In a previous post (What Does Prayer Accomplish?), I talked about about prayer in our relationship with God. But for some reason, I’ve been extremely slow to understand the real effects of our prayers for one another; then the other day, I got such a clear picture in my head of all the earthly good our prayers accomplish. Praying for one another is the best way to stand with the ones I love when they are walking through a valley, because God takes our prayers and gives the recipient assurance that they don’t walk alone. While I may not be able to physically help my friend, I can stand behind them in prayer – because sometimes just knowing you’re not along can make all the difference.
And yes, I know this from experience. There was a time in my life when I had to walk through a valley I didn’t want to. But there were times in that journey when it was inexplicably not as hard as I felt it should have been, and I know that it was because people were praying for me. It is difficult to put into words, but I felt like there was an army standing in the way of the pain and absorbing some of it so I didn’t have to – the times the pain and uncertainty were the worst were the times I could sense people’s prayers the most. I could have pulled up my bootstraps and tramped through that valley alone, but it would have been so much harder and it would have been easier for me to have given up.
When God nudges me and says, “This person is fighting a battle now, and they need some backup.” He is not saying that He is incapable of handling the situation; He is simply giving me an opportunity to be a part of His work. When we pray for one another, it is a demonstration of our love for them even if we can’t be there in person to help them; and that is the most important thing. God put us in other people’s lives for very specific reasons, and one of those reasons is to walk with them when the valleys are deep and dark.
Proclaiming His Goodness 