The Prayer Liar

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about praying specifically and confidently. Today I want to talk about a different aspect of prayer. Well...perhaps not so much prayer as the nature of the believer and our "prayer promises." This did not come from any specific Scripture, studies or lessons, although I will reference some verses below. Rather, I felt compelled to address what I observe as an unhealthy and common habit among the church, as well as something with which I've frequently struggled - the promise to "pray for you."

I'm obviously not advocating that we not pray for each other; but look at the example Paul and the other writers of the epistles set when they describe their prayers:

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

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you... (Colossians 1:3)

 ...ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. (Ephesians 1:15-16)

 That is some intense intercessory prayer, folks! Every verse resonates with the concept of this being a continuous act. "Always." "Have not stopped." "Remembering you." And here's where I'm afraid we as believers get trapped by our good intentions. See, in my experience, "I'll be praying for you" is the church equivalent of "How ya doing?" We may say it, but we're not interested in the response or the follow-up. Praying for someone essentially becomes a box to be checked on the Good Person To-Do List, along with attending church, or nodding politely at your neighbor.

The thing to remember here is that true prayer for others is a commitment. Even if what that person needs prayer for in the moment is just a short-term thing (like a doctor's appointment or an upcoming exam in school), your prayer should be applied not just to their current condition but their lifelong condition. This is someone who is walking the same faith walk as you are; we should wrap our prayers for someone's situation into their long-term growth in Christ! And if we think of our prayers for others this way, it becomes very difficult to ever really stop praying for them - and I think that's the point.

Now this raises an interesting dilemma for me. The power of prayer is well-documented both biblically and anecdotally. But the Bible also talks about the power of prayers made in agreement with one another. This may sound prideful or even narcissistic, but is it possible that if I neglect to pray for something or someone  that I've committed to that I might negatively impact the outcome? If prayer is powerful, is the absence of prayer necessarily powerless? I have to say - when I think of it this way, it really makes me examine things I may have been neglecting in my prayer life.

A quick side note about this: I'm not really on board with the recent mania among Christians to belittle themselves and/or the church over every little thing. Sure, we're all going to make mistakes, and the church has made plenty over the years, but the reality is we have a peace and victory that should shine through in our lives. My thoughts on this topic are better saved for a full essay, but just know that I think believers don't always give themselves enough credit, and today's post isn't about bashing or some foundational flaw in Christendom. Which leads me my last point...

Prayer for others should be joyful! Look at the quote from Philippians above, then think about what members of the early church were going through. Even in the darkest of times, our prayer for others should be filled with the excitement and hopefulness of our faith in Jesus. And if you think of the idea of prayer for others as a long-term goal, how could it be anything less than joyful? The happy ending has already been written; that fact should weave itself into every prayer we lift to Him.

I would encourage all of you to try this in your prayers over the next couple of weeks. Pray for fellow believers, even if you don't know of anything they're currently "dealing with." And pray for them daily. And like me, try to imagine what our church will look like when everyone who says "I'm praying for you" really means it.