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Have you ever wondered how to pray for somebody else you may not know very well? Perhaps it’s a missionary in another country or even an extended family member who lives in another state. Whoever it may be, you think of them often but just aren’t sure how to pray for them.
When Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in a distant city, he wasn’t able to make a phone call or reach out to them through social media. There wasn’t a messenger providing a list of prayer requests. Instead, Paul wrote the prayers he believed were most important.
The NLT Study Bible notes that the first prayer Paul prays for the Ephesians was for them to have spiritual understanding (Ephesians 1:15-23). Later, Paul prays for the people to experience spiritual growth and to be empowered by God’s strength to be the people He has called them to be (Ephesians 3:14-21).
You may not always know exactly what to pray for others. But praying for them to have spiritual understanding and to experience spiritual growth is always a good starting point.
READING & PRAYERS:
How regularly do you pray as Paul did – for others to have spiritual understanding and for them to experience spiritual growth?
How do people grow spiritually? (Hint: You can summarize Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21 to answer this question.)
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, while some of my prayers for others are for their salvation, I acknowledge that many of my prayers are for the physical or emotional well-being of others, or myself. This week, may my prayers be more about the spiritual understanding and spiritual growth of others. And as I pray for others, may You also instill spiritual understanding deep within me as well. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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