Praying for Others
So often we wonder how we can pray for people. We have friends, neighbors, family members, and church members who have many needs and we seek God on their behalf, but sometimes we wonder if we are praying the “right” prayers.
Reading Paul’s letter to the Ephesians offers us hope and insight on praying effectively for others. In 1:16-18 Paul makes this prayer to God on behalf of the Ephesian Christians,
“I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.”
In this short, but powerful prayer Paul teaches us to pray for four things:
1. We are to Pray Prayers of Thanksgiving
Paul says he has not ceased to thank God for others. One of the most effective practices for living a joy-filled life is to learn to be thankful. Thank God for the church, for faithful brothers and sisters in the Lord. Lift up others to the Lord and be thankful God has placed them in your life. Even be thankful for your enemies. While your enemies may not bring you joy, they do bring you closer to Jesus as you pray for them. We can begin our prayers for others by first being thankful for them.
2. We are to Pray Prayers for Wisdom
Paul asked God to give the Ephesian believers “spiritual wisdom.” Spiritual wisdom is the proper application of the Word of God in any given situation. We are to pray that others may properly apply the Bible in their lives. Pray and ask God to help others who are married to know how to honor their spouses. Pray for those who have jobs to be able to honor God with their vocations. Pray for parents that they will raise their kids in the Lord. Pray for your own children to stand up to peer pressure and honor Christ in their own lives. We can pray for others to apply the Word of God in their lives so that Christ is exalted above all else and the gospel is made evident to others.
3. We are to Pray Prayers for Growth in Knowledge of God
Paul asks God to grow the Ephesians believers in the knowledge of God. The word Paul uses for knowledge is “epignosis” and means “a full or precise knowledge.” Paul is asking God to grow these fellow believers in their knowledge of him, that they would lack nothing in their understanding of the nature and character of God. Why would Paul pray this? Paul knows that the more a person grows in their knowledge of God’s character the more they will grow in their love and devotion to him. May we pray for others to know the depth, height, breadth, and width of God’s love.
4. We are to Pray Prayers for Understanding
Closing out his prayer Paul asks God to help the believers be flooded with light so they may understand the confident hope they have been given. Paul desires the Ephesian believers to have the light of scripture opened to their minds and hearts in order that they properly perceive the truths of God and this would lead to them growing in their confidence in Jesus. We can pray and ask God to help believers understand the truths of the Word of God so they may be confident in what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do for them. As believers grow in confidence in Jesus, they grow in their understanding of the riches and glory of heaven.
May we pray righteous prayers on behalf of others. Let us be thankful to the Lord for those he has brought into our lives. May we pray prayers that help them grow in their knowledge, understanding, and wisdom of God’s Word. Let us pray boldly and confidently to the Lord.
Blessings,
Brad