Pray For One Another

Transcript

Rob McFarlane: 0:59

The title of my sermon today is Pray for One Another. Today we will explore the biblical call to pray for one another and see how it brings healing, unity, and power in the body of Christ. Today we will look at three main thoughts and then pray together at the end of my talk. Number one, we are called to pray for one another. Let's read James chapter 5 verse 16 from the English Standard Version of the Bible. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power and is working. Confess your sins, your shortcomings, your challenges to one another, and pray for one another that you may be healed. There are shortcomings in our lives, shortcomings in our physical health, shortcomings in our resources, shortcomings in our relational interactions with others. Whether you are facing a difficulty or a challenge, you don't have to face it on your own. But you can ask others to pray for you and to pray with you. We're called to pray for one another. Prayer is powerful. It says in the verse we read that the prayer of a righteous person, someone who's right with God through faith in Jesus Christ, is powerful and effective. Today think of someone in your life who's struggling with an area and commit to praying for them regularly. Reach out and let them know that you're praying for them. Number two, we are going to look now at the power of praying together. The early church shows us that praying with others can lead to miraculous results and increased unity. In Acts chapter 4, Peter and John were told not to speak in the name of Jesus. They were then put into prison. And as they were released from prison and told not to speak in the name of Jesus, they went back to the believers and they prayed together. They prayed for boldness and confidence. Let's read a few verses together. Acts chapter 4, verse 23 and 24. When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God. When we're facing challenges, we should have people that we can go to and say, pray for me and pray with me. And when people come to us to ask for prayer, let's not just give them our best advice or our good ideas. Let's pray with them and lift up our voices together to God. We read a bit further down in that same chapter, Acts chapter 4, verse 31. And when they had prayed, the place in which they gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Let's look at Acts chapter 12. In Acts chapter 12, Peter was imprisoned, and the church prayed earnestly for his release, and God sent an angel to free him. Let's read about it in Acts chapter 12 and verse 5. So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. And then God sent his angel and released Peter from prison. Let's pick up the story again in Acts chapter 12, verse 12 to verse 16. And when he, Peter, realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose other name was Mark, and there were many gathered together and were praying. What were they praying for? Well, we can honestly say they were praying for nothing else but for Peter to be released from prison, for God to intervene in that situation. It then continues, and he knocked at the door of the gateway. A servant girl named Rhoda came to answer, recognizing Peter's voice. In her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. The very thing they had been praying for took place. Peter was released and had returned to them. And then it says, They said to her, You're out of your mind. But she kept insisting it was so, and they kept saying, It's his angel. But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. Isn't it interesting how often we'll pray for something, and when God answers our prayer, we're amazed? We need to have a healthy expectation and anticipation that God will do what He has promised, and that when we pray, our prayers will be powerful and effective. Have you seen God do amazing things? Have you seen God change circumstances or provide or do things as you've prayed together with others in faith? Share those stories with others to encourage them in their faith and uh and to encourage us to continue praying steadfastly for God to do his will. Your kingdom come, your will be done, Lord, on earth as it is in heaven. My third and final thought is we should pray with faith and gratitude. Colossians chapter 4 and verse 2 says, continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Pray in faith with thanksgiving. And then finally, Philippians chapter 4 and verse 6 says, Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. This verse teaches us we really have two choices. We can be anxious or we can pray. And it tells us how to pray by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. So we're called to pray with faith and gratitude, recognizing God's past faithfulness and trusting Him for the future. Praying in faith acknowledges God's sovereignty and invites His will into our lives. Gratitude in prayer helps us maintain hope and strengthens our trust in God. My call for action this week is take time to pray specifically for someone in your church or your family. As you pray for them, pray with faith, gratitude, and expectation that God will work through your prayers and bring change, transformation, and intervention in their lives. Let's pray. And as we do, let's ask the Holy Spirit to speak to us. Father God, thank you for the power of prayer. And thank you that you've called us to pray for and with one another. That we can come to one another with our shortcomings, with our failings, with our challenges, and say, please pray for me. We thank you for the wonderful examples of how you moved in the book of Acts and changed situations when people came to you in unity and prayer. And we ask, Lord, that you would help us to pray over everything in our lives, not to be anxious, but to pray over everything with thanksgiving, with gratitude and in faith, knowing that you are able to do what men would say is impossible. Holy Spirit, speak to us now, and I ask that you would lay somebody on our hearts that we can pray for in the coming week. Thank you, Lord, that you've called us to pray for one another. In Jesus' name. Amen.