I AM PRAYING FOR YOU…
“I am praying for you!” How encouraging are these words to the poor, destitute and afflicted! Like enthralling strain they are when spoken by those who truly care and show concern for our worries, anxieties and uncertainties. In his loving words to Timothy, Paul exhorts that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for all men (1 Tim 2:1). “For kings and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” vs 2. Prayer is the usual term for all sacred communions with God; it is compared with an opening of the heart to God as one would have to a friend. In prayer, we come into the presence of the Lord, committing all that burdens our hearts to Him. If cultivated unceasingly (1 Thessalonians 5:17), it becomes unbroken union of our souls with God, so that life from God flows into our life; and from our life, purity and holiness flow back to God. Thus, prayer is a privilege, a privilege second to none! How pleasing then it is to our Father when we use this privilege to stand in the gap for our friends, enemies and men maimed and wounded in the great battle with sin. It is like sweet incense rising up from Aaron’s censer in the wilderness into the presence of the Lord. Brethren, when we pray for one another, God is touched, our love is seen and blessings attend them whom we pray for. When this privilege is taken as a duty, great victories will be written. In calling God our Father, we recognise all His children as our brethren. We are all a part of the great web of humanity, all members of one family. In our petitions we are to include our neighbours as well as ourselves. No one prays aright who seeks a blessing for himself alone.—(Sons and Daughters of God, 267.) The greatest want of the world right now are not Christians who only talk about prayers, not them who only promise others of their prayers but actually them who take time to pray.
As prayer is a tool to overcome the snares and temptations of the evil one, he will always try to preoccupy our minds with doubts and commitments so that the time of prayer successfully passes unnoticed. Even when we pray, he will make sure that our prayers are too little with so little faith. Wake up pilgrim! Now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed. Characters are being formed, the battle is fiercer and sound of abundance of rain is louder. Wake up pilgrim! Like the Saviour, let every breath be a prayer. A soldier is sick, a pilgrim is burdened, a friend is giving up, a leader is making a wrong decision. Wake up pilgrim! “I am praying for you!” oh how sweet it is to do that!
