Cardinal Direction Church

“Does anyone have any prayer requests?”

Amber’s hand shot up.

“Someone from my hometown in another state was in a terrible car accident last week. His medical problems and the prognosis for his recovery are all of these very specific details that I will list for you now. I think his name is Jared. My mom went to school with his aunt, and she sent me the Facebook post this afternoon; it's just so upsetting.

I’m not praying for that.

I am not God. I don't have the emotional or mental capacity to take on all the problems shared within social media circles. It is damaging to our hearts and minds when we try. I am to love and pray for my neighbor, pray for my spiritual brothers and sisters, and rejoice and weep with them. I am not called to pray for every sick, injured, hurting person in the entire world. I can, and it would be something like this, “God, I pray that you will continue to be God.”

Someone in the group closed in prayer and prayed for the man in Amber's hometown. She prayed for the other prayer requests shared: a child with a head cold, an upcoming trip, and a new job possibility.

Grace Church

Our church leaders gave us a very structured system for praying for each other, and it was an incredible blessing to all of us. My husband met with the men from our home group, and I met with the women. Each meeting began with a time of sharing followed by a time of prayer. We all shared the same structure. When it was my turn, I’d share my Five Fs:

Faith: I shared the passage of Scripture I was reading, my current prayer life, any doubts or concerns I had about my faith, and what had encouraged my faith that week.

Family: I shared about my marriage, parenting, and interactions with my parents and siblings. I shared struggles and victories in those relationships.

Fellowship: I talked about how I interacted with the Church this week, how I served, who I had coffee with, who I prayed with, and how I was encouraged or discouraged in my fellowship.

Fields: I discussed the lost people in my life, including my neighbors, friends, family members, and coworkers I had interacted with, and how those interactions had or had not pointed them to Jesus Christ.

Forward: I shared what I felt led to do in the upcoming week in these areas: spending more time in prayer with my husband, serving in a particular area of the church, or inviting a neighbor over for coffee.

Each of us would share in this same way. Then, each of us prayed aloud for another person and every part of their life that we had shared.

We didn’t offer advice.

We didn’t share stories we heard somewhere.

We didn’t share prayer requests.

We shared our lives.

We prayed.

Praying for Each Other

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7

…and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 1 John 3:22

John’s Gospel and First Letter make some very bold promises about prayer. We don’t know if it is God’s will to heal an illness, grant a promotion, or immediately relieve suffering. We know from experience that he does not always answer these prayers with an immediate “yes.” But when we abide in Christ, our hearts align with God’s desires and we pray his will. When we pray for godly wisdom, he gives generously without reproach (James 1:5). When we confess our sins to and pray for each other, we will be healed of the sickness of sin (James 5:16), when we ask for insight and understanding instead of the riches that others ask for, He gives it (Proverbs 2:3-6). When we abide in Jesus, our prayers align with His will for our lives: that our faith may mature so that we love the Lord our God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds.

While Amber did not share her life with me, I can still pray for God's will in her life. I can pray that Amber will not feel anxious about the story she read. I can pray that she will know God’s peace. I can pray that her trust in God will grow. I pray that while we see brokenness and pain in this fallen world, she will not feel overwhelmed but will turn to our loving Father, casting every care and anxiety at His feet.

At Grace Church, we shared our lives every week. Over time, we grew to know the spiritual needs of our brothers and sisters. We prayed for each other’s faith and spiritual maturity. We prayed God would give our sister boldness to share Jesus. We prayed God would help our sister forgive. We prayed that bitterness would not take root. We prayed God would make our sister wise and give her discernment. We prayed that she would find contentment and satisfaction in Jesus. We prayed for victory over sin. We prayed for God’s will for one another. At Cardinal Direction Church and many others we’ve been a part of, prayer requests were only circumstantial, never revealing the truest needs for which we ought to have been praying. When we limit prayer to covering “prayer requests,” we miss the blessing of praying God’s will for each other and receiving whatever we ask.

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