“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” – John 13:34 (ESV)
January is a month often set aside by Christians for fasting and prayer, setting the spiritual tone for navigating a new year full of promise. Whether you are on such a journey or not, we have an opportunity to show love for others through prayer.
I recall an aunt praying for her son to be blessed with a good wife and offspring. She did not live to see her son become a father at age fifty, but God delivered. I also recall a dear sister, Carlotta Dodson, who would pray with me as I believed God for a new job. I recently celebrated 10 years in that job. These testimonies are evidence of the power of prayer for another.
John 13:34 encourages us to love one another, and James 5:16 (ESV) assures us of the outcome – “…pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
Job was urged to pray for his friends, and God answered (Job 42:8-9). Similarly, we can give the gift of prayer to someone, unleashing the power to transform their life. We can express this love of Christ through prayer for the following groups:
- Our children and grandchildren, as the generations to continue in faith
- Our neighbours in the community
- The person who introduced us to Christ or a Sunday school teacher
- Someone who helped us in the past and may now need our prayer
- The families of those pastors and workers in Christ who have passed away and can no longer intercede for their loved ones
- Those who do not share your faith, that they may know the crucified Christ
When we express love for others, we honour God, and He showers us with His Glory. Job 42:10 confirms this – “And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.”
Read: Ephesians 1:15-18; Ephesians 4:16
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 9:13-20; Matthew 12:1-21; Genesis 31
