TEXT: I Thessalonians 5:25

SUBJECT: Pray for Each Other

The Lord wants us to pray for each other. That's not very creative. But it is important. You've heard it a hundred times before. But you need to hear it again. I pray God will give us the grace to hear it. And do it. For Christ's sake. Amen.

THE DUTY

God wants us to pray for each other.

That's seems pretty clear, doesn't it? We have a command in the present tense: "Keep on praying for us" is the idea. One might say this is a private request, and of course, it is. But is that all it is? I don't think so. There's something in the verse for us too. Just as Paul wanted his friends to pray for him, our Lord wants us to pray for each other.

This is one of Paul's most complicated sentences. But you get the gist, don't you? "Pray for the saints". All of them. And not just casually or "once in a while", but with feeling and patience. Our Lord wants us to pray for each other.

"Jerusalem" stands for the People of God. You're to pray for them. And note, too: A promise is attached to your prayers. Those who love and pray for God's People will "prosper" in some way or another. But more on that later.

You needn't read the Bible very carefully to find people praying for others. Think of Abraham praying for his family in Sodom. Or Moses pleading for Israel at Sinai. Or Job praying for his friends.

Paul prayed much for the churches of Christ. Some of the Epistles are "love letters", full of warm praise. Others aren't so pleasant. But whether he's pleased or mad at them, Paul lets his readers know: He's praying for them.

These examples are in the Bible for some reason. What do you suppose that is? So that we might admire them? Or imitate them? You know: The Lord wants you to pray for each other.

Do you think Nabal spent a lot of time praying for David and his men? Do you think Diotrephes asked God to bless John's ministry? Of course they didn't. They were bad men who proved their unworthiness by not praying for God's people.

Their examples are also in the Bible for your good. That you might learn: The Lord wants us to pray for each other.

We can meet some needs. If a brother is hungry, we can give him a meal. If he's homeless, we can give him a bed. We ought to; we mustn't be satisfied with mere words: "Be warmed and filled" just won't do. "Love not in word and tongue--says the Apostle--"but in deed and truth".

But what about his other needs? Those we cannot meet? We can't restore a backslider; we can't heal the sick. Can we still love them? Yes we can. How? By praying for them.

If the Lord wants you to "love the brotherhood", He also wants us to pray for each other.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". When you're sick, you may not want fifty bowls of chicken soup; but wouldn't you love fifty prayers? If so, God wants us to pray for each other.

Make no mistake about it: Praying for each other is more than "a nice thing to do". It is a duty. Thus, if you're not doing it, you're sinning.

To his rejected king, Samuel said, "God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you" (I Samuel 12:23).

God wants us to pray for each other. It's our duty.

THE PRIVILEGE

To some people "duty" is a four-letter word. It brings to mind force and resentment. God is making you do something against your will.

Is that how we ought to think about our duty? John doesn't think so. To him, God's "commandments are not grievous". David went even further, calling them "Sweeter than honey".

In fact, the Lord's servant is the freest of men! He's doing what he was made to do. He has found his calling in life and with it meaning, satisfaction, joy, and hope.

Thus, praying for each other is not just a duty, but also a privilege.

This can be looked at from many angles, but the best one, it seems to me, is this: In praying for each other, we are doing the work of Christ.

As a High Priest, our Lord does two things: He sacrifices Himself for us and He prays for us. We can have no part in the first. We cannot offer ourselves to God in the place of others; we cannot atone for sin.

But we can pray. And when we pray for others, we enter into our Lord's High Priestly work. He "Makes intercession for the transgressors"; He "Ever lives to make intercession for us". And He invites us to share in this holy work.

Charles Spurgeon spoke eloquently on it:

In praying for others, you are working with Christ. He has made you His "prayer partner".

What a privilege! Who are we to receive such an honor? Yet receive it we do each time we pray for others.

It is a privilege to pray for others.

THE BLESSING

It is also a blessing. When you pray for others, you're asking God to bless them. And He does. But not only them. Praying for others has a way of blessing you too. One of the great verses in the Bible is Job 42:10: "And the LORD turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends; and the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before".

How does it bless you?

Time spent in prayer is always good for you. "In [God's] presence is the fullness of joy; at His right hand are pleasures forever more". The time you spend praying for others you spend with God. And nothing is better than that.

It also develops good things in you. Things like sympathy, patience, repentance, faith, and hope.

It also mortifies evil thoughts and words. It's awfully hard to envy or despise or hate someone you're praying for regularly. It's also hard to pray for someone and then gossip about him. Spurgeon says,

It increases your love for others. Praying is an investment in others. Our Lord said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:21). Praying for someone will make you love him.

Others gain from your prayers too. "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you". When you pray for others, God will often give it to them.

You may be saved in answer to my prayers. I may be healthy in answer to yours. Maybe you have a job because we mentioned it in the prayer meeting. Only God knows how much we have because others pray for us!

Praying for others is good for God. It makes Him happy. Of course it does! The people we're praying for are His children. He's glad you're concerned for them. He paid a dear price to adopt them; He's pleased when He hears their names in your prayers.

CLOSE

Let me close with some practical advice.

Firstly. If you can't remember who to pray for, make a list. The Lord is not against "writing things down". After all, He keeps a Book, too.

Secondly. If "reading names" become monotonous, break it up in some helpful way. What I do is pray for "the children" one day; for "the sick" another; for "those married to an unsaved spouse" a third day. And so on. This may not work for you. But something will. Find it.

Thirdly. Get to know people better. It is much easier praying for "friends" than for "names".

Fourthly. Ask God for more compassion and brotherly love. If you felt more for others, you'd pray for them more.

Lastly. Just do it. There is no better way to pray for others than to...pray for others. Practice makes perfect.

There you have it: The duty, privilege, and blessings of praying for each other. "Brethren, pray for us".