Prayer Partners - Valuable Beyond Description

Recently I received an e-mail from a good friend in the church. He is a spiritually-minded man who understands the power and necessity of the ministry on encouragement. Although his e-mail was directed to me, you will benefit from this simple counsel of praying Scripture-centered prayers when interceding for others.

Hi Pastor Jim:

I hope that your day is being blessed by our Lord. I was thinking about your focus on prayer.

I am sure that many times you are asked to pray for others or just make that choice to do so. God's word teaches us how to intercede for others in Colossians 1:9-12: "We have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light." This passage teaches us what to pray for and how to pray for others. Ask God that we (they)...

• ...be filled with the knowledge of His will. (Col. 1:9)
• ...walk in a manner worthy of the Lord (Col. 1:10)
• ...bear fruit in every good work (Col. 1:10)
• ...increase in knowledge of God (Col. 1:10)
• ...be strengthened with all power (Col. 1:11)
• ...joyously give thanks to the Father (Col. 11-12)

Our prayers do not have to be specific, but they do need to be full of faith, consistent, and according to God's will. Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees.

My prayer is that God blesses you abundantly as you pray for the flock, your family, and your loved ones and as you continue to serve IBC faithfully.

Dick Crump