What Happens When People Pray For Me?
By: Mary Hood
Tags: Endurance, Discipleship, Hope, Prayer, Christianity

I am a prayer warrior. That is not a brag. You won’t hear me praying in a crowd. In fact, when people ask me to pray, I usually begin to sweat. Every word in my head actually runs to find the nearest exit, and I am left with space. I say the same words, sometimes repeatedly, so I feel like a fool at the end of my dissertation.

It is the same as speaking. In the late ’70s, when I was in Bible school, I was a part of “Bus Ministry.” Each Saturday, we would drive to various surrounding towns and invite children to Sunday School. On Sunday mornings, we would then go and pick them up on school busses, and after Sunday school, return them to their homes.

The bus rides were fun. We would sing songs and love those kids. I would sing right along with them, sit with them, minister to them, one-on-one, but I never would pray out loud or tell a story. I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. I was always an aide, never a teacher.

At different intervals in my life, I volunteered to teach Sunday School. Oh my, what a disaster! I told my Pastor’s wife a few years ago, the children know more than me. She laughed and disagreed. Finally, after years of torture, I decided that teaching children, even though I love them dearly, is not my calling. I do, however, pray for them. Before Covid, I was an aide in a class once a month. After Covid, I plan on continuing.

My need for prayer

My primary prayer life is behind doors, hidden from view. This is where I bring not only my own needs before Him but yours.

Actually, I went to some of my friends about a month ago and thanked them for praying for me because God was answering. I thought they should know that God hears their prayers. He didn’t answer in the way I expected, but He answered.

This week my question to the Lord is,

“Can I ask them to stop now?”

Now, why would I want people to stop praying for me? Because I don’t see things getting better but worse.

Then the Holy Spirit ministered.

Our desires to be healed and blessed are not the reason we pray. We pray so that we might see and hear the Holy Spirit.

As we age, we experience a loss of hearing. What I listen needs to be louder. What I say needs to be louder. With masks now, I can’t clearly hear or understand what anyone says. I have to keep asking people to repeat themselves. It is so frustrating. I work with the elderly and deal with hearing all the time. Even my kids say they can’t hear as well as they used to.

The volume of our world is magnified and there is no stop in sight.

Jesus asked for prayer

“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and told His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” And He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying, so that you do not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink from it, Your will be done.”(Matthew 26:36–42, NASB)

Did Jesus get what He asked for when He prayed? Well, I have heard it explained a couple of different ways.

One is that He was asking that He would not die before He had to go to the cross because then He could not complete the will of the Father. The sins of man would remain without the sacrifice needed. Satan would win, and God would not get the glory. He prayed not to fail.

The other explanation is that He was praying for some other way to make this all happen.

In either case, His prayer was, “Thy will be done.”

Though His disciples fell asleep and could not even pray; his response was not one of rebuke. No, He of all people understood the battle between spirit and flesh. He experienced the same fight, but being both perfect man who knew no sin and perfect God, His battle was more against Satan and all evil forces.

As a believer, Satan cannot destroy my eternal relationship with God. It is a sealed covenant, a done deal. Although Satan can definitely affect and distract, my battle is between my flesh and the Holy Spirit within me. We are not on the same team, yet we share the same playing field.

Your prayers for me beckon the Holy Spirit to act on my behalf. It is not to give me what I want but to work in my life to transform my will, thus conforming me to Jesus Christ. This means things may get worse before they get better.

How we make decisions

Every decision in the life of a believer is centered around the cross of Christ. I remember one person asking me a few years ago why I always wrote about death. He said,

“It’s all so bloody”!

It surprised me because it was so normal to talk about Jesus’s death and resurrection. I didn’t consider the fact he might not share the same faith as I.

The cross of Christ and what He did there is the most precious, important thing in the life of a believer.

“If we get away from dwelling on the tragedy of God on the Cross in our preaching, our preaching produces nothing.” Oswald Chambers, “My Utmost For His Highest.

Asking in His name

So, if God just wants to conform us to His will, does that mean nothing I ask for makes any difference?

“Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:11–15, NASB) “Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4, NASB)

Christ desires to give us everything we truly desire. “In His name” means in His authority and will. How can we know His will if we don’t hear His voice? The way to hear is to draw near. When I am truly in His presence, I’m going to hear things I didn’t hear before. Then when I hear and obey, it is His choice what to give me. My prayer life is not a Christmas list.

The issue is not what we can get from God to make us happy, but who we can become like to make us holy.

Do I really want you to stop praying for me? No. Yes. No. Really, no. It’s awesome. It’s real. It’s hard.