PRAY FOR US TOO

by: Rev. Arnel C. Tan


“Don’t forget to pray for us too……” Colossians 4:12 NLT

There are a lot of spiritual lessons and insights we can get regarding intercession. To intercede is to go to God for someone in prayer, bringing other people’s pain to the throne of grace as if it were your own. To be an intercessor has two obvious truths. Number one, you are praying for another. Number two is you are humble enough to ask others to pray for you. One cannot stand without the other. You don’t only pray for others like Paul you take the risk or vulnerability to ask others to pray for you.


It is so humbling that the great Apostle would solicit prayers for him and his team as they discern the open doors God opens for the gospel. The clear lesson here is no one is so sufficient that he can only depend on his own prayer. God designed it in such a manner that we nourish our prayer life connected with the community of other praying believers. Do you pray for others aside from your immediate love ones? Do you have a circle of praying friends that is ready to pray for you even in the middle of the night? It is a great comfort to know that our Lord Jesus Himself is our great intercessor and that He never forgets to pray for His own.


Remember asking for prayers need discernment. Be careful to reveal your deep prayer request to people who are not prayerful, for your prayer request will become the latest gossip of the town. The same is also true while asking for prayers from other praying believers let us also discern our involving others in prayer lest this become a gossip item rather than a sincere prayer item. Where do you get discernment in prayer? When you pray! I think it was Oswald Chambers who said that we exercise discernment not to judge others so we can intercede. Wow timely reminder for all of us.


It is startling that Paul addressed his prayer request not to individuals but to the church. He solicited prayer to a church, a congregation who prays! Honestly, how serious and committed is the church today in prayer? If you ask prayer from the prayer less church it will end to no one praying for it! Let this be a challenge that as a church let us ask God to create in our hearts a burning desire to pray. Pray for others and humbling asking others to pray for us!