Ceasing to pray

Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. – 1 Samuel 12v23

I have said it before and I will probably say it again. I don’t full understand how prayer works, but the more I think about it the less I think I have to understand it.

Passages like this one remind of why I don’t have to understand prayer in order to see it as important. Samuel encouraged the people to serve the Lord, then put it very plainly that he would be praying for them.

Not only is it wrong not to pray for the people, but Samuel says that it is a sin against the Lord not to pray for them.

Think about that for a second. Think about how important prayer is. When we don’t pray for each other, apparently, we sin against them and against the Lord.

Praying for each other is a special privilege and a blessing. I have had a couple of occasions to pray for specific people in specific situations the last couple of days. They have been situations where I could not do anything but pray. I found that as I prayed for them I, in a sense, entered into whatever they were facing with them. Their burdens became my burdens.

There are blessings to prayer that we cannot fully comprehend. Praying for others is imperative. God forbid that we should sin against Him by ceasing to pray for each other.