Who are you praying for by Travis Moffitt

There is a question that has been heavy on my mind this week: How much of my prayer time is spent praying for me and my needs and how much is spent praying unselfishly for others?  Don't get wrong, I do pray for other people.  But when I take inventory of those others I find that they are typically people in my immediate life circles.  I pray for my wife and my son.  I pray for my extended family and ministry co-workers.  What I'm asking is how often do I spend quality time praying for others who can not or do not give something back to me.  How much of my prayers, either directly or indirectly, are "me" focused and how much are truly "them" focused?

On the mission field this seems much easier.  When I'm in Honduras or in a prison, I'm there for the people who live there.  I arrived at that place to give to someone who can not give back to me.  That's the point.  Praying for that person is a natural part of the service.  Buy when I'm home and facing the normal everyday challenges of my life, I question how often does that person come to mind, or heart, or become the subject of my devine petition.  This is the challenge of seperatoon.  Out of sight out of mind; out of prayer.

Another challenge is the challenge of judgment.  Yesterday I observed a father dealing with his young son.  I must say that I did not personally approve of his actions.  Being a new dad myself, I began to think, "How could he treat his son that way?   I will never do that to my son."  What incredible judgement.  Instead of simply praying for that man I began to decide how much of a better father I must be.  Lord please forgive me.

Mother Teresa once said, "If you judge people, you have no time to love them."   

I believe we could also say that if we love people, we have no time to judge them.  What better way to show love than to simply pray.  When we unsefishly lift up another person in prayer I believe we are expressing one of the greatest forms of love we can display.  Not to mention the fact that it sets our heart right in our view of the other person and ourselves.

If Jesus is our model then we must ask, "How is Jesus praying today?"   The Bible teaches that Jesus now sits at the Fathers right hand making intercession for us.  What an amazing thought.  The idea that Jesus is praying for me right now is amazing.  I am certainly not in a position to give anything back to Him.  His gifts to me are everything and all that I have to offer is nothing, yet He speaks to the Father on my behalf.  Asking for my provision, covering my sins, lifting me up before my God.  I thank God everyday for His kindness.  His prayers sustain me.