[Transcript of “A 5 minute cuppa” published by Horley Baptist Church on YouTube[1], May 2021]
Hi everyone, welcome to ‘a five minute cuppa’. This is the place that you can come any time of day, just for five minutes, to relax, put your feet up, have a cuppa and listen to a few words to help you grow in your relationship with God.
Recently we have been thinking about how to feel comfortable and enjoy praying with others as a way of growing our relationship with our heavenly Father. Today I thought it would be good to share a few thoughts about how to pray for others in our own one-on-one times with God.
Have you ever wondered why particular people or situations stay on your mind and affect your thoughts and emotions? I think it’s God’s way of asking us to bring the person before him and to ask for his influence to grow in their lives. The first step in sharing in God’s heart for people is to recognize when he’s speaking to you about them, then just start bringing them before the Father. Perhaps write your thoughts down using something like a prayer mind map that I talked about in an earlier session of ‘five minute cuppa’.
I’ve found that once I start to intentionally bring someone to the Father then he brings them to my mind often as he wants me to think about or pray for them. This might be in my regular time with Jesus when I’m asking the question “What are you doing today, Lord?” or it might be that I suddenly remember that person in the middle of doing something totally unrelated, as I’m going about my everyday life activities. Sometimes I even wake up in the morning with that person on my mind. When that happens I try to remember the principle of two-way communication. I ask God “What’s going on?” and listen to what he says. I may get a strong feeling or a scripture that gives me knowledge or wisdom for the person’s situation.
I would encourage you to listen out for the way God speaks with you as I suspect it’s slightly different for each of us. When he does speak to you about another person, take a moment to work out what the Father wants you to do. There can be a number of responses:
- does he want you to pray and bless that person in their situation today?
- does he want you to check in with that person?
- is there something he wants you to share with the person to support them or give them encouragement for something they’re facing that day?
Perhaps he wants you to get up and go and do something practical to help.
When you pray for someone regularly you may find you become spiritually sensitive to their needs. I’ve had the experience a few times where God has woken me in the night with the person’s face on my mind and a sense of urgency in my own spirit. I’ve then taken time to pray for them there and then, and either to send a phone message or to contact them the next day. This adds a deeper dimension to both your prayer life and to the spiritual relationships of those you were praying for. I find that the person is drawn closer to the Father. Just realizing that God knows about their situation and cares enough to respond through a friend at just the right time is enough to help them feel a sense of peace for the place they find themselves in. I know I have equally been on the receiving end of such encouragement and it always expands my awareness of the Father’s deep love for me.
I don’t know where you are in your journey of praying for others but, wherever you are, ask the Holy Spirit to show you the next step for you in this two-way relationship with him. As I sign off today the word that comes to my mind is ‘exciting’. May we feel a growing sense of excitement as we see God working out his purposes in the lives of those that we regularly bring before him.
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[1] YouTube link: Sharing God’s Heart
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Contributed by Sandy Turner; © the Author
