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Christian Living

What I’m Learning by Praying for People

We Honor God and Obey the Bible When We Share Our Prayer Requests with Others

Prayer is an important part of my life. It’s part of my daily practice and essential for my work and relationships. I daily pray for God’s blessings and provision for my family and close friends.

I also regularly pray for people who read my words, both in this blog and my books.

I pray for you as a group, that God will bless your life and inspire you through what I write in my ministry of words.

I also pray for the people who receive my newsletter updates. Sometimes I call them followers and other times fans, but friends may be the best term of all. Every few months I ask these friends to let me know how I can pray for them specifically.

The Bible tells us to pray for each other (James 5:16), but prayer is something I offer as an act of service. It’s both a joyful privilege and a sacred burden to pray for them when they share their prayer requests with me.

The Global Church of Jesus

As people share their concerns with me, my appreciation for the global church of Jesus grows. We are so beautifully diverse. We come from different cultures, countries, and races. We have various experiences and struggles.

Our perspectives of God may differ, but we share our faith in Jesus.

The prayer requests I get from people in the United States are far different from what I might get from some of my friends in Africa or Asia.

But each prayer request is just as valid and just as real to the person who asks me to pray for them. And it’s just as important to God.

When I pray for my friends around the world, my concerns often seem trivial in comparison. In contrast to them, I live a safe and secure life. Yes, God is a real part of my everyday life, but his provision to ensure my daily existence is not as urgent.

My friends on my mailing list inspire me with their prayer requests. Some have great pains, others share weighty concerns, and many inspire me with their faith and great desire to boldly move into becoming who God wants them to be.

When I pray for them, I am both honored and humbled.

They remind me that we serve a great and powerful God.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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