WHAT To Pray For Others?

Every need can become the object of petition; think of petitions as what you yourself need from God. Since we are talking in the context of praying for others, you can pray prayers of petition like: 

• “Lord, please give me the fortitude to pray for others each day: family, friends, and strangers." 
• "Lord, please give me the compassion to pray for those who have hurt me, or my family, or my community and nation." 
• "Lord, please give me Your heart of love to pray for those who are indifferent to You, those who are angry with You, those who reject You.”

If you are setting aside specific time to pray for others, I highly recommend  starting out with petitions such as these to align yourself to the Father's will, especially if you will be doing a neighborhood prayer walk. 

Think of intercession as what you can pray for others, and for groups of people. Some examples of intercessory prayer, when praying for other, may be:

• “Lord, please bless that couple out walking together, that their relationship would be centered on You first. That they would treat each other with charity, and act in humility.”
• “Lord, please help that person to see clearly any areas of their life that they are holding back from You, and bless them with the grace needed to put You first in it.”
• “Lord, please protect that young man/young woman from sins of the flesh, from immorality and lust. Help them to see clearly wherever they may have strayed, and by Your grace, lead them back to You.”
• “Lord, I lift up those infants and toddlers to You. Have mercy on them and protect them from the evils of the world. Raise them up to be warriors for Your Kingdom, lights to the world of Your mercy and grace.”

It is good to remember from 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Our battle is first a spiritual one. Through Baptism we have been made children of God. Yes, we can pray for physical needs, but don’t neglect the spiritual needs. We all have them. You may be the only one who has prayed for that person today. Pray for them so that Christ is victorious, and the devil defeated, in their life.    

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." You can offer prayers of thanksgiving for others such as: 

• "Thank You Lord for _______.  Increase in them a spirit of gratitude for the blessings You have bestowed upon them. Help them to see Your hand in all that they have, and have a willing heart to share."
• "Thank You Lord for hearing and answering my prayers for ______. Help them to continue to grow in their love for You."
• "Thank You Lord for the gift of life and health you have given me and my family. Help us to use those gifts in furtherance of Your kingdom."

If you are walking around your neighborhood, give thanks for all around you. God has put them in your local 'garden'. If they are feeling more like a 'curse' than a blessing, thank the Lord that you have the opportunity to pray for them. It can be hard, but remember, God loves them and desires they be saved too. 

The closer you draw to God, the more your heart will want to sing out in praise for Who God is, for HIs gift of love freely shared with all, and His wondrous deeds. 

• Psalm 30:4  "Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name."
• Psalm 30:11-12  "Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, that my soul may praise Thee and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to Thee for ever."
• Philippians 4:8  "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." 

It is a good habit to build to incorporate praise into a prayer time. It takes our eyes off ourselves and puts them on the Lord. If our eyes are fixed on Him in praise, all things will fall into their proper order.