PRAYER REQUESTS

“Brethren, pray for us.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:25

It is not uncommon to see people make prayer requests on social media. Our church, like many others, make prayer requests public to the congregation at each service. Prayer requests are often fueled by desperate need. We should treat them seriously.

When I was a young Christian, I rarely asked for prayer. As I have grown older, I am not ashamed to ask other Christians to pray for me. I think there are several reasons for this. First, I value prayer more than I did when I was younger. Secondly, I see my need for prayer in a great dimension than I did in my younger years. Finally, I appreciate the prayers of my brothers and sisters more than ever. James D. Vaughan, a pioneer in Southern Gospel Music, put it best in a song title: “I Need The Prayers Of Those I Love.”

Prayer requests can be abused. For instance, some may ask for prayer requests simply to get attention. Others may ask for prayer requests so others will perceive them as being “spiritual.” I once heard of a woman who asked for prayer for a soap opera character that was nearing death.

I believe that most prayer requests come from those with great concern about a genuine need. Sometimes the need is dire.

We cannot always know the degree of problems behind a prayer request. We must simply take the request to God who knows the need better than anyone. We do not pray in order to inform God. Instead, we pray to invite God to intervene in the situation, whether we understand it or not.

Speaking of prayer requests, have you ever offered to pray for someone … then forgot about it? I must shamefully confess that I have been guilty. I have found that the best solution to this problem is to pray immediately for the request. If possible, offer a brief prayer verbally before departing from the person.

These days, so many people claim to be Christians but never go to church. It is amazing how many people use lame excuses for their absence from church. While there is much that could be said about this, I wish to simply point out that when you need people to pray for you or a family member, you'll want a church family who will gather and pray in unity for the need.

I find it refreshing that Paul asked for prayer. He wrote, “Brethren, pray for us.” Paul was unashamed to ask for prayer --- and we shouldn't be either.

It really does help to have prayer warriors mentioning your name to the Father in prayer. Think about all the people who've prayed for you in the past. Now it is your turn to pray for others.

Let me close with a simple appeal. If you can't think of anyone to pray for, please pray for me.