PRAYING FOR THE CHURCH

Eph. 1:15-18 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for Christians everywhere, I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people.  NLT

       What a wonderful thing it would be to have a Paul on our side! Think about it. Who wouldn’t benefit from having someone pray constantly for them? I know I would! The prayer of Paul wasn’t for repentance. It wasn’t for superficial things. It was a prayer of purpose. Paul asked the Lord to bless the church with spiritual maturity. His desire was that the body of Christ would have the resources of God that would enable them to become godlier in their thinking and living.

      Spiritual wisdom and understanding, knowledge of God, the light of God to guide us, hope for the future, and an awareness of how rich and glorious this life we have in Christ, are all essential to a healthy soul. Would anything change if we were to be in constant prayer for one another for these things? Of course it would! We are to carry one another’s burdens to the Lord, but it shouldn’t be all that we carry to Him.

      We should love each other enough to want each other to continue to grow into spiritual maturity and blessings. We should ask the Lord to help each other become stronger in faith and more Christ-like in daily living. And, I believe that if we were to pray constantly for one another in this way, the burdens we bear will be less of a burden to us. We will be better equipped to handle what life throws at us, because we will to properly connect to our Burden-bearer.

      If we are in constant prayer for the good of one another, we will have very little time or desire to find fault with each other. We will be far less likely to dwell on each other’s weaknesses. We will be less likely to complain. We will be less likely to play the comparison game. We will be less likely to be jealous or proud.

      It is a good thing for us to pray good for each other. It pleases God and moves him to bless us and those we pray for. If you are not praying for the good of others, there is no better time than right now to do it. Pray, and watch the Lord work to accomplish some great things in the Church for His glory.