pray for me

"I'll be praying for you!" "You're in my prayers!"

I've often wondered if people actually pray for me when I ask them to. do ever you wonder the same? Are you REALLY praying for what you say you are? I must confess, I haven't always prayed when I said I would. my intention would be to pray, but I would forget. get side tracked. lose focus. the list could. go. on. I've thankfully gotten really good at praying when asked, but it took me some time.

I've written down some ideas on how to combat the forgetfulness of praying for others. these things have helped shape my prayer time immensely! I hope they urge you to do the same.

1.) PRAY RIGHT NOW - stop what you're doing & pray! I know it seems so hard to stop what you're doing with how busy all of us are, but praying can take just a few minutes. we don't have to pray lengthy prayers for God to hear us! I have prayed several times today for my family. this morning, I was texting my sister-in-law in PA & I told her that I would be praying for my brother-in-law. & ya know what? I did it right then! I find it so much easier to stop what I'm doing for a minute or two to lift up a brother or sister in Christ. because if I only prayed at night before I went to sleep, there is the potential that I would be praying for so long. I might even forget to pray for some people. or maybe I'd fall asleep! show of hands for who hasn't been guilty of that before?! hah! later today, my mom texted me to pray for my brother. I prayed out loud the moment I read that text. I even asked Ava to pray for Uncle Josh. again this evening I texted my sister-in-law in Cali to let her know that I had just prayed for her. I believe that it is so important to pray in the moment when someone asks. just 2 weeks ago my sister woke up from a dream & felt God telling her to pray for me! how awesome is that?! sometimes God prompts us to pray without even being asked by the person.

2.) WRITE THEM DOWN - when we write prayers down we can look back at them. ponder them. it will help us to keep the prayers in the forefront of our minds. in our small group, we sometimes write down the prayer requests & send them out mid-week to help us to remember to pray. but we can also look back to the prayers that God has answered! I love love LOVE reading in my journals all the prayers that God has answered from years passed. it is such a faith booster! God is so faithful!

3.) PRAY WITH THEM IN PERSON - if you have time, pray with the person who is asking for prayer. do it right then. simply take their hand. or put your hand on their shoulder. & pray. this could be with a perfect stranger! scary, I know! but God sometimes leads us to pray with people we've never met before. last year while in the OBX I felt God telling me to pray for this girl working at a shop. it was very scary at first, but what's more scary is the consequence if I hadn't listened to God telling me to pray with her.

4.) PRAY WITH THEM OVER THE PHONE - if you're on the phone & someone asks for prayer, don't hang up that phone until you pray with them! {side note --- we don't have to be asked to pray for someone in order to pray with them. if we feel God leading us to pray because of the things the person has said, then go for it!} praying can put your friend or family member at such peace knowing that you have just taken the time to pray with them. I know talking on the phone is somewhat of a past time, but a few minutes of prayer can change someone's life!

5.) PRAY BY ADDING THEM TO A PRAYER BOARD - a prayer board can be whatever you make it. a picture collage on the fridge. a picture collage at the office. people's names written on a board. adding a picture or the name of who you're praying for is a great idea especially when you place it in a room where you will see it daily.

do you have any other ways that help you to remember to pray for others when they ask you? I'd love to hear it! I hope these help you to remember to keep your family, friends, & even strangers in prayer! let's be movers & shakers! people who call on the name of the Lord on behalf of others. people who pray when others don't have the strength too. people who pray even when it's uncomfortable. pray pray pray!! God is listening!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer & petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful & thankful." Colossians 4:2

xoxo
Amanda