How To Offer A Prayer

Christians are known to be those who always offer to pray for other people. One way of becoming the salt and light to the world is by praying a prayer of blessing and ministering to whomever needs prayer, whether it is a fellow brother or sister in Christ, a stranger, a workmate, or a classmate. When we pray for other people who are not believers, we open their hearts for the preaching of the Gospel. Not only is offering a prayer to others an act of love, but it is also a way to preach the Gospel.

Father in heaven, give me the boldness to approach people and offer to pray for them. Empower me, Holy Spirit, and give me the grace and strength I need. Remind me to offer a prayer out of love. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Why Offer a Prayer?

Why should Christians offer to pray for fellow brothers and sisters in the faith, strangers, and those they know who are not believers? First, it is because Christ has commanded us to love others. In John 13:34-35, Jesus gave us His commandment, which is for us believers to love one another. That is the way the world will know that we are His disciples. One of the ways in which we show our love for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ is by praying for one another. That is why it has been the culture or way for believers to approach a person in the church, ask how they are doing, and eventually offer to pray for the person. (A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:34-35)

In Galatians 6:2, it is written that we are to bear one another’s burden as a church community. Besides actually helping those who need help or are carrying burdens, one of the ways that we offer solace is by praying for them, whether that is by approaching them to offer a prayer or during our personal prayer time with God. (Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2)

Another reason we offer a prayer to others, those we know that are not yet believers, and even strangers is that Christ has also commanded us to love our neighbors and be the salt and light to the world (Mark 12:31; Matthew 5:13-16). As mentioned above, one of the ways we put love into action is by offering a prayer to others. Also, that is how we become salt and light to others. When Jesus used the word “salt,” He meant something used to preserve food and to make food taste better. In other words, being the salt to others means preserving what is good and making things better. We make things better for someone when we approach them and offer to pray for whatever cares or concerns they have. Ultimately, we become the light to them by pointing them to the light of the world, which is Jesus, through the preaching of the Gospel, whether directly or subtly in our prayer. (And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:31)

How Do I Approach Others and Offer a Prayer?

To be able to approach others and offer a prayer, you can start by praying and asking the Holy Spirit to give you the boldness, grace, and strength you need. If you are in a place looking to approach a stranger to offer him or her a prayer, you can ask the Holy Spirit to show you or bring to your attention a person in your surroundings that you could approach to pray. If you already see someone you want to offer a prayer for, just approach the person and ask if you could pray for him or her. Usually, a person would accept a prayer because, in their mind, they would lose nothing, and it might be a blessing. If they allow you to pray for them, you can try asking if they have any concerns that you could pray for them. As you pray for them, you can try inserting the Gospel subtly in the prayer you are praying. You can use this same strategy on someone who is your friend but isn’t yet a Christian.

If you are praying for someone who is already a believer, it depends on whether you know the person. If the person you would offer to pray for is someone you know, such as a friend, you can approach them, ask them how they are doing, and tell them that you will pray for them. If the person in the church is someone you are not close to, you can still follow the approach we have given above when approaching a stranger. You can exercise your giftings and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to someone in church who needs to be ministered to.

The difference between praying for a believer and a non-believer is that for non-believers you subtly insert the Gospel, which is the most important thing they need to hear.

Father in heaven, I thank You for this opportunity to pray for [name of the person]. I pray for the concerns that he has regarding his family. I pray that You would comfort him and give him the grace he needs as he faces challenges in life. Lord, help him with the challenges he is encountering right now. Thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to die for our sins, and that if we believe in Him and follow Him, we can have eternal life and forgiveness and become Your son. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

In the end, it is essential to be reminded that our motivation in offering to pray for someone is to glorify God and to love them (Matthew 5:16; 1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Everything that we do is nothing if we don’t do it out of love, and we love because God first loved us. The ministry that we do, such as offering to pray for others, comes from the overflow of God’s love for us and in us. (Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16)