Praying for Others I

Praying for Others I

1 Tim. 2:1-8

Prayer is designed to be a relationship building tool; one way of involvement with others in a most meaningful exercise. Praying for others allows us to transport their needs and interests to the throne of God. Such intercessory prayer will positively affect the lives of the people we faithfully pray for, and our very own hearts and attitudes will be gracefully influenced, adjusted, and corrected as well. Through the exercise of intercessory prayer, we will also experience the peace, and quietness God promised.   

We Live in a World That Is Grossly Preoccupied with Special and Unique Interests. On the national and international levels, various special interest groups push for public acceptance of their particular agenda (Wiersbe). The same attitudes are prevalent on the local level where again the typical individual cares about their lane, stuff, project, or benefit. The “what’s in it for me” mind-set is at epidemic levels with the frightful potential of infecting every aspect of our society. This unfavorably translates into people’s concerns for their life, their families, their jobs, their hobbies, and perhaps their favorite sports team. Unfortunately, even Christians are so caught up in their local church they have no vision for planting new ones. Other Believers are exclusively focused on a singular department or area of ministry within their church (Wiersbe). These folks never give the others a second thought!

The Lord Wants Us to Have a General, but Sincere Concern for the Interests of Fellow Christians. “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philip. 2:4). Yes, this is part of good stewardship over areas and obligations committed to us, but Paul cautions us. We are warned to refrain from viewing our personal activities and ministries as our only focal point in life. Becoming too narrowly preoccupied with our own things can cause conflicts and other relational problems (James 4:1-3). Instead, God desires for us to have a serious and caring involvement in some of the interests of others. One way this transpires is by taking our eyes off ourselves and our concerns far more frequently. The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy encouraging him and the church at Ephesus to do just this very thing through the ministry of prayer. How can we start a personal prayer ministry focused on others?

I.                   Adopt a Ministry of Praying for Others (1Tim 2:1).

Look again at Paul’s counsel in 1 Tim 2:1, I exhort [strong urgent encouragement] therefore, that, first of all [main priority], supplications, prayers…. Immediately we are impressed with the “urgency” and “priority” placed on prayer in the Worship of the assembly, as many others have observed.

A.     Make Prayer a High Priority.

1.      Prayer Should Be A Top Priority In Our Lives And Ministries (2:1a).

a.                  Paul placed primary importance on prayer; thus he addressed this issue first of all.

b.                  1 Tim 2:1, I exhort [strong urgent encouragement] therefore, that, first of all [main priority], supplications [earnest pleadings for needs], prayers [general requests–public or private], intercessions [confident conversation with God and requests for others], and giving of thanks [pouring out growing measures of gratitude to God], be made for all men;

c.                   You must schedule a time to pray for others and discipline yourself to do it.

i.         Designate a time. It could be at mid-day or on odd days of the week in the mornings. Remember it takes 21 to 40 days to establish a habit. Schedule it in!

ii.       Getting Prayer Lists From Newspaper

Bruce Johnson tells a story revealing his grandmother’s prayer priorities. “My grandmother had prayed first thing in the morning ever since she was a girl. But recently she has been reading the newspaper first, so I asked if prayer had become less important to her.
“Oh, no,” she said, “I’m just looking to see what I should pray about.”—Bruce C. Johnson

iii.      Use a prayer list to remind yourself of prayer requests you have been given.

a.       Pray for your spouse and family (spiritually, intellectually, socially, emotionally, vocationally, ministerially, and physically).

b.      Pray for your ministry for the Lord—fruitfulness, influence.

c.       Pray for work challenges and interests.

d.      Pray over your Church Prayer List & the Pastor, his family, and the Missionaries, their families, their work.

d.                  Priority Claim In Invitations

Someone asked Emily Post, “What is the correct procedure when one is invited to the White House and has a previous engagement?” She answered, “An invitation to lunch or dinner at the White House is a command, and automatically cancels any other engagement.” The Christian should have a daily engagement—with priority claim over everything—to meet the Lord in the secret place. —Good News Broadcaster 

2.      Prayer is to be a High Priority in The Public Worship of the Church—“First Of All”.

a.                  Paul began with what he considered most important: prayer. What too often comes last in a church’s priorities should actually come first. —Walvoord

b.                  It is sad to see how prayer has lost importance in many churches.  One pastor said, “If I announce a banquet, people will come out of the woodwork to attend. But if I announce a prayer meeting, I’m lucky if the ushers show up!” (Wiersbe)

c.                   The late Peter Deyneka, Sr., founder of the Slavic Gospel Association, often said: “Much prayer, much power! No prayer, no power!” (Wiersbe)

3.      Prayer Should Be Viewed as an Essential Duty of Every Believer.

a.                  Intercessory prayer is our duty; when Paul says “I exhort,” he speaks by Divine command.

b.                  The Holy Spirit works in the church through prayer and the Word of God (1 Thess. 2:13; Eph. 3:20-21). The church that prays will have power and will make a lasting impact for Christ.

4. Praying for Others Reveals a Believer’s Maturity and Convictions.

a.                  When we implore God on behalf of others, we recognize Him as the Source of power, authority, provisions, mercy and grace. The appeals we make to our Heavenly Father imply our conviction that He is the Preserver and the Supporter from whom all assistance originates.

b.                  But prayer for others is also an act of Christian charity. We cannot voluntarily exercise this duty except in the spirit of godly love.

