I thank my God always…

I love to read Paul’s prayers. What a great way to learn how to remember and pray for others.

Take this prayer, from Philemon 4-6.

“I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.”

When you pray for someone, first thank God for them. There is something in everyone for which you can thank God. Really. Then pray that God will work in them – in this case it was that the participation, the partnership, or sharing in their common faith would be effective in deepening Philemon’s understanding of the good things they shared for the sake of Christ.

Pray for the people around you in church. Pray for the people around you in life. Pray that as you share your faith with them, and as they become a partner in faith with you, that their understanding, their knowledge of the things of Christ will grow.

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