When I was just 13 years old I was sitting on the teen center steps at my church, a friend was visibly upset so I sat down next to him and asked him what was wrong, he told me he didn’t want to talk about it so I told him I would pray for him. He looked me in the eye and asked me not to say that if I didn’t mean it. I was quite shocked. I had heard “I’ll pray for you” my whole life and until that moment it just seemed like the thing you said to make people feel better. I literally bowed my head and prayed for him right then and there. Since that day if I tell someone I will pray for them I do it in that moment.
I’ll pray for you… If you attend a church on a regular basis or if you have ever posted on Facebook about a tragedy or having a hard time you have probably been told this before. You may have also said it to a friend or family member who was going through a hard time. I know we all have the best of intentions when we tell someone that we will pray for them, but if we are honest with ourselves we often forget to pray for that person until we see them again or hear their name. I would challenge you to start praying for them as soon as you hear of the need for prayer.
Another great way to be sure you remember to pray for people is by keeping a prayer journal. For the last 6 months I have been keeping a prayer journal, in it I write down the prayers of my friends and loved ones so I can pray for them on a daily basis. It also gives me the opportunity to follow up with the people I am praying for to see how they are doing or if the prayer request has changed at all. I have really enjoyed following up with friends about their prayer requests and I it also gives them a nice feeling that I have not forgotten about them. Here is a picture of my prayer journal. As you can see it doesn’t have to be fancy. 🙂
Happiness Unfolding 