Who we pray FOR

When the majority of people pray, they believe they are praying TO God.  As Christians we pray to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Other religions believe they are praying TO some other god (even if they are praying to a false god).  Even agnostics would admit that when they pray, that their prayers are going TO some higher being.

Yet the bigger question is, in our prayers, who do we pray FOR?

We all pray for different people:  the loved one we know we want healed, the child we want born healthy, the spouse we want to love again, the past relationship we want healed.  When we pray, most times, we are praying FOR someone else.

Often times we simply pray for ourselves:  the job we want, the marriage we want, the child we want, the family we want, the love we want, the healing we want, the peace we want.  We could go on and on.  Our prayers, for the most part, revolve around ourselves.  We are praying for US.

All that to say, do our prayers reflect Christ?  Do we pray for Him?  Not that Jesus needs anything from us.  However, He does need to be lifted up in this world.  He does need to be proclaimed over and over again to the ends of the earth.  Do we pray FOR His Name to be exalted?  Do we pray FOR the glory of God?  Do we pray for Jesus to be honored – in our prayers, in our churches, in our families, in our lives.

We should.  That is what prayer is essentially all about.  It is what the Lord’s Prayer – our Lord, Jesus Christ – instructed us to pray for:  ”Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Your Name, Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven….”  His Name uplifted.  His Will done.  

During Lent, Bellwether is doing a campaign for Prayer and Fasting.  We call it “Utter Dependence.”  It is to do just that:  utterly depend on God by prayer and fasting for all our needs.  If we believe this – that we have to totally depend on God, then we need to be praying FOR His Will to accomplished in our lives and in our world.

Tomorrow at Bellwether, we continue this preaching series with “The Names of Prayer.” We hope you can be with us for worship, prayer, and holy communion tomorrow morning.  And may we pray in this Lenten season for God’s Will to be done and for Jesus Christ to be heard, seen, and followed.