Our Ministry, Worship: "Let Us Pray" - AFC 1997

Prayer for Others:

"Let Us Pray for the Church and for the World"
Phil. 4:1 - 9

Being a bridge over troubled waters

Intercession is a generous form of asking, in which we set self aside to give our attention to others and pray to God about needs not our own, but our neighbors'.

Praying for each other and for others is one of the first ways that we do what the gospel calls us to do -- to love our neighbor as ourselves. Such prayer is at the crucial crossroads of our life with God. It simultaneously expresses the level of intimate relationship that we have with God, and the personal involvement we share in the lives and well-being of others.

Is there a more telling indicator of the vitality of our faith than the meaningfulness of our prayer life for others?

Regular, faithful prayer for others becomes a reminder of our call to serve them. To pray for others is to begin to love and serve them as our Lord requires.

For what should we pray? - Is that the right question to ask?

Ask
Naming names - be specific in identifying needs
Participate - passive prayer is no prayer
Not to ask for what we sincerely and deeply desire because we aren't sure what the will of God is, is to cut ourselves off from the God who invites us to ask.

• Is the puzzle of prayer to figure out how to get what we want from God?
• Why to you pray for others?
• Do you appreciate being prayed for by others?
• How should we intercede for those we disagree with on economic, political, ecological or moral issues?
• How should we pray for our leaders today?
• How should we pray for each other?
• Can we serve others the way God wants us to without praying for them?
• Can we pray for others the way God wants us to without serving them?

Prayer for others is the bridge from our walk with God
to our walk with others.