It happens that someone asks us to pray for them. With all the training I had in seminary, we never discussed this common situation. I prayed for dozens and dozens of people before I learned to ask three important questions.
1. What’s your name? You’d be surprised the number of times a stranger will ask you to pray for them. If you’re wearing a cross or a t-shirt with a Bible verse or carrying a religious book people will identify you as person of faith and occasion a request for prayer. Ask the person’s name so you can pray for them by name.
2. What would you like me to pray for? Don’t assume you know what a person’s payer concern is. I once met a seriously ill man in a hospital who asked for prayer. I might have gone on to pray for his healing had I not asked what he would like me to pray for. He wanted prayers that someone would be able to discover where his estranged brother was so he could make amends with him.
3. Do you want me to pray with you now? It’s too easy to agree to pray for someone and then walk away without praying for them. I’ve had it happen to me a number of times when someone has said, “I’ll pray for you,” and then disappeared without prayer being said. I one startled a Bishop at the end of a personal meeting when I asked him to pray for me right then. Praying for others is our duty and delight as Christians.
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-25, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.
Wayne
Joy Lutheran Church Ocala, Florida 