The Encouragement of Prayer - Being Prayed For As Well As Praying For Others

“Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints”
(Ephesians 6:18).

Recently I had a particularly grueling time battling a migraine for four days. I had been trying to remain faithful and focused on the positive but was losing ground.  Then God blessed me with some wonderful encouragement from other believers.

I received a text message from someone I had not heard from in a while, saying she was praying for me.  I received an email from someone else I had not heard from recently, updating me on her life and saying she was praying for me, and I received a phone call from another friend. This support gave me the strength I needed to keep fighting the good fight until that particular battle was over.  Of course this does not happen every time I am in a crisis, but knowing that others are lifting me up in prayer, even occasionally, is a great encouragement and reminds me I am not alone in my struggles.

A few people have told me that they want to pray for others but they have difficulty staying focused. I face the same problem and was becoming frustrated, but I realized I needed to be realistic in my expectations.  Although it would be wonderful to have in-depth prayer times for others, including praying specific Scriptures for their needs, that may not be possible for me.  Yet whenever the Holy Spirit brings someone to mind, I can take a minute or two and lift them up in prayer. God already knows their needs and He knows my mental and physical limitations as well. 

We may never know the total impact of our prayers until eternity, but we can be sure that as we pray for one another, we are participating with God in accomplishing His divine purposes - in their lives as well as ours.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank you that we can freely come before Your throne in prayer.  Lord Jesus, just as You are interceding for us before the Father, strengthen us to intercede for others even in our own weaknesses.  Amen.