Discipleship When Life Is Busy: Day 4

Day 4: Make a List of 30 People for Whom You’ll Pray.  I chose today to complete this challenge over my lunch break at work.  It was relatively easy for me to come up with 30 Christian friends to pray for: family, small group, girls from work, girls from my high school life group.  I just started with one category and went on to the next when it was exhausted.  I really like this idea of systematic prayer for people in my church.  The second part of the challenge, of course, is to contact the person for today.  Today is April 12 and when I looked at number 12, who would have guessed it was the name of the person that I recruited for the challenge on Day 2! I promise, this wasn’t planned in the least! Apparently, God has some big things in store for her 🙂

So, I contacted Kelly and asked what I could be praying about specifically for her today.  Once she replied, I texted her back an actual prayer so that she could read the exact words that I was lifting up on her behalf.  I think this part is really important.  So often we say “I’ll pray for you” and then quickly forget to do so.  If we pray with someone right then and there, we don’t forget, plus that person is able to feel encouraged by the words that you are praying to the Father for them.  We see this in scripture, particularly in Paul’s letters.  For example, read the words he says to the Ephesians:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3: 14-21