Praying for a blessing

When I was the leader of a ladies' prayer group a few years ago, I ran across a most helpful little tool. We, as Christian ladies who let our lights shine in the darkness around us, are often approached by someone groping for the light and asking for prayer. These dear ones may come to present a need in their own life, but more often, they come to ask you to pray for someone who is close to them and hurting. Sometimes we are given the reasons behind the request, sometimes not. In those cases, how do you send prayers heavenward that would seem to be "effectual and fervent?" Let me share something with you that was so helpful to me.By asking God to "bless" this person, I tried to follow an acrostic for the word and pray for the individual in 5 different areas of their life.

First, I would pray for their physical needs or the needs represented in their Body. Many times, that is the main reason for the request.

Next, I would pray for God to help them in their Labors. It seems during these tough times, we are praying for many to be able to find or keep their jobs!

As we continue in prayer, it is so important to ask for God to intervene in the Emotional avenue of their lives. It is so sad to see people consumed in sadness that turns to bitterness. Our emotions can be so fragile at times. We are continually running to the Lord for strength and help. When He holds us up, we can begin to rest in His care.

When praying for the 1st "S" in bless, I try to think about the Christians who might be a friend to this person -- those in their Social circle. You know, the Apostle Paul seemed to stress prayer for the Christians and their influence -- more than prayer for sinners. I had a friend who was called away to care for her unsaved daughter in a distant city. I prayed much for the daughter, then I became aware of Paul's admonitions, and started to pray even more for my friend and her influence in that home. When I told my friend about how I felt led to pray for her, it really seemed to bring a lot of encouragement to her.

Last, but most importantly, we should remember to pray for the Spiritual needs of those brought to our prayer list. They may be fully commited to the Lord, yet still have struggles and battles that we know nothing about! We also know that if this person doesn't know the Lord, how can they come to Him if the Holy Spirit does not woo them? How can the Holy Spirit reach out to them if we don't intercede?

When I shared this acrostic with the ladies in our prayer group, I printed it out on a bookmark they could keep in their Bible. Maybe this will be helpful to someone who is looking for a boost in the place of prayer.