20 women of God, prayer warriors, lifting up another sister when she is too upset to pray for herself!

I got to thinking….if all of these 20 women do indeed stop what they are doing and pray, that is amazing. But how often do we scroll down social media and see this:

“Praying”

“Prayers sent”

“Thoughts and prayers”

“I’ll pray for you”

“Lifting you up”

I’m often one of those people who slaps a “I’m praying!” on a thread because I want that person to know in that moment that I am thinking of them, that I hear them, and that I intend to pray for them. 

And I’m sincere when I type that I want to pray for them! But more often than not, I get distracted and I don’t have a focused moment where I actually lift that person up to God like I promised them I would. 

And a broken promise is actually just a lie. 

Ugh.

I’m realizing that when I tell a person that I’ll pray for them and don’t, I am lying to them, and I’m feeling so convicted about that! So I’m making intentional changes.

Are you ready to join with me?

Starting today, I want to be intentional with telling people I’ll pray for them. I want to go boldly into the throne room of God on their behalf! 

I think that it’s time that we become intentional with acknowledging and proclaiming the power of prayer in not only our own lives, but in the lives of those around us. 

The powerful words in James 5:16 tell us: 

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

God didn’t give us prayer as an afterthought, He gave it to us as a powerful and instant means of communication directly with Him. He wants us to be able to have access to Him 24/7, and that’s exactly what prayer is.

Prayer brings us into the presence of the God we don’t deserve, and He willingly and intentionally listening to the longings of our hearts.

The best thing we can do for another human being in need is lift them up in prayer. 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” 
Philippians 4:6-7

In Philippians 4, God promises us His perfect peace, the peace that makes no sense in dire situations when we trust in Him and talk to Him. And while He promises us this peace when we pray to Him, this peace is also available to those that you pray FOR. 

So the next time you find yourself telling someone passively that you will pray for them, I want to encourage you to stop what you are doing and make a point of actually doing what you said you’d do. Pray for that person on the spot.

I know it’s not always easy, and we aren’t always in a place that is conducive to thoughtful prayer. That’s understandable! So here are a few things you can do to keep your word:

1. 1. 1. Keep a journal with you to record things that you want to pray for. I keep a prayer notebook in my life book that goes with me everywhere! This notebook is designed to help me keep the things I want to pray for organized so when I have a quiet time to talk to God, I can remember everyone and everything I wanted to lift up to Him. And the bonus? You can track how God works in their life when you look back at who you prayed for and when!
      2. Pray whenever you can. Praying for someone else doesn’t mean that you have to be fancy or have a long session of prayer. You can pause wherever you are and pray for someone. You can pray again later if you want to, but there is no shame or loss of value if you talk to God in the middle of your day!
      3. Create a prayer list on your phone. This may sound a bit silly, but what’s the one thing you have with you at all times? Your phone! Why not create a running list of people you want to pray for? You can later transfer this list to your prayer journal to keep a permanent record of who you pray for.
      4. Catch yourself before you lie. Before you type that you’ll pray for someone, ask yourself if you really will. If you know you won’t, train yourself to change your response from “praying” to something simpler like “thinking of you”. Because this is true! You are thinking of that person This practice will help you remember how sacred of an honor it is to be able to pray for someone.

This is sort of a simple list, but I want to reassure you that this can be simple. Let’s be done lying to those who need us and be true to our word. Let’s chip away at empty promises and fill our lives with God-focused conversations. Imagine the impact that will have on everyone around you!!

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18