7 Practical Ways to Pray for One Another

One time, I exercised a bit too hard, and I bruised a muscle in the back of my leg. My everyday life was affected in many ways. Walking, taking the stairs, sitting down, and doing certain workouts became painful or very uncomfortable. My whole body suffered the consequences of this one bruised muscle. 

The human body is a great metaphor for the spiritual body of Christ, the church. We who believe in Christ are the body of Christ and individually members of it. Just as the body is one and has many members, so all the members of the body of Christ, though many, are one body. God has intentionally arranged the members of the body of Christ, small or large, so that there may be no division. The members must have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together (a).

One In Christ

Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus not only reconciled us to God but also to one another. We have an eternal bond, stronger than a human bloodline. We have One Father, One Lord and One Spirit. In unity, we are to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. We are to love, exhort, and encourage one another. By the Grace and power of God, we are to mature and grow up together into Christlikeness — into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped. And when each part is working properly, the body grows so that it builds itself up in love (b). This is God's beautiful and wise design for the church.

Caring for One Another

One underrated way to care for one another is by regularly praying for each other. It goes both ways. We ask others for prayers, and we pray for others. I cannot count how many times God answered a prayer after I asked someone else to pray for me. Of course, God hears and answers our individual prayers. But there are special blessings granted us through the prayers of many. There are seasons when we barely have the strength to pray. I am thankful for friends who prayed to God on my behalf in such moments. 

Practical Ways to Pray for Others

Last year, I collected all of Paul's prayers in the New Testament. I started noticing common themes in them, including that they are very trinitarian. I have referenced some of the passages below (c). I encourage you to read through them. They are a wonderful model to use when praying for others — in addition to (or for lack of) specific prayer requests:

1. Thanksgiving to God for the brothers and sisters: for their faith in Christ, their good works of faith and for evidences of grace in their lives.

2. Pray for endurance in the faith: for God to keep them strong to the end, blameless until Jesus’ return.

3. Pray for growth in knowing God: through the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.

4. Pray for growth in Hope through a deeper understanding of the Gospel.

5. Pray for growth in love for sanctification: that their love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight to be able to discern what is best, pure and blameless before God.

6. Pray for growth in knowledge, understanding, and wisdom in Christ (in general).

7. Pray for Gospel ministry:

   • for open doors for the Gospel.

   • for the effective sharing of God’s word and the Gospel.

Here is my prayer for you today:

Thank you Father because you have called [insert your name] to share in the inheritance of the saints through Jesus Christ. May you fill [insert your name] with the knowledge of your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to you — bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Strengthen [insert your name] with all power, according to your glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy! Amen.

NOTES & REFERENCES

All scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV), unless otherwise noted.

(a) 1 Corinthians 12 (click to read chapter)

(b) Ephesians 4:15-17: Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

(c) Romans 1:8: First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.

1 Corinthians 1:4–9: I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way— in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. …He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Ephesians 1:15–19: For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.

Philippians 1:3–6: I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:9–11: And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Colossians 1:3-4; 12: We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints…. giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Colossians 1:9-11: And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;

1 Thessalonians 1:2–3: We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:3: We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

Philemon 4–7: I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

Colossians 4:3: At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—

2 Thessalonians 3:1: Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you.