"Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you." 1 Samuel 12:23a
This verse has been a defining scripture of my life for a very long time. God allows people to come and go in our lives for specific purposes. I have always believed that one of those reasons was to lift them up in prayer. I am still praying for people that have been gone from from my immediate life for years. Why would I spend so much time interceding for others ~ especially if they are no longer part of my life? Did you catch that? It's a SIN to NOT pray for people. Beyond that, people need prayer. Even ~ or especially ~ those who don't believe. Non-believers need us to pray for them in earnest. They need salvation from this fallen world. They need the Truth.
Who else needs our prayers? You had to know I was going to say this next part: our enemies need our prayers. Those who openly hate or defile us and what we believe. God doesn't need us to defend Him. What He wants from us is to love our enemies. What better way to do that then to pray for them. Prayer is our intimate communion time with the Lord. Our fellowship. To take that blessed time and use for those who hate us is going to do two things: it will bring us to love our enemies as God our Father does and it will bring them to their knees. "...but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9b If God is longsuffering towards us, then we should follow the example and be longsuffering towards others.
Who have you lost your patience with and walked away from that now you should pray for them? Or, who has lost their patience for you and walked away from you? Only you know the truth of these situations. Allow the Lord to come into those circumstances through your prayer time with Him. I'm not saying to dwell on them. I'm saying to boldly leave them at the throne of grace and then continually pray for that person.
Praying for those who have touched my life ~ whether good or bad.
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