It pains me to say that I’ve been more of a beneficiary of others praying for me and my family than my interceding on the behalf of others. It isn’t that I don’t care for others or am not interested in seeing God work in their lives, it’s just that I often fail to follow up on my own commitment to pray for them or their particular need. I don’t write it down, I get so engrossed in my own particular problems or sin, or I just become too darn lazy. In all honesty, it is probably a little bit of each of those and a lot of other stuff not even mentioned. In short, my prayer life reflects the state of my heart at the time – either inward or outward focused.
What I’ve learned from observing and listening to others is that by continually praying for me, they become personally invested in my life. They wake up in the middle of the night to talk to God about me, or they pray for our family during their dinner-time prayer. When they see a blog post or a Facebook status update that indicates things are not going well or things are on an upswing, they stop and bring that before God at that very moment. When I’m talking with someone over the phone, they’ll pray with me before hanging up. I’ll get emails from people asking how I’m doing – they are proactive with regards to matters in my life. How cool is that?
What I’ve learned from these dear friends is that they set aside their own agenda and become a lover of people rather than a lover of self. That love of people comes from being a lover of God and His Word, and it is the Holy Spirit accomplishing that work.
Let’s you and I strive to become lovers of people by becoming a lover of God, thus caring enough for people that we desire to pray for them.
