immediately.
Start with a list . . . actual names of people and, in parentheses, you
might write at least one need you are aware of. Be specific. Include in
that list your pastors and their families. Missionaries who serve in
cross-cultural locations—many in perilous places of the world. Pray for
persecuted Christians in the Middle East and Asia. Pray for your neighbors,
your kids' friends, and their families. Make praying for others a high
priority. You will join the mission of God and participate in unleashing
God's mighty power in their lives.