The Love Offering Challenge - 5 Days of Outwardly Expressing Inner FaithSýnishorn

Love Offers Prayer

A friend sent me a text asking for prayer. “Of course,” I quickly responded, proud she thought to ask me. But several days later, when she texted about something else, I realized I’d never prayed. 

Not a proud moment after all. 

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time I’d enthusiastically agreed to pray for a friend or acquaintance and failed to follow through. I’m not sure if it’s because I forget, because I’m busy, or because I think my prayers won’t make a difference. 

God already heard the request, right? What good will my prayer do? 

Regardless of the reasons I sometimes fail to pray, I desire to be a woman of my word. After all, I want the people in my life to follow through on my prayer requests. And despite my second-guessing, I do believe in the power of prayer. As unfathomable as it may seem, God has chosen to let us help Him change the world through our prayers. 

We see this over and over again in the Bible:

For the sake of his nephew Lot, Abraham prayed for the people of Sodom, and Lot’s family was saved from destruction (Genesis 18:23-33).

When the people of Israel were sinning, Moses prayed for God’s mercy and the Lord relented (Exodus 32:9-14; Numbers 14:11-20).

Daniel prayed for his people in Judah. Not only were Daniel and his friends saved, but they were also elevated to positions of high authority (Daniel 9:3-19).

Hezekiah prayed when the Assyrian king laid siege to Jerusalem, and God waged a war on their behalf (2 Kings 19:19). 

The church prayed for Peter when he was in prison, and God sent an angel to rescue him (Acts 12:1-17).

Paul prayed regularly for the people he served, and we are still reaping the benefits of his heartfelt prayers (Romans 1:9-10; 10:1; Ephesians 1:15-19; Philippians 1:3-11; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13).

And, of course, Jesus prayed for others—for His disciples, for children, and for us as future believers. In fact, Jesus is still interceding for us at the right hand of God, advocating on our behalf. 

If we know God’s power is infinitely greater than ours, it only makes sense to rely on it, right? So whether in public or in private, short or long, eyes closed or wide open, at morning or at night, we simply must talk to God and leave the results up to Him. 

Even in those situations when we don’t have the words to pray, we can trust the Holy Spirit to intercede for us. And friend, He never fails to follow through. 

Love Offering: 

Think of someone in your life who needs prayer. Write down the request, intercede continually for them, and record when and how God answers. 

Prayer Prompt: 

Lord, forgive me for not following through and praying for those in my life. Help me intentionally and mindfully bring their requests to You, align my requests with Your will, and increase my belief that You not only hear our requests but that You respond to them. Amen.

Talk It Over: 

Do you struggle to believe in the power of prayer? How can you be a prayer warrior for someone in your own life? Is there someone who has been one for you?