Sometimes when I begin to pray, I am so consumed with the needs around me that I forget to praise God for who He is. I forget that there is more to pray for than the physical needs of others. If you are a Christian, I think you would agree, that a vast majority of our prayers are directed toward the healing of the physically sick. God cares greatly about those who are suffering physically. We see that throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry. But that is only a portion of how and what He has instructed us to pray for. There are many things that we seem to eliminate from our prayer time that are just as important as someone being healed. Jesus has given us much to pray about. I want to remind us of a few of those today.
Pray for our enemies. When was the last time you prayed for your enemies? I’m afraid even as Christians, we may pray that they get what’s coming to them. That is not pleasing to Christ. We are to pray that they would repent, and we are to love them even when they hate us.
Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”
Pray there will be laborers for Christ. Do you pray daily for those who are seeking to win others to Christ? Not just for their safety or health, but for their fruitfulness to win others?
Matthew 9:38 “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.”
Pray for strength and discernment to fight the devil. You can’t fight him on your own. You need the wisdom and strength of God to fight. You are no match for the devil. Many good men have fallen because they forgot their power was not in themselves.
Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Pray that we will be strong and able to stand before Jesus one day. Do you pray for strength to do all that God has commanded you to do? Are you seeking to hear Him say “well done, thou good and faithful servant?” We will never be worthy on our own, but His sacrifice applied to our life makes us worthy.
Luke 21:36 “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man”
Pray that we do not enter into temptation. How often do you pray that you can avoid temptation? Do you wait to ask this prayer until it’s in your face and you are about to give in?
Luke 22:40 “And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.”
We are to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. How many victories would your Christian brothers and sisters experience because of your prayer for them?
I Thessalonians 5:25 “Brethren, pray for us.”
Hebrews 13:18 “Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.”
We are to pray for the sick. Certainly, we are to pray for the healing power of our God to heal those who are physically sick. I have known many who were sick of whom the doctors said, “there is nothing else we can do.” This is where I have seen God show himself strong with His healing powers.
James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Get the picture? We are to pray! It is not a suggestion. It is a direct command. We are to “Pray without ceasing.” I Thessalonians 5:17
I believe the most important prayer is for those who are lost. That was the purpose of Jesus’ death. He came to seek and save that which was lost. If a person is not healed from sin sickness he will be lost and suffer forever! While we are commanded to pray for the sick, we must remember that is only to be a portion of our prayer time. A saved person will only suffer for a period of time on this earth, and compared to eternity, it doesn’t even register on the charts of time. However, a lost person will suffer forever. We must sense the desperation to snatch those who are plummeting headlong into Hell. Pray that the Holy Spirit will convict their hearts and that they will respond. Pray that they will be miserable in their sin. Be bold enough to pray that whatever it takes, God will get their attention, and they will look to him. This is a serious pray because it may take the death of a loved one, or illness of a child to get their attention, but going to Hell is serious business. Nothing is worse than spending eternity in Hell. I challenge you to put lost people at the top of your prayer list. The most important prayer you can pray is for someone to change their eternal destiny.