B.     Recognize the Grand Scope of Prayer (2:1b).

Note the expansive scope of prayer—we can come to God with requests, needs, and desires for ourselves and for others.

1.      Make Supplications—this is “offering a request for a felt need” says, Wiersbe.

2.      Offer Prayers—all kinds of reverent approaches to God; this emphasizes the sacredness of prayer. (Wiersbe)

                                                a.      How Praying Hyde Prayed

Dr. Wilbur Chapman wrote to a friend: I have learned some great lessons concerning prayer. At one of our missions in England the audience was exceedingly small; but I received a note saying that an American missionary was going to pray for God’s blessing down on our work. He was known as Praying Hyde. Almost instantly the tide turned. The hall became packed, and at my first invitation fifty men accepted Christ as their Saviour. As we were leaving I said, “Mr. Hyde, I want you to pray for me.”He came to my room, turned the key in the door, and dropped on his knees, and waited five minutes without a single syllable coming from his lips. I could hear my own heart thumping, and his beating. I felt hot tears running down my face. I knew I was with God. Then, with upturned face, while the tears were streaming down, he said, “O God.” Then for five minutes at least he was still again; and then, when he knew that he was talking with God there came from the depths of his heart such petitions for me as I had never heard before. I rose from my knees to know what real prayer was. We believe that prayer is mighty and we believe it as we never did before. —Gospel Herald

                                                b.      Reverence God in the Routine of Prayer. Though we offer prayers daily, we must insist on regarding it as a sacred exercise because we approach a mighty and awesome God! We can still come “boldly” yet respectfully unto the “throne of Grace” (Heb. 4:16).

3.      Practice Giving of thanks—this is definitely a part of worship in prayer.

                                                a.      But often we forget to give thanks. Naturally, we are unthankful; genuine gratitude must be cultivated under the Spirit’s training and through adherence to the Word.

                                                b.      Lesson From A Beggar

There was once a good king in Spain called Alfonso XII. Now it came to the ears of this king that the pages at his court forgot to ask God’s blessing on their daily meals, and he determined to rebuke them. He invited them to a banquet which they all attended. The table was spread with every kind of good thing, and the boys ate with evident relish; but none of them remembered to ask God’s blessing on the food.
During the feast a beggar entered, dirty and ill-clad. He seated himself at the royal table and ate and drank to his heart’s content. At first the pages were amazed, and they expected that the king would order him away. But Alfonso said never a word. When the beggar had finished he rose and left without a word of thanks. Then the boys could keep silence no longer. “What a despicably mean fellow!” they cried.
But the king silenced them, and in clear, calm tones he said, “Boys, bolder and more audacious than this beggar have you all been. Every day you sit down to a table supplied by the bounty of your Heavenly Father, yet you ask not His blessing nor express to Him your gratitude.”—James Hastings

                                                 c.      Insist that your prayers always include thanksgiving.

                                                d.      Read these brilliant passages on prayer and thankfulness to cultivate this value and deepen this conviction, (Eph. 1:15-16; Phil. 1:3-6; 4:6; Rom. 1:8-10).

                                                e.      Thank You Prayer Is Illegal

The Supreme Court in 1963 banned prayers in public schools. The following prayer by kindergarten children was declared illegal:We thank you for the flowers so sweet;We thank you for the food we eat;We thank you for the birds that sing;We thank you God for everything.George Washington’s final remarks to the nation in 1796 should be widely publicized. He said, “Of all the habits that lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would men claim the tributes of patriotism who would work to destroy these great pillars of human happiness.” –Paul Lee Tan  

4.      Engage in Intercessions, which refers to “petitions.”

                                                a.      Intercessions describe appeals to God as our Superior for another person or group.

                                                b.      The basic meaning is “to draw near to a person and converse confidently with him.” (Wiersbe)

                                                                     i.            It suggests that we enjoy fellowship with God so that we may have confidence in Him as we pray.

                                                                   ii.            Nothing which equals the ability of intercessory prayer to dispel irritation, to excite compassion, to restrain envy and revenge, and to calm every kind of chaotic or destructive passion.

                                                 c.      The Bible clearly calls us to pray for others.

                                                                     i.            Ephes. 1:16, Ephes. 6:18-19; these passages advocate selfless involvement in the lives of others by means of prayer.

                                                                   ii.            Philip. 1:4, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

                                                d.      The Need for Diligent Intercessory Prayer is Great!

                                                                     i.            Since we live in a sinful world, which is separated from God, it is vital, for God’s righteous people to cry out to Him for the salvation of sinners who are racing at a brake-neck speed toward Hell.

                                                                   ii.            Since we live in a world of hurting people with weighty needs, we must excel and persevere in this ministry of intercession.

5.      A minister was praying at the bedside of a dying woman. "Wait a moment," she said, as he started to rise from his knees. "I want to pray for you." Very tenderly she prayed with her hands upon his head. "For ten years, ever since you became my pastor, I have offered that prayer for you every morning and night," she told him. The minister went away with tears in his eyes and a strange warmth in his heart. He had known that this woman was sweet-spirited and true, but he had never guessed that he had a place in her prayers day and night. "I wonder how many of my six hundred members pray for me," he asked himself. Let us remember others in our prayers even as we want others to remember us. (Source Unknown)