“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16 ESV).
This Week’s Challenge
It is my prayer that you have had some success in developing the discipline and joy of regular prayer. This week, rather than adding any time to your habit–at least 5 minutes at a regular time each day, and 2 minutes twice per day (1 minute seeking guidance, and 1 minute listening for direction)–the challenge for us is, for the next six days, for us to not pray for ourselves at all. God does want us to pray for ourselves as well as others, but I think it is important for us to realize just how often we pray for ourselves, and how seldom we actually pray for others.
All sin has at its roots selfishness. And we tend to carry that selfishness into our spiritual walk if we are not careful. If we allow selfishness to infiltrate our prayers, they will be ineffectual. “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:2-3 ESV emphasis mine).
It will be telling to see how much we actually pray for ourselves. God is aware of our needs before we have them. He watches over us as a loving Father. Rest assured that, for these next six days, God will take care of you and your needs.
Begin to develop the habit of praying for others. When we selflessly put others before ourselves in prayer our prayers are more powerful!
Blessings on your week!
Skipping Stones 