“When you pray, do not be as those who pretend to be someone they are not. They love to stand and pray in the places of worship or in the streets so people can see them. For sure, I tell you, they have all the reward they are going to get. When you pray, do not say the same thing over and over again making long prayers like the people who do not know God. They think they are heard because their prayers are long.” Matthew 6:5 & 7
Praying for your friends can be an uncomfortable thing to do. Yet it’s one of those things where the more you pray for your friends, the easier it gets. God knows our heart. Prayers don’t have to be eloquent or sound a certain way; the simplest prayer is all He wants.
I had a friend that kept running into me in the town square all season. Through an SFC event, he got to hear my story and the good news of Jesus. He was pretty stoked to see what we had with SFC.
About a month later, I hadn’t seen him until we ran into each other at a coffee shop with quite the limp. He explained that he blew out his knee on the spring slushy jumps and was going into surgery the next week. I offered, “Hey mate, do you mind if pray for you and your knee?” He gladly accepted my invitation. I placed my hand on his shoulder and prayed for healing in the middle of the coffee shop. It wasn’t anything profound or lofty, just a simple prayer asking for healing and protection for him and his knee. My friend said thanks and left, limping his way out of the coffee shop. At the time, I didn’t think much else of it.
However, unknown to me, my friend went home to tell his wife he immediately felt better after that prayer. He couldn’t get out of his mind. At an on-hill staff work party a few days later, he kept sharing with my friends about how I prayed for his knee and that it was feeling better. He opened up to my friends and kept saying how much he respected what we do with SFC. Even I was shocked when I heard the news.
A few weeks later, he was thrilled to tell me about his knee and further opened up to me. Through a simple prayer, we built trust and he began to share his struggles and how lost he feels in the empty shred culture. It broke my heart listening to him.All he needed was a friend to listen and share what we have with Jesus. I was so thankful to be there for him as friend, pray with him, and share my hope of Jesus with him. I have to trust that this seed God planted will grow and my friend’s heart will turn to Jesus.
I pray that you will find these opportunities to pray with your friends. I encourage you to have the boldness and confidence to pray a simple prayer with your friends.
Challenge
When you pray, it’s a relationship and open conversation with your Heavenly Father.
Pray alongside with your closest friends aloud and in silence.
Look for an opportunity everyday to pray for your friends and share about Jesus’ love for them.
By Taylor Brant | Denver, Colorado