Prayer Text – Episode 255
When was the last time someone asked you to pray? Have you considered sending them a prayer text? In this podcast, we discuss the importance of prayer and how to use technology to pray now.
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When was the last time someone asked you to pray? Or when was the last time you asked someone to pray for you? If someone asks us to pray, we say, “Of course, I’ll pray for you,” or “Yes, count on my prayers.” Or, we say something similar. I would then often forget to pray for the person and feel guilty. Then when I prayed, I reminded the Lord (as if he needed reminding!) that there is no time with God – God is timeless, so even if my prayers were late God still heard them!
That is when I decided I would pray right then. I would pray when talking to someone in person if they asked for prayer, I would place my hand on their arm and pray. If I received a phone call for a prayer request, I’d ask the person if I could pray for them right then.
Then with technology, I found that people were sending texts and asking for prayers. I finally had my solution. I would pray now via a prayer text. After all, if someone is sending me a text and asking for prayer, it is important to do it right away! It helped me to remember to pray for this person throughout the day and their special need, as well as to let them know that I was serious about praying and that we do it right then.
We don’t always have the words we need when it’s time to pray, so sometimes it takes pausing and asking the Lord for his help and asking, “Lord, how should I pray? You know the situation, my God, so please provide.”
Sometimes the request is an easy one, such as praying for me. I feel like I’m getting sick! That is a prayer request I receive from one of my children who teaches and is surrounded by children. So we can easily text something like, “Dear Lord Jesus, I praise You, and I thank You. I ask you to bless my daughter and fill her with your peace, love, and joy. I ask a blessing upon her, and I ask for good health and a swift recovery, keep her from getting sick, and I pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Scripture reminds us of the necessity of prayer in Mathew 7:6-8 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Jesus is the healer; He is the one who gives if we ask, not as we want it but as He wills it. And that is why it is important to remember to pray for God’s will. This can be difficult for us because, as we’ve discussed many times on this podcast, we often pray, Lord, I need this and that, or please do this and then. That is praying “my will” instead of “Lord, please grant this if it is your will or Lord, grant this if it is for the good of my eternal soul.
I love to see others pray via text in special situations. For example, when my son was in a particularly tough training in the military, I set up a Michaels’s Prayer Warriors text message group. Each day I would send out a text prayer, a reminder so that we could all keep him in our prayers, and I did this for each day he was gone for a total of 62 days of training. They kept us focused and united as a family, And I believe it brought us closer. My son claims that it was through our prayers that he was able to pass this rigorous course the first time instead of having to recycle or be dropped from the course like some of his friends and acquaintances. He also prayed, knowing he had our support at home.
We are a family of God with God at our helm. We must be that example to others to pray unceasingly. 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 states, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
This is a perfect way to pray! Another way to use a prayer text is to do this online. If you are on social media such as Facebook, people often post prayer requests, and usually, other people will like the post or give them a heart or do some other kind of little graphic to let them know that they care and are praying. But how much more powerful if we each take the time and type out a specific prayer for them? It helps us read prayers that others post and unite us all in prayer.
Obviously, it takes practice if you’re not used to praying extemporaneously, but it is similar to just speaking to the Lord. I always like to start with praising and thanking God because he is worthy of our praise. Psalm 145: 1-2 I will exalt you, my God, the King, and I will bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever.
If you take a few minutes to ask the Lord how He wants you to pray, just start by quietly (or aloud) praising Him and lifting up the situation or need to him. You can ask the Lord specifically for help, such as “Dear Lord, I don’t have the words for the situation, so please give me the words you would like me to use,” or “Lord, please come into this prayer and help me to pray your perfect will.”
Then I listen, and whatever the Lord has put on my heart to pray for, I pray. Typically God gives us a thought of something we should pray for specifically. Sometimes you will be inspired to pray a specific way. I remember one time praying for my son for a severe headache; I felt like he was suffering. I had no way of knowing if he had a headache or not. We just pray in faith it doesn’t matter if we find the results; what matters is that we are faithful to pray.
We are called to pray — in prayer and supplication. Phillippians 4:6-7 we read, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
I love that! The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
What better way to use technology for the good than to use the tools we have at our fingertips? Most people today have smartphones with text capability. How wonderful to receive a text from my friend saying they are praying for me, especially when I need those prayers. And if you think of someone and they keep coming to mind, maybe they need your prayers. This has happened to me in the past, so now I try to reach out when I think of a person who needs or may need prayer. By sending them a prayer via text, they know I care. Who doesn’t like to get a prayer or be prayed for?
Your challenge this week is to use technology for the good – whether on a text message, social media, or even a phone call and pray for someone in need.
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