DROP YOUR LIST!

In a conversation with a friend earlier today, he said, "I am doing away with my worries and prayer requests for now. I have focused on myself alone for too long and its time to channel my energy to praying for other people". He then talked about Job praying for his friends.

Job 42:10, "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before."

Immediately, it dawned on me that most times, we are caught in our own web of worries, anxiety, hurt, pain, desperation, depression and all sorts. We have never really taken time to bother about the next person's worries and pains. All we've been doing is to bombard heaven with our list of prayer request, without even letting God tell us what to do to get our prayers answered.

Let's look at it this way!

When you hold a camera to take a picture of yourself, you'd likely not capture a full image. Why? because the lens is close and is only focused on a small part of your body. On the contrary, if you give the camera to someone else to assist you, the image would be full and the picture, beautiful.

Therefore, when you let God tell you what to do to get our prayers answered, its like giving the camera to Him, and He will give you a 'very beautiful picture' that is better than what you expect.

You will agree with me that often times, pictures come out better when you are not prepared to take them and you sometimes wonder how and when they were taken.

When we make out time to pray for people, our own requests are simultaneously granted without us asking. God instantly moves to answer our prayers for others, and also moves to answer our own requests because we put other people's request before ours.

That is how God operates!

When we make people's worries ours, we bear their burdens and we help them carry their yoke on our knees. When we go on our knees, we settle issues, soothe the pain of the broken hearted, heal wounds and lend a helping hand to those that really need it. We move God to heal and deliver people from addictions and illnesses, and put smiles on their faces.

We may not be very close to these people but as we pray for them daily and without ceasing, we will see the hand of God moving in their lives and also see our own needs being met, without us voicing it out to God.

If you pray with a clean and right conscience for someone else, God will answer yours as well. Sometimes, we just need to forget about our own piled up lists and shift focus from 'me alone' to 'someone else' and in so doing, we will not only be happy when they are happy, we will see that our own needs have also been met.

That is double joy!

So, why not make out time: days, weeks or even months, to concentrate on praying for:

• that friend that needs healing

• that marriage that you know is going through challenges

• the one that is battling with addiction

• the child that needs a shoulder to lean on

• that brother that is fighting fear

• that sister that is facing temptation

• that man that is struggling to be strong spiritually

• those ones that are struggling to pay their bills

• those that can barely eat once daily and need shelter

• the one that seeks joy and happiness.

Many people out there need our prayers and it is imperative we follow those little promptings to pray for them.

Praying for others will not only save someone else but will also avert many things for us and cause our joy to be full.

God bless you.

#prayer