Prayer life is vital for moving forward through seasons of transition.
Do you ever feel like Jesus is a million miles away?
All of us have lived through days where we feel like we are walking through the “dark night of the soul.” Whether our circumstances are filled with trials and challenges or not – we all traverse through “desert seasons”. These times of isolation can cause us to doubt whether God is hearing our prayers or if He is working anywhere around us.
Some people have walked away from a relationship with God due to these disconcerting times. When we are walking through times of transition, it’s common to feel disoriented and that Jesus is far away. This is why our prayer life is vital to moving us forward through seasons of transition.
Focusing on praying for others gets our eyes off ourselves and onto loving others.
When we are unsure or insecure, we often focus on ourselves – which is the opposite of Kingdom thinking. Interceding on behalf of other people and praying for others gets our eyes off ourselves and onto loving others. When I contend in prayer for breakthrough for others, my own struggles and issues fade into the background. Those are usually the times that I see prayers answered for my friends and family, and my faith grows to be able to face my own situation.
The prophet Samuel says,
”As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you...” (1 Samuel 12:23 NIV).
The call to pray for others was not just for Old Testament prophets, Paul commands us in 1 Timothy 2:1 to do the same thing:
“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone."
1 Thessalonians 5:17 also tells us that we should pray without ceasing. When we follow Jesus, it is our aim to be constantly “abiding” with Him. Our conversation with Him never really stops. As we pray for others, we are also commanded to pray in every place, (1 Timothy 2:8).
Pray without ceasing and in every place.
What does it look like to pray quickly for someone when they come to mind? Often if someone’s face or name comes to my mind (seemingly out of the blue) I will pray a quick prayer for them. I am now in the habit of sending that person a quick message letting them know that I’m praying at that moment, and what it is that I feel led to pray about. I don’t always hear back from them, but I often get a response saying, “How did you know that I was going through something difficult? I didn’t tell anyone!” It is my pleasure to let them know that Jesus prompted me and that I love them. When that happens, my faith is strengthened, and I immediately feel closer to God.
You might be thinking, “What if it was just my own imagination and not God who led me to pray for that person?”
At that point, I would measure the fruit of your actions. Did you focus more on Jesus by doing what you said and did? Did the other person feel loved? If the fruit of your actions was good, you don’t need to wonder if it was the Lord directing your mind to think that way.
Receive His refreshing!
Proverbs 11:25 (NIV) says,
”A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”
When you are generous by taking your eyes off your own struggles and investing in others through prayer, you will be refreshed!
May God lead you to pray for others, and in the process may you find his refreshing!
I look forward to seeing all of you who choose to worship with us in the Dome this Sunday at either 9:00 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. All safety precautions, masks, and social distancing apply.
You can also live stream our 11:00 a.m. service on Facebook and YouTube
If you missed last week's message from the series "Lessons from Three Kings: Week 4 Samuel and Intercessory Prayer," click here.
Need encouragement? You can receive a word of encouragement each day. Text the word Encourage to 530.296.
Leaders (and potential leaders): you can also text Lead to 530.296.3689 to be on the list to receive a thought, quote, or a challenge from me daily (or most days) regarding leadership.
