How to Pray Online

If you compare present technology to yesterday’s, you can see there has been drastic advancement. These innovations in technology have improved health care, engineering, design, warfare, and every other sector. Of course, it has also revolutionized information technology. If before, people communicated through a pager, now they can send pictures, videos, and messages and do many more things using their gadgets. These new tech features can be found everywhere, given the help they can provide in whatever sector you use them. In terms of communication with others, new technology is indeed a vast help and extremely convenient. That is why you will see people using smartphones wherever you look.

If technology has made a significant impact on every sector of industry and society, it has also impacted churches. The changes in technology have also changed how Christians do things. If you were a Christian during the 1800s, a minister probably had to go door to door to his congregation’s houses if he wanted to announce something about church activities, or he might do it through word of mouth, employing a band of believers. But with today’s technology, one social media post does the job of announcing something, whether it is a church event, prayer night, etc.

Can you pray with someone online?

Today’s technology has made a lot of things easier to do. If you are communicating with someone far away, you don’t have to wait weeks for his or her response as you exchange letters. With the tips of your fingers, you can message someone far away or even have a video call with them so you can virtually talk to them face-to-face. Given that technology has made communication with others more accessible, we can pray for someone online. We should take advantage of this technology to advance God’s kingdom and minister to fellow believers.

The technology that we have is, sadly, also being used for evil purposes. People use social media platforms to promote things that are evil in the sight of God. But that does not mean that we should not use technology such as social media. Social media and other platforms are great tools for communication that we can utilize for our own godly purposes, one of which is praying for other people wherever they are.

If you are ministering to someone who is going through tough times, you can initiate a video call to encourage the person. And then, through that video call, you can pray for the person almost face-to-face. Even if you cannot pray for the person through video calls, you can still pray for them using today’s information technology. You can message or chat by typing out what you are praying for the person and sending it to them. You can encourage the person this way because it lets them know (and even reminds them if they revisit the chat conversation) that they are not going through their hardships alone; you are with them, carrying their burdens and praying for them. 

Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

[Galatians 6:2]

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

[Philippians 4:6]

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

[Ephesians 6:18]

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

[James 5:16]

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

[1 Timothy 2:1]

While we can pray for someone online and take good advantage of technology to minister to many people and even make disciples, we should remember that online interactions should never completely replace face-to-face interactions. The Bible did not call us to be comfortable in our own homes, and so neglect meeting with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ just because we can now do it online. The Bible has clearly shown us that we are to devote ourselves to physical fellowship with one another where we get edified, encouraged, corrected, and even sanctified. Fellowship with fellow believers is still one of the means of grace God has instituted.

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

[Acts 2:42]

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

[Hebrews 10:25]

How do you pray on social media?

When we utilize technology to pray for other people wherever they are, we do it mostly through social media. We can chat with people on social media or call them, whether through audio or video calling. How you pray also depends on what you are praying for. For example, if you are on a prayer line on social media, people can freely chat with you if they need any prayers. The prayers you pray for people are probably sent through chat, provided that the prayers you chat are not just from some template but genuine prayers that you offer out of real concern for someone. You may also pray for someone through video calls, depending on how you do things in your prayer line. As you pray for a person who has contacted you on your prayer line, keep in mind the concepts that address the problems or prayer requests they have. 

If you are catching up with a fellow believer and you are about to pray for him or her as you end your talk, you can still pray for them whether you are having a conversation through chat or video call. However, it is better to conduct video calls as often as possible so that your prayer time would be as if you were talking face-to-face. If the topic of your conversation is not that serious or complicated and can be communicated through chat, you can have a conversation and pray for the person there. Whether through video call or chat, praying for another person is similar to when you pray face-to-face. The only difference is that you are typing your prayer or saying it through a video call.

There are also other ways to pray online as you use social media. Say, for example, you posted Philippians 4:13 as a Bible verse to encourage people. You can type an open prayer for anyone who reads the Bible verse you encouraged. Here is an example of how that looks:

An encouragement for Christians who feel weak and weary during tough times . . .

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

(Philippians 4:13)

Heavenly Father, You are the God Who gives us strength in times of hardship. I pray that you would give those who read this post the grace they need to endure and persevere despite the tough times they are going through. Thank You, because no matter what hardships they go through, they can still live a victorious and dynamic life through Christ Who strengthens them. I pray for those reading this who haven’t repented and believed Christ that they would understand His work on the cross and commit to following Him. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

The same principles apply whenever you pray online, just as you pray face-to-face. We should aim to pray with a renewed mind that is sanctified according to God’s word. The best prayers that we can pray are God’s will, and we know God’s will by reading His Word. We can also pray the Scriptures for people as long as we properly apply them and know the context in which they appear. Having a renewed mind means the Holy Spirit is working in us as we read God’s Word. With a renewed mind, we know what is good and acceptable in God’s eyes, and we pray for those things.

While we should not let online interactions replace our face-to-face ministries, we can make good use of today’s technology to further advance God’s kingdom. Though it cannot replace face-to-face ministry, today’s technology expands our reach further than ever before. As you make good use of online or social media platforms, don’t forget to ask God for wisdom as to how and how much you will use it.