There are people whose names appear regularly in our conversations but rarely in our prayers. We talk about what they are going through. We discuss the decisions they are making. We wonder why they behave the way they do. Sometimes we worry about them for hours. We analyse their situation from seventeen different angles, hold an unofficial committee meeting about it in our own head, prepare advice they never asked for, and then go to bed emotionally exhausted.
Perhaps somewhere between analysis number sixteen and seventeen, we could pray. Paul writes:
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” — Ephesians 6:18 KJV
Yesterday we talked about standing in the gap. Today we bring that calling closer to home. You do not need to travel to another nation to find someone who needs intercession. There are probably names in your phone already.
Paul’S Prayer Life Was Full Of People
When you read Paul’s letters carefully, you discover that his prayer life was remarkably relational. He tells the Ephesians:
“Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.” — Ephesians 1:16 KJV
He tells Timothy:
“…without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day.” — 2 Timothy 1:3 KJV
And to the Philippians he writes:
“Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy.” — Philippians 1:4 KJV
Paul did not only preach to people. He prayed for them. He did not only write letters correcting, encouraging and instructing believers. Their names followed him into the presence of God. There is something beautiful about that. To love someone spiritually is not only to speak God’s Word to them. Sometimes it is to speak their name before God.
Pray Beyond The Problem
When someone tells us they need employment, naturally we pray for employment. If they are sick, we pray concerning healing. If they need provision, we ask God to provide. Those are legitimate prayers. But Paul’s prayers show us that intercession can go much deeper than asking God to change someone’s circumstances. He prayed:
“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” — Ephesians 1:17 KJV
Then:
“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened…” — Ephesians 1:18 KJV
For the Colossians, he prayed that they:
“…might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” — Colossians 1:9 KJV
Paul was not satisfied merely because people’s circumstances improved. He wanted their spiritual understanding to deepen. He wanted them to know God. He wanted wisdom formed in them. He wanted their lives to please the Lord. This can transform the way we pray for people. Perhaps your friend needs a job, but she also needs wisdom for the next season.
Perhaps someone needs financial provision, but he also needs the character to steward what God provides. Perhaps a young person needs protection, but she also needs revelation of Christ so that her own heart begins choosing what is right. Sometimes we become so focused on removing the problem that we forget to pray for the person inside the problem.
Sometimes “Lord, Change Them” Needs Translation
Then there are the people who are slightly more difficult to pray for. You know the ones. We begin very sincerely: “Father, I pray for this person…” Then five minutes later, the prayer has become a detailed presentation explaining why God urgently needs to correct their personality. “Lord, change him.” “Father, deal with her.” “Lord, show them.” And sometimes, if we translated the prayer honestly, it might mean: “Lord, please make this person easier for me to live with.” Jesus takes us somewhere deeper:
“…Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” — Matthew 5:44 KJV
Jesus does not merely tell us not to retaliate. He tells us to pray for them. That little word matters.
Praying For Someone Is Different From Praying About Them
It is possible to spend twenty minutes telling God everything someone did wrong without actually interceding for them. God already knows what happened. Intercession begins asking: Father, what does this person need from You? Maybe they need conviction. Maybe wisdom. Maybe healing in areas you cannot see. Maybe salvation. Maybe deliverance from deception. Maybe grace to change. Maybe an encounter with God’s love. I have found that it becomes much harder to keep feeding bitterness toward someone when I sincerely begin asking God to bless, guide, heal and draw that person closer to Himself.
That does not mean pretending they never hurt you. Prayer does not require you to remove wise boundaries. Forgiveness does not mean allowing continued mistreatment. But intercession protects your heart from becoming permanently shaped by another person’s wrongdoing. You refuse to let what they did determine who you become.
Some People May Never Know You Prayed
Not every prayer needs an announcement. Sometimes a person’s name simply comes strongly to mind. A colleague. A neighbour. Someone at church. A friend you have not spoken with recently. A leader. A young person. Someone who always seems cheerful but keeps appearing in your thoughts during prayer. You do not always need to send a dramatic message saying: “At precisely 5:17 this morning, while I was deep in the Spirit, the Lord placed you heavily upon my heart.” Perhaps He did. But sometimes you can simply pray. If you genuinely sense that you should encourage the person, do so naturally and wisely.
