How can I pray for you?

“When you called this morning and asked if there was anything you could pray for me today, wow. I had tears come to my eyes. It's been a long time since I've been asked that.”

This was an email from a friend of mine that lives on the other side of the country.  We’ve known each other since high school.  I had called to follow up on a pretty trivial question that her husband had asked me.  Towards the end of our conversation I asked how I could pray for her.  Looking back in light of her comment, I do remember that she paused for a moment or two. 

I share this not to puff myself up, or to make you think that I’m a super saintly friend.  Far from it.  I can be as lame as the next guy.  It has only been in the last two years that I’ve made an intentional effort to ask people how I can pray for them.  What this question has done for me and those I pray for has been surprising and humbling.

I have wrestled with prayer for years.  Like Jacob on the side of the river—prayer always seemed like something I clung to desperately, but often left me limping along afterwards.  Two and a half years ago that began to change.  Two and a half years ago I was unemployed.  Two and a half years ago I was living in my parents basement.  Two and a half years ago my wife gave birth to our fourth child.  Two and a half years ago my dad died.

The weight of these pressures was taking a heavy toll on my ability to rise above spiritually.  My tank was empty.  Daily life felt like wearing a 100-pound lead vest.  The emotional gravity of my circumstances was pulling me down with frightening strength.  Unsure what to do or where to turn, I began shutting down a little at a time.  My shut down would have been complete if not for the presence of faithful friends.

As lost as I felt most days, my friends kept pulling me back through the anchor of their prayers.  Never before in my life had I been prayed for so consistently and powerfully.  The prayers of others became a very real tether to a redeemed future that God had for me.  The transition out of my temporal pit was not immediate or painless, but it was made possible through the faithful prayers of those that loved my family and me.  Prayer, though still mysterious, took on a power and efficacy that had previously been missing.

That season of pain and trial changed me.  Having been on the receiving end of intentional and specific prayer refined my understanding of this foundational act of faith.  Surprise, surprise—prayer really does matter. 

I may not have all the answers to the Free Will vs. Sovereignty of God questions that prayer raises.  But I do have a personal story of redemption and healing.  That story is a daily reminder to not pass up the opportunities to pray for others.  It matters.  In ways we cannot imagine or anticipate.  Take the time today to enter into the life of someone else.  Ask them, “How can I pray for you?”

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18