The Courage To Pray

This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

I’m chopping carrots for soup, my head tilted as I balance the phone on my shoulder—multitasking, as usual. It’s been ages since I’ve talked to my friend, and at this point, we are living completely different lives from when we first met. Hers is brimming with excitement and new adventures; mine is filled with never-ending laundry and carrots to chop.

As we chat, I drop the carrots into the stew and catch myself growing envious of her success. I compare what God has called me to in this season to what God has called her to, and my life seems more, well, ordinary.

Later that evening, as I’m scrubbing the soup pot, God scrubs my soul.

I know he has not called me to compare my life to my friend; he has called me to pray for her. He has not called me to compete with other women; he has called me to be faithful to complete the tasks he has placed before me and to love those around me. Sulking over my ordinary circumstances won’t free me from the comparison boiling inside me. Rather, freedom is found in courageously praying for the advancement of God’s Kingdom—and even for the blessing of my sister in Christ.

In Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, he writes, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” He goes on to say, “It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:3-5, 9-11).

Paul’s courageous, humble prayer for the believers at Philippi was for their blessing, the growth of their love for Christ, and their advancement in ministry. He held them in his heart as beloved brothers and sisters, not as sources of competition or comparison. This is especially admirable considering Paul wrote his letter while chained in a prison cell. He was being held captive; they were free, yet he was driven not by jealousy but by fervent love for Christ and his church.

What would happen if we dared to follow in Paul’s Christ-centered footsteps, celebrating when the gospel is proclaimed, whether it’s through our own lips and lives or through the lips and lives of others?

If our heart’s desire is to know Christ and make him known, we must humbly realize this will happen through us and our brothers and sisters in Christ. When we pray for the blessing of others’ ministries and for the growth of their love and knowledge of Christ, we play a role in advancing the gospel—which is our ultimate aim as believers.

Are you brave enough to pray for the blessing of others, trusting that God won’t pass you by?

Are you humble enough to cherish the gifts of others, cheering them on in the race they run as you run the race set before you?

Pray for the blessing of others, dear friend. God won’t pass you by.

Word before World The same God who is at work in your life is working in the lives of your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Grow in Grace Pray for a friend today and send her a message, letting her know you’re praying for her.