Praying for Others

“We don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” (Romans 8:26 NLT)

When we offer to pray for someone, we are taking on a serious responsibility. We don’t have to know what to pray for or what words to use. All we have to do is open up our spirit so that God can have unlimited access.

The spiritual reservoir inside us is a lot like a rural farm pond. Most days it is just a repository for run-off water. A pond can be a peaceful place to sit and meditate, catch a few fish, or maybe take an occasional swim. But it is most useful during a fire. Rural areas don’t have fire hydrants.  Fire fighters often use the water in ponds to put out fires. Farmers usually allow access to their ponds for neighboring fires. Similarly, our spirits can be used by God to extinguish fires nearby. The Holy Spirit can siphon our prayers to rescue others. We can help by keeping the easement to our spirits clear so the pathway is accessible. This involves clearing our schedule and our mind as much as possible. We don’t have to give God instructions on how to put out the fires. All we have to do is grant the Holy Spirit full access.