conversations with God : pleading on behalf of others
03.30.2008 / Kurt Graves

How can I be concerned with others when my life is still a wreck?  Is it my job to pray for everyone but me?

Download MP3 [5.4 MB]

notes by Amy Langdon

This morning, Kurt looked at Mark 2 as a vehicle to discuss the opportunity and obligation we have to plead to God on behalf of others.  In the story in Mark 2, Jesus is preaching to a standing room only crowd—there was absolutely no room to get in.  Determined to help their paralytic friend get to Jesus, four men climbed to the roof, cut a hole in it, and lowered the mat that their paralyzed friend was laying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”  Mark 2:1-5.  

Just like the four men in Mark, we all have friends that we need to take to Jesus in prayer.  Since most of us likely realize that praying for others is an important demonstration of our faith, why aren’t we more committed to doing it?  I am certainly in no position to challenge anyone on this.  Over the years, I have created a number of different prayer triplets, only to realize after a period of time that I’ve allowed my intentional prayer for those dear friends to taper off to almost nothing.  Why?

By way of illustration, Kurt referred to the song “Uncle Jonny” by The Killers, which the band sang in the first set.  Uncle Jonny apparently had a cocaine addiction, and Kurt pointed to Jonny, noting that we all have a “Jonny” in our lives who desperately needs us to carry him or her to Jesus.  What struck me, though, is that I generally have no difficulty remembering to pray for friends who are in crisis.  Friends dealing with infertility, addiction, the death of a loved one—those I remember to pray for.  But only sporadically do I remember to plead for others who have an equally urgent need to experience the redemptive and transforming love of God and the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.  

I am blessed to have a remarkable circle of close friends who live relatively affluent lives, apparently in stable and mostly happy marriages, complete with two or three children.  So far, they lead totally charmed lives, really.  We see eye to eye on almost everything from books and movies to child-rearing philosophy.  We laugh at the same things and roll our eyes at the same things.  And they know I love Jesus.  Incidentally, they are quite convinced that we handle snakes on a regular basis here at Warehouse.  They are some of my closest friends, and they seemingly have no real need for God.  Why do I fail to plead to God on their behalf?

Words that Kurt spoke early in the talk resonated with me throughout the rest of the service:  “The stakes in prayer are high.”  I think all too often I lose sight of this fact and rationalize that my prayers don’t make a difference or that myriad other people are praying for those people, so my prayers are unnecessary or superfluous.  However, I realized that the stakes are high not only for those for whom we pray, but for us as well, since our prayers are a reflection of our faith.  I left the service challenged not only to pray for my friends in desperate and immediate need, but also to consistently plead on behalf of those who just don’t seem to need or desire an intimate relationship with Jesus.

Where do you stand on this prayer issue?  Do you find it easy to pray for others?  Why or why not?  Do you believe the “stakes in prayer are high”?  In what way, if any, does your answer to this question impact the way that you pray?  This week, I am going to commit wholeheartedly to a prayer triplet, three people for whom I will consistently and continuously pray.  Join me.  I don’t know how God will answer, but I look forward to seeing him at work.

###

*Note: If you wish, you can look up this and other Bible passages online at biblegateway.com

Copyright © 2008 Amy Langdon