As I watched a group of students pray over each other, my heart melted. You see, this same group of guys prays together every week after our worship service. It’s a site that never gets old, and it encourages me in my own prayer life.
I’ll admit it. Through the years I’ve been guilty of flippantly throwing around the phrase, “I’ll pray for you.” (I think we all have.)
As I’ve grown in my walk with the Lord, I’ve learned how powerful prayer is. Not only does it give me a chance to lift someone else up to my Heavenly Father, but it also draws me closer to Him.
I don’t know about you, but I want to be known as a prayer warrior! If someone asks me to pray for them, I don’t them to have any doubt that I’ll be interceding for them. When I say “I’ll pray for you,” I want to be intentional about it!
Here are a few tips that have helped me be intentional about praying for others.
Pray via Email/Text
It may sound odd, but some of the sweetest prayers I’ve prayed over people have been via email or text. Quite often when someone asks me to pray for them I feel the Holy Spirit prompt me to write out a prayer right then and there.
Stop and Pray
When you’re talking with someone and you don’t have the words to say, don’t be afraid to stop and pray for them. The Father knows their needs, and giving the situation to Him is the best thing we can do.
Make a Prayer List
A prayer list is a wonderful way for me to be intentional about praying for people. When someone asks me to pray for them, I’ll add it to my list so that I won’t forget. I put this list in my Bible so I’ll have it when I’m doing my morning devotions.
Add It To Your To-Do List
I know this one sounds funny, but this one has helped me. There are family/friends in my life that I want to be intentional about praying for. Every couple weeks, I’ll contact them and ask how I can best pray for them.
Some of these suggestions can be awkward, but once you get in the habit of doing them, they’ll become second-nature.
When I know someone’s praying for me, it’s a huge blessing. You never know what a difference your prayers will make in someone else’s life!
Now it’s your turn to share.
What has helped you be consistent in your prayer life?
Photo Credit: Guppydas cc; Kevin Shorter cc
So glad I read this today. I was recently questioning myself in regards to this. It’s so easy to say I’ll pray for you and then life gets in the way and I forget sometimes. I want to be more intentional and these were some great ideas. Thank you!
I’m glad that this spoke to your heart.
I too have found myself saying, “I’ll pray for you” only to forget the prayer request hours later. It’s definitely something we have to be intentional isn’t it?
Thanks for stopping by Tammy!
I too wanted people to know that my promise to pray was not just empty words because I didn’t know what else to say. So once I or my family prayed for someone, I would send them a message to let them know that we had remembered them in prayer.My friends have done this for me and it has much more meaning.
I love it when someone lets me know they’ve prayed for me. It’s so comforting!
Thanks for sharing, Angeline!