Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
Psalm 63:3 NIV
Dear brothers and sisters,
I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join me
in my struggle by praying to God for me.
Romans 15:30 NLT
Prayer must always be our first priority in daily life. The praise of God and the petition of Spirit are the empowering factors that we experience in Christ. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we pray (Rom. 8:26-27). The Holy Spirit pours love into our hearts to give us hope and endurance (Rom. 5:5). So it shouldn’t surprise us that the love we have from the Holy Spirit moves us to pray for others in their struggles. Praying for others, what is sometimes called intercessory prayer, is a great gift empowered by the love that comes from the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. Paul wanted this Spirit-led and love-driven prayer to focus on his desire to proclaim Jesus, something we’ve focused on for several days. However, this Spirit and love driven kind of prayer can be offered for almost anything that another brother or sister in Christ needs. Let’s remember that the love we feel for others and the prayer we are given by the presence of the Spirit are there as gifts to equip us to pray for others!
On this day Father, I want to pray for a number of folks on my heart who face struggles of all kinds. Some are family members… some are friends… some are faithful servants of your Kingdom doing your work in hard places… some are grieving… some face tough times… some are making hard decisions… some have family struggles… some have great opportunities they don’t want to miss… some are overcoming addictions… and there are so many others. Please hear my prayers for them today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Ken Crawford 