“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them” (1 Timothy 2v1).
This verse speaks volumes to me of the power of prayer in impacting lives close to home but also those across the world. I think it’s important to note that it reads “first of all, to pray for all people.” I know that I can find it all too easy to rhyme off a list of prayer requests to God that would satisfy me and my needs, but this verse points out that we are to put others before ourselves when we pray. It shows me the love that God has for us in giving us the ability to communicate directly with Him every moment of every day, no matter where we are. It also shows me the heart God has for people loving one another through prayer.
We have been instructed to pray for all people, not just our friends and the people we hold dear to us, but all people. This includes the difficult people in our lives, those who challenge our character and those we struggle to love. It also includes those we’ve never met, the ones who are struggling on the other side of the world - we are all connected through Christ. We are all children of God, and just as Christ’s love for us has no barriers the love we share with others should not be limited to the people who live close to us. Prayer is the most powerful way to connect with others, regardless of our personal relationship with them. I find great comfort in knowing that although I can’t be everywhere, God himself is omnipresent and He is listening to my every prayer.
Whatever the need and whatever the circumstance, we should ask God to help people. Sometimes I don’t even know what the need is or what the words are that I should pray, but simply praying and talking to God is enough because He knows what is going on in the lives of those we pray for and He is able to interpret our every thought (Romans 8:26). I love the quote by Max Lucado:
“Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the One who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers make a difference.”
As a result, we are able to intercede on their behalf, asking God to meet them in their need. This can be even more powerful when these people are feeling so alone, disheartened or afraid that they have lost the strength to pray to God themselves. We should not merely attempt to comfort our struggling friends by saying that we are praying for them, instead we must put our words into actions and pray fervently for them. Ask those around you if they have anything that they would like you to pray for, there’s a high chance that they will be carrying around some kind of heavy burden on their shoulders or they may have a simple prayer request they’ve been longing to share with someone. Sometimes all it takes to change a life is for us to reach out and engage in a caring and compassionate conversation.
Lastly, this verse says that we should thank God for them. The people that we have in our lives are not merely there by chance or coincidence, God has carefully and intentionally placed them there for a purpose. We must never forget to thank God for the family and friends that he has given us. We were not created to be independent beings. God created us first and foremost to rely on him, but also to engage in meaningful community with the people around us. Even though relationships do not always last forever, we can still remain thankful to God for giving us the opportunity to learn and grow through them.
This verse reminds me that the greatest gift I could give to those experiencing trials and hardships is my prayers. No prayer request is too big nor too small, God simply asks us to pray regularly and to pray whole-heartedly for others. Pray for family, friends, those you’ve grown distance from, those who’ve yet to come to know Jesus and those across the world who you’ve never met. No matter what, pray without ceasing.
By Claire Acheson.
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