Pray for Others

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.” Philippians 1:4 (NIV)

The more specific you are in prayer, the more specific the answer will be.

The quickest way to change a relationship from bad to good is to start thanking God for people you are having difficulty getting along with.

Praying for them will do two things -- change your attitude and change them. Positive praying is much more powerful than positive thinking. People may resist our help, spurn our appeals, and reject our suggestions, but they are powerless against our prayers. 

What do you pray? The more specific you are in prayer, the more specific the answer will be. 

In Philippians 1:9-11, Paul spells out exactly what he’s praying for people. “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 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.” (NIV)

These verses give you four things you can pray for people today –

“Abound in love …” Pray that they will grow in love.
“Discern what is best …” Pray that they make wise choices.
“Be pure and blameless …” Pray that they will do the right thing.
“Filled with the fruit of righteousness …” Pray that they will live for God’s glory



by Rick Warren