Why is it so hard at times to ask others to pray for us? This devotion looks at the benefits we get when God’s family prays for each other.
Nuggets
- What Paul was praying for was that God’s name be glorified by His kingdom being expanded.
- We have to be willing to work through the tough times as well as the good times.
- Everything we do is by God’s Will.
- He wanted his readers to know not only peace but also the God of peace.
Sometimes, it is hard for us to ask for prayers. The reason may vary.
If we are battling some temptation, we may not want others to know how we are battling that sin. We may not want them to think we are bad.
We may think that it isn’t a bad enough sin for others to mess with including in their prayers. God has a whole lot more important things to worry about than this.
Maybe we just don’t want other people sticking their prayers into our business. That would mean we would have to build a relationship with then.
Paul wasn’t that way. He actively sought the prayers of others. Let’s take a look.
Appeal
“Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in prayers to God on my behalf” (Rom. 15: 30 CSB)
We can gain a couple of things from Romans 15: 30.
Now I appeal to you: Yes, this was God’s go-to man in growing the early church, but he wanted help. He needed help. Paul once gave us a list of trials he went through on behalf of his mission (II Cor. 11: 22-29).
through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of these Spirit: The success of his mission depended on the support and intervention of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Spurgeon wrote, “If the Spirit of God has indeed loved you and proved it by quickening and sanctifying you; if He has created a love in you, which is stronger than mere natural affection, then pray for me.” Also, whatever Paul did was meant to honor Jesus. We are to obey through love.
to strive together: Paul knew that we were all in this together. Spreading the gospel to all people in the world (Mt. 24: 14) is going to take all of us doing our parts. Even though others might not be physically present to take part in the mission, they can join the ministry through prayer.
with me in prayers to God on my behalf: Paul was God’s Energizer Bunny, but he was still just a man. He wanted them to pray for his protection. He knew he would be facing another one where he would loose his life. He wanted strength to stand firm.
Paul wasn’t praying for prosperity. He wasn’t even praying for happiness.
What Paul was praying for was that God’s name be glorified by His kingdom being expanded.
Rescue
“Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea, that my ministry to Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints” (Rom. 15: 31 CSB)
Sometimes, God tells us what is going to happen to us. Sometimes, He doesn’t.
We have to be willing to work through the tough times as well as the good times. We have to always be willing to lose our lives in His name. We should want to obey and lose our lives rather than disobey and keep it.
That being said, God doesn’t expect us not to protect ourselves. We shouldn’t court danger and not fight back when we find it.
We have to consider our reception by non-believers. They may ignore us. They may attack us. Plus, we know Jesus said an end-time sign would be increased persecution for the church.
We have got to listen to God and obey. He will work His plan for our lives.
Paul said here that he was accountable not only to God but also to the saints. Our ministry should not promote division. This is added when we are praying for each other. Their prayers for us helps them play a part in our ministry, giving them a vested interest.
God’s Will
“and that, by God’s will, I may come to you with joy and be refreshed together with you” (Rom. 15: 32 CSB)
Everything we do is by God’s Will. Hebditch defined God’s Will as “… that which He sees best to be done, or to be, for all creatures.”
God may not be the cause of something happening to us, but He allows it to happen. “The LORD has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster” (Prov. 16: 4 NLT).
Let’s face it. Sometimes, our will is going to line up with God’s Will. Sometimes, it isn’t. That is what happened to Paul.
“Since I was so sure of your understanding and trust, I wanted to give you a double blessing by visiting you twice — first on my way to Macedonia and again when I returned from Macedonia. Then you could send me on my way to Judea. You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make my plans carelessly? Do you think I am like people of the world who say ‘Yes’ when they really mean ‘No’? As surely as God is faithful, our word to you does not waver between ‘Yes’ and ‘No’” (II Cor. 1: 15-18 NLT).
Paul had even started the letter to the Romans saying he had long wanted to visit the church in Rome. God had other plans.
Sometimes, we may be a little fuzzy on what God’s Will is for our lives. We may think we don’t have the pillar of cloud and fire to guide us as the Wilderness Wanderers did. “The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people” (Ex. 13: 21-22 NLT).
Hebditch argued we do have a guidance system. He wrote, “Let a man do three things — clear his heart of self-will; use his best judgment, aided by counsel; and pray.”
Still, when we are doing God’s Will, there are times when we get overwhelmed. We feel like we could use some joy and refreshment.
We can get that from God. Burn told us how.
- Prayer
- Hearing
- Reading
- Singing
- Partaking of the Lord’s Supper
- Christian fellowship
Jesus didn’t want us to be weary. He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11: 28 NIV).
I liked this translation. Some say those who labor (ESV, KJV, NKJV). We can get drug down by more than just work. A lot of times our minds are working overtime and make us weary.
We can take anything to Jesus. He will give us peace.
Peace
“May the God of peace be with all of you. Amen” (Rom. 15: 33 CSB)
Paul may have been focusing on getting prayers for himself, but he ends with blessings on his readers. He wanted his readers to know not only peace but also the God of peace. “For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility” (Eph. 2: 14 RSV).
Isaiah also knew that God would extend that peace to us. “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (Isa. 26: 3 NLT).
So, while we are laboring doing God’s Will, while we let our minds go zero to 90 in 0.3 seconds, and while we are waiting to be rescued, we can have peace. It is God’s nature and purpose.
Support in the form of prayers from fellow disciples helps to give us peace. When Adam was young, I met a former missionary. Fast forward a couple of years, and she and I were attending the same church. She told me that she had prayed for me every day since we had met because she had seen a need in my life.
Do you know how many times I thought of that when I was going through a particularly tough struggle? “It is going to be okay today because she is praying for me.”
Making the Connections
Paul knew that we have to minister out of love. We can’t do it on our own, so we must be dependent upon God. It helps when we have others praying for us.
But doing God’s Will is exciting! We have a purpose that brings us fulfillment and peace.
How Do We Apply This?
I remember when Mom got cancer, one of the hardest things was letting people do for her. But she said something that always stuck with me. She said, “If I don’t let them do something for me, they won’t get their blessing.”
We may be private individuals, but we are also part of the family of God. That means building relationships and supporting each other. What better way to show that support than for praying for each other?
All we do should promote unity, not division. Unfortunately, human nature is in us, so the divisions do come. We have to watch how we handle those times because the worldview people are watching.
We have to remember that God’s Will is that we obey His laws and commandments. We need to focus on our eternal life, not this life. To find how that specifically translate to our lives, we must seek God.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11).
How do we find God’s peace? Isaiah told us how. “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (Isa. 26: 3 NLT).
We have to trust God. Trust is confidence that the promises of God are true.
We have to fix our thoughts on God. If we are focusing on Him, we are not focusing on the chaos of this world.
God wants us to be part of the family. He wants us to be familiar enough with each other that we are comfortable enough to ask for prayer from each other. That will promote peace in our lives.
Father. You are the God of peace. Help us to find that peace in You. Help us to be a family so that we may support each other. We lift up all of our family, asking that You grow them to be more like You. We pray that You will give them Your peace in these troubled times. Most of all, we pray that the family will be expanded as new believers find life in You. Help us to minister them them in whatever way You have called. Amen.
What do you think?
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