Have you ever been mid-prayer and realized it’s been a repeat of, “Jesus, help ME…guide ME…restore ME…teach ME…bless ME…”?
While there’s certainly nothing wrong with praying for ourselves, there are so many great benefits to praying for other people.
Like most life-changing and eye-opening lessons in life, I learned this truth on one of my bad days.
Sick and Praying in a Hotel
A few years ago I was sick with a parasite and stuck in a hotel room. I had contracted Giardia while on a mission trip to Haiti and the symptoms kicked in during our flight delay in Florida.
Fortunately it was a short-lived pain and sickness and inconvenience, but through that pain I learned an important lesson.
See, after a while of feeling sorry for myself and asking God to take it away fast, the Holy Spirit led me to transition my prayers to other people.
For the next several hours I rested in bed listening to worship music and prayed for other people in my life. I prayed for my wife, other family members, my church back home, and people I had met in Haiti.
The resulting blessing was incredible!
No, God didn’t take away my sickness instantly. What I got instead was a great sense of peace and rest. It was as if God blessed me with his greater presence in response to loving and crying out for other people.
When life hits you hard, try lifting up other people. Not just on the hard days though, I’d encourage you to make it a prayer life habit.
Jesus Prayed for Others
I think one of the best examples of praying for other people comes directly from Jesus himself: “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:32)
Let’s do likewise.
Want someone to pray for you?
Head over to our prayer page and submit a prayer request. Our church will collectively lift up your need.
