I have been doing some studying of the Apostle Paul’s teaching and practice of prayer. Recently I was looking over a list of Bible passages in which Paul told the recipients of his letters that he prayed for them. This list included the following:
- Romans 1:8-10
- Ephesians 1:15-16
- Philippians 1:3-6
- Colossians 1:3-4, 9
- 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3
- 2 Thessalonians 1:3, 11
- 2 Timothy 1:3
- Philemon 4-6
Three things caught my attention and should instruct us on our praying for others.
First, is the importance Paul places on praying for others, even before speaking to others. What particularly caught my attention is where Paul placed his comments about praying for others in his letters. Take a look at the list above. What do you notice? Let me phrase it another way. How long did it take Paul to tell the recipients of his letters, whether a church or a person, that he was praying specifically for them? Answer – not long at all.
Soon after greeting them, Paul wants them to know that he is praying for them. Before he unpacks the great theological truths, before he addresses the problems that they are facing, and before he gives them instruction on how to live in light of the gospel, Paul says “Hey guys, I’ve been praying for you! In fact, I’ve been praying for you a lot.”
An implication is that the content of his message to them flows from his praying for them. His relationship with them, whether those close to him (like Timothy) or those he has not met in person yet (like the church in Rome), is an extension of his conversations with God about them.
As I thought about this, I realized that I tend to speak first and pray later. Actually, I speak a lot and too often don’t even get around to praying later.
How about you?
Second, in every one of these passages, Paul thanks God for the recipients. He repeatedly says that he “always gives thanks for them”. This is not simply something he did once in a while. It clearly is a constant part of his normal prayer life, especially when he is praying for others.
He is also consistent in that he often gives thanks to God for their faith and love. The evidence that Paul sees of God working in their lives is their showing and increasing in faith and love. And Paul gives thanks where credit is due, to God. Paul recognizes and reminds his readers of God’s sovereign grace in their lives. Even before he gets to the meat of what he wants to say to them, Paul confidently knows “that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). God will complete what he started. And Paul constantly thanks God for His working in their lives.
Unfortunately, when I pray for others, I find myself reminding God of what is not happening in someone’s life and what needs to be corrected. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I can’t believe how often I give God pointers on how things should get done.) I have found that I have a lot of confidence that God “can” work in someone’s life but I am often negligent in looking for signs that God has already been working in their life.
How about you?
Third, Paul was constantly and consistently in prayer. This for me is the most obvious from these passages and the most daunting. He talks about how he “does not cease” to pray for them and how he prays “night and day” for them.
I am not going to lay a guilt trip on you by saying that if you don’t pray at least three solid hours a day you are a spiritual loser. Not because I am concerned about hurting your feelings but because I don’t like calling myself a big loser.
I have learned something about consistency in prayer, at least for myself. If I don’t plan to do it, it doesn’t happen. My best prayer times are when I set my alarm, get up earlier than I need to, spend some time reading the Bible, and then spend a set time praying. And here is the key for me, good intentions don’t get it done. Planning does.
How about you?
So, in summary.
- Communicate with God before communicating with people.
- Give God more thanks for what He is doing and less advice on what He should be doing.
- Pray. Just pray.
