God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.
Romans 1: 9 (NLT)
Scripture: Romans 1: 1-17
There is so much division in the world today. Believers are supposed to be unified under God. This devotion looks at one way that unification occurs – believer praying for other believers.
Nuggets
- Jesus starting to build a community of believers during His ministry.
- Prayer is not only a form of worship, but it also unites the community of believers as they pray for each other.
- We are to pray for each other, even if we do not know each other.
- We should pray for their spiritual as well as physical needs.
- If God does not answer our prayers, we should react in peace.
Paul was the consummate preacher. He had a love and concern for fellow believers — even does he have not met previously.
Case in point. When Paul wrote his letter to the Roman believers, he had not met them yet. Yet, he tells them that he prays often for them.
We can learn a lot from Paul’s example. Let’s take a look first at believers during that time.
Let's Put It into Context
Jesus Began a Community
When my ladies and I were studying the Gospel of Mark a while back, around Chapter 6 we saw where Jesus was starting to build a community. Now, He didn’t call it a church.
Jesus probably thought of them as followers first. Then they morphed into students (Jn. 13: 13). “I do not call you servants any longer, because servants do not know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because I have told you everything I heard from my Father” (Jn. 15: 15 GNT). They finally became friends.
What Jesus’ followers became was a community. “They would sell their property and possessions and give the money to whoever was in need” (Ac. 2: 45 CEV). They were a cohesive group.
From this, we can see the love they felt for each other. We can see them stepping in to help when needed and creating their version of the Three Musketeers slogan: one for all and all for one.
Prayer Is a Form of Worship
Prayer is a big part of our worship. “… Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God” (Ac. 10: 4 NASB). This is where we talk to an unseen God.
Let’s look at verse 9 in another translation. “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers” (Rom. 1: 9 KJV). Paul serves God in the spirit. That would include prayer.
I can just hear Paul lifting a prayer to God. The love and obedience would just pour out. This wouldn’t be a formal prayer. It would be a heart-felt conversation with his Lord.
Paul served God in any way He required. This included his devotion time as well as corporate worship. He took Jesus’ commandment to love one another to heart (Jn. 13: 34).
Praying for Others
As part of the family of God, we should remember our fellow believers in prayer. The churchy term is intercessory prayer. We expand our love for others as we pray for them. That, in turn, makes it easier to pray.
Okay. Now let’s look at what Paul was saying here.
Paul’s Prayer for the Romans
Wait! What? Paul was praying for people he didn’t know?
Yes. They were fellow believers that Paul had heard great things about.
They still needed support. They had trials only God could get them through and needs that only God could meet — even though they were believers.
So, Paul prayed for them. Day and night. He didn’t just pray when he heard a good or bad report.
Paul prayed often for them. He knew the God of creation knew what they needed and could — would — provide.
It didn’t matter that Paul didn’t know them. God knew them. They were fellow believers. That was enough for Paul.
How We Should Pray
God isn’t going to make us pray to Him — even believers. It has to be voluntary. We need to want to pray to Him. We need to want to communicate with Him and intercede for others.
Paul was thankful and sincere in his petitions to God. He was earnestly concerned about the Roman believers. He was thankful for their successes and concerned for their needs.
See that? Paul didn’t keep this awesome God for himself. He wanted others to know Him like he did. He said, “my God” and “my Lord.”
For What Was He Praying?
Paul has a personal relationship with the Sovereign God and Lord Jesus Christ. He wanted others to have that same relationship.
That meant Paul didn’t just pray for Uncle Tommy’s knee replacement and Valerie’s job situation.
Yes, God wants us to pray for those things.
God wants us to be more concerned with people’s spiritual health. He wants us to pray for their relationship with Him.
Paul would pray for their spiritual gifts. He would pray for their witness.
God wants us to pray for their boldness and strength against temptation. He wants us to pray that they grow in righteousness.
When Prayers Aren’t Answered
Wait! What? You said even Paul had some unanswered prayers. The great Paul? The Energizer Bunny for God?
Let’s look at that. “One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you” (Rom. 1: 10 NLT).
Paul always prayed for the opportunity to visit — to come see them at last. He hadn’t been there yet. His prayer was unanswered.
So, Paul must have been really disappointed. He was praying all this time for people he didn’t know to do something he really wanted to do.
So, Paul quit praying, right? No. Knowing Paul, he probably prayed even harder.
Making the Connections
One of the ways we love fellow believers is to pray for them, whether we know them or not. We pray that they are living in God’s Will. We thank God that He can use them to expand His kingdom.
We pray for their physical journey, also. They will be facing issues in their everyday life over which God wants control.
God wants us to be a community of believers. He wants us to be united under Him.
How Do We Apply This?
We need to make it a practice to pray for others. I have been working on an aid to help me. When I bet it worked out, I will share it with you.
We have to make our requests to God — and then let Him work. He may not give us the answer we requested, especially not on our timetables. We just have to let go and be at peace. We did what we were supposed to do — pray in support of our fellow believers.
We can’t pick and choose for whom we will pray. Paul was praying for the people in the capital of the Roman Empire. There was some good things being said about them, but they were in that dreaded city.
We can’t let differences or preconceived notions stop us from praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have to pray whether it is in our prayer closet/war room — or corporate worship service — or if we would call a radio station and broadcast it. The only One Who needs to hear it will hear our prayer.
A little bit ago, I picked one of my friends on my private Facebook page and prayed for her for a couple of months. Then I picked someone else.
What if we did that for our fellow believers? Pick a believer you know who is under fire by Satan and pray. Pick a church (other than your own because we should be praying for our own anyway) and pray. Pick a missionary and pray. I would say pick a state or pick a country, but I am afraid that would get too generic.
Bottom line is believers need to pray for other believers. We need to hold each other up.
Father God. You love us. You want your believers to be a community. Help us to be united under Your laws, doing Your work. Help us to look past differences and preconceived notions. May we always just see You reflecting out of them. Help us to be consistent. Help us to be the prayer warriors needed to resist temptation in today’s world. May our focus always be on You.
What do you think? What are some ways that you can start praying more for other believers?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
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