But intercession does not become more effective because the person knows you did it. Some of the purest prayers you will ever pray may be prayers nobody discovers you prayed.
You Do Not Need All The Details
We sometimes think we need to understand someone’s entire situation before we can intercede effectively. You don’t. In fact, sometimes fewer details might help us pray more and speculate less. If someone comes to mind and you do not know what is happening, you can still pray Scripture. “Father, give her wisdom.” “Strengthen her faith.” “Guide her decisions.” “Protect her heart.” “Let Christ be formed in her.” “Give her grace for whatever she is facing.” “Draw her closer to You.” The Holy Spirit does not need you to possess confidential information before He can help you pray.
Intercession is not spiritual investigation. It is dependence upon God.
Look At The People Already Around You
Sometimes we imagine becoming great intercessors for nations while overlooking the people God has already placed within reach. Look around your life. Who are the people you regularly encounter? There may be relatives who need prayer, whether you live with them or not. There may be friends whose lives God has allowed you to touch. There may be people at work, school or university. There may be people within your church, ministry or community. Perhaps there is someone far from Christ whom God repeatedly brings to mind.
You do not have to carry everyone. Yesterday we established that clearly. But you can become faithful with the people God actually places upon your heart. Here is a searching question: Who would notice spiritually if you stopped praying for them? Not because you are their saviour. You are not. But has your prayer life become a place where other people’s names consistently appear?
Pray With Joy Too
Intercession does not always need to sound heavy. Paul said:
“Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy.” — Philippians 1:4 KJV
I love that. Sometimes we should pray for people simply because we are grateful for them. Thank God for the friend who has stood with you. Thank Him for the person who encouraged you. Thank Him for the leader who has poured into your life. Thank Him for the young person who is growing beautifully in Christ. Then pray that they continue. Not every name entering the secret place has to arrive attached to a crisis.
Prayer can celebrate what God is already doing.
Make Room For Names At Your Altar
Today, allow your prayer time to become personal. Not personal only because you are bringing your own needs, but because you are bringing people. Perhaps write down a few names. Not fifty names you will feel guilty about tomorrow. Start with the people God genuinely places upon your heart. Then go beyond: “Lord, bless them.” Pray thoughtfully. Pray Scripture. Pray for their relationship with Christ. Pray for wisdom. Pray for character. Pray for their decisions. Pray concerning whatever genuine needs you know. Pray for those doing well. Pray for someone struggling. And yes, perhaps pray sincerely for that person you would much rather God simply relocate to another continent.
Let grace work in your heart too. Yesterday we asked whether God could find someone willing to stand in the gap. Today we answer by placing actual names before Him. Because a woman whose altar is burning eventually discovers that the secret place has enough room for more than herself.
Declarations
◆ My prayer life is becoming a place where I faithfully carry others before God.
◆ I receive sensitivity to recognize the people God has placed within my sphere of prayer.
◆ I will pray beyond people’s immediate circumstances and ask for their spiritual growth, wisdom and deeper knowledge of Christ.
◆ I refuse to turn prayer into gossip, speculation or a discussion of other people’s weaknesses.
◆ I receive grace to pray sincerely for people who have hurt, disappointed or misunderstood me without allowing bitterness to govern my heart.
◆ I will respect wise boundaries while refusing to allow another person’s actions to poison my inner life.
◆ I do not need every detail before I can pray, because the Holy Spirit is able to help me intercede according to truth.
◆ I will remember people before God without needing recognition, applause or acknowledgment for my prayers.
◆ Joy and thanksgiving will have a place in my intercession as I celebrate what God is already doing in the lives of others.
◆ I am becoming a woman who does not merely talk about people, worry about people or analyse people, but faithfully prays for them.
My Prayer For You
May God bring the right names to your heart and give you grace to carry them faithfully. May your prayers become deeper than concern, stronger than offence and richer than words, as the Holy Spirit teaches you to love people by remembering them before God.