Prayer is an acknowledgment that our need of God’s help is not partial but total. – Alistair Begg

Every parent, especially when their children are small, hears “Why?” a lot! One survey found moms and dads field an average of 11 questions from their young children each day. A poll of 2,000 parents of children under six found that between being asked “What?” (37%), “When?” (22%), and “Why?” (11%), parents are continually on call when their child is curious.

Children most commonly ask questions to better understand the world around them like asking about nature, current events or home experiences. 

We all ask questions, especially if we want to have a healthy relationship with someone. So, when you see a friend, what questions do you ask? 

I had a friend ask me a question recently that so touched my heart that I nearly sprang a leak. Though he lives in another state and we haven’t seen each in other in years, he texted and asked: Just thought I’d check in and see if there is anything you need prayer for. That same week another friend texted me and shared that he and his wife prayed for me that day. 

Think of all the trivial things we ask our loved ones and friends about: How are you? How was your day? How was work? It’s probably happened before, yet I can’t remember anyone asking me: How can I pray for you? Yet isn’t that one of the greatest and most wonderful things we can ask.  

Currently, Jane and I are on vacation in Florida. You can but really don’t need to pray for our safety, though I’m doing most of the driving. It’s really not vital that you pray for my health, though one of my nightmares is being eaten by a shark (I’ve watched Jaws too many times). My physical health is not my greatest concern. Even if I contract some horrible disease (or get eaten by a shark), I still win. I’m going Home!  

I love Philippians 1:20 and 21 and often pray that verse 21 will be true of me as I begin my day. As it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain If you pray for me, please pray “For to me to live is Christ will be true in my life. 

Too often the contemporary Church is prayerless. If we pray for others our prayers tend to run along these lines: Lord, provide my friend with a job, a car that runs, good health, and safety. If we really know someone well, we might pray for his or her marriage or other relationships. Please know that there’s nothing wrong with praying for those things. God’s Word encourages us to pray for everything and in doing so, to quell our anxieties. It’s great to pray for health and for good things to happen.

However, most of the prayers recorded in the Bible are of another type. Their focus is on the spiritual and eternal. That needs to be our focus, too. 

When Jesus prayed for others, He prayed for growing faith and protection from temptation. He prayed for unity and spiritual growth.  

Paul continually prayed for the salvation of the lost. He prayed Christian brothers and sisters would stay true to God. He prayed they’d be strengthened by the Spirit, rooted and grounded in love, and filled with the fullness of God. He prayed for things with eternal significance.

Do you want God to answer your prayers? I think we all do. The prayers Paul prayed are guaranteed to find a “yes” (2 Corinthians 1:20). 

As Christ-followers, we have something that others don’t. Because Jesus is our Savior, God is our Father…He is our Abba, our Daddy! Jesus said that every dad loves to answer legitimate requests of His child (Matthew 7:9-11). It’s why the prayers of God’s redeemed children have power. 

Can I encourage you with something? If you love your spouse, if you love your children, periodically ask them, How can I pray for you? Know their heart and pray for their spiritual needs before anything else. If we fail to ask those we love how we can pray for them, how will we ever know? 

Everything in this world is temporary. Spiritual needs though matter for eternity. Shouldn’t they be our focus? When was the last time you asked a loved one or Christian friend you care about, How can I pray for you? If those who care about us don’t pray for our real needs who will? 

How can you more wisely pray for family and friends? First, thank God for them. Then, if you’re unsure, pray they’ll have a personal relationship with Christ. Pray for their protection from temptation, evil people and Satan. Pray for their spiritual strength, health and growth. Pray they have a better understanding of God’s love and growing love in their hearts for others. Pray the fruit of the Spirit will be produced in their lives.

How can you pray for our church? First, pray that we will become a praying church. Then pray that we passionately love Jesus, each other, the community around us and our world. 

There are many things that you can pray for me as your pastor. The one that weighs probably most heavily on me is that I end well. Many friends in the ministry have gone spiritually AWOL. 

In my office I have a poem by Robertson McQuilkin, Let me get Home before dark. McQuilkin’s fear was that in his last laps, he’d blow it and wouldn’t end well. That’s my prayer, too. By His grace, I want to end well.

Brothers and sisters, we desperately need to pray for each other. Eugene Peterson wrote: The human condition teeters on the edge of disaster. Human beings are in trouble most of the time. Those who don’t know they are in trouble are in the worst trouble. Prayer is the language of the people who are in trouble and know it, and who believe or hope that God can get them out. As prayer is practiced, it moves into other levels and develops other forms, but trouble—being in the wrong, being in danger, realizing that the foes are too many for us to handle—is the basic provocation for prayer.  By God’s grace, let’s be a people and a church of prayer!