Praying For Our "Needs"

Adapted from a Jeff Strite sermon

https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/praying-for-our-needs-jeff-strite-

sermon-on-prayer-how-to-62808

A preacher shares a memory. At prayer time during a worship service I asked:

"Are there any prayer needs today?"One person mentioned a neighbor who was

sick.Another spoke of a couple with financial

problems.A young man asked us to pray for the family of a friend’s grandmother who

recently died.

After hearing what seemed to be all the requests I said, "If there are no other needs

then let us bow our heads and pray."Shortly after beginning the prayer, I felt

something tugging on my pants leg and at the same time heard a loud whisper:

"Preacher! Preacher! "I ’needs’ something too!"

Still speaking, I slightly opened one eye and took a peek.

A little boy was on his hands and knees below me, tugging on my pants leg as hard

as he could and earnestly whispering:"Preacher, I ’needs’ something too!"

I could hear giggling in the background as the boy continued tugging on my pants and

was by now speaking loudly: "Preacher, I ’needs’ something!"

"Oh no!" I thought to myself. "In my arrogance and pride, had I ignored the

needs of a small child? Maybe he knew of someone who was ill that we needed to

include?“Feeling guilty and ashamed, I stopped the prayer and gently asked the young boy:

"Yes son, what do you need?""Preacher, I ’needs’ to go to the bathroom!"

The Bible tells us we "needs" to pray for one another, and because we realize that…

we "needs" to be a praying church.

We have a special time of prayer during worship … AND I know that there are many

who pray for others all the time.That’s the way it ought to be.

Matthew 21:13 ESV He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house

of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers."

We’re working at being a "house of prayer."

And that’s what we always "needs" to do.

For several weeks we’ve been focusing on prayer.

We’re looking at types of prayers.In the last sermon the focus was prayers

for our enemies.

This sermon is focused on the idea of praying for one another. I believe this lies at

the very heart of who we are.

Galatians 6:2 ESV Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Jesus Himself sets the example for us.

Romans 8:34 ESV Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the

right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

In searching for Scriptures that talk about praying for each other,

that people would get well,Texts about praying that people would find

jobs,Verses about praying for families who’d

experienced loss or needed healing,

There is only one text I found that could be used for prayers like that. Surely there are

others, but in my repeated attempts searching concordances, cross-references,

commentaries Ifail to find them.

James 5:16 ESV 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.

In other words, WE ARE commanded (by God) to pray for one another. BUT most of

the Scriptures that I found focused on prayers for each other in an entirely

different way.Look at how Paul prays for the Philippians.

Philippians 1:3 ESV I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer

with joy,

Philippians 1:9 ESV And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with

knowledge and all discernment,Philippians 4:6 ESV do not be anxious

about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your

requests be made known to God.

This isn’t the only time that Paul speaks of this.

He tells the Colossian church: Colossians 1:3 ESV We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when

we pray for you,He tells the Ephesian Church: Ephesians

1:16 ESV I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,

And, it’s not just churches Paul prays this way for.

When he writes to Timothy:

2 Timothy 1:3 ESV I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear

conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.

And he informs a friend named Philemon: Philemon 1:4 ESV I thank my God always

when I remember you in my prayers,Now… I believe it is VITAL that we pray for

each other when we’re sick and hurting and struggling in our faith. BUT, I think we

"needs" to pray something else even more. I think we "needs" to pray: "thanking God"

for each other.

Because Jesus said there will ALWAYS be people in this church who have trouble.

John 16:33 ESV I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the

world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

Now… why would we "needs" to do that?

In this world, people are always going to have trouble.

BUT, they’re not always going to have people who care for them.

I got to thinking that it was the people I CARE about, who are people I’m thankful

for.

Those are the people I’m going to pray hardest for. They MATTER to me. When

they hurt, I hurt. When they rejoice, I rejoice.

In fact… when I’m thankful for others, that’s when I really love them.

When I’m thankful for people I reflect an attitude toward them - we find in

1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 13:4 MSG Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't

have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, 5 Doesn't force itself on

others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the

sins of others, 6 Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, 7 Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.

When Lee Iacocca (the genius that created the Ford Mustang, and who revitalized

Chrysler Corp.) was fired as president of Ford Motor Co., he said: "I was hurting

pretty bad. I could have used a phone call from someone who said ’Let’s have coffee.’ But most of my friends deserted me. It was

the greatest shock of my life."

Well, why didn’t Iacocca’s friend’s call him?Didn’t they like him?

Oh… they liked him well enough.He just wasn’t all that important to them.

And it wasn’t that they didn’t think highly of him…

They just didn’t think about him.

The reason we need to focus our prayers for each other on thanksgiving is because

it forces us to THINK about each otherIt forces us to think beyond our prayer NEEDS and to concentrate on why we

should like each other.

A man says to himself, "Oh no, here comes Bob. I promised him last week I’d pray for

him. Dear God, please help Bob!“Then in he says to Bob "Hey, Bob… been

praying for you."Did the man pray for Bob?

Yeah. But he hadn’t "thought" about Bob until he saw him…

He’d taken Bob for granted, and so he forgot all about his promise to pray for him

until just that moment.You know why that story seems funny to us… because we know it happens. It has

happened to you and to me. It’s not that we mean to be mean. It’s just that we don’t

think about each other, and so the needs each of us have kind of drifts out of our

minds.

So, we don’t end up praying for people unless they are close at hand, or unless

they are part of our close circle of friendsHow do we fix that?

We fix that by praying ABOUT each other in a way that goes BEYOND simply praying

for the needs in each others lives. We fix it by giving thanks for each other whenever

we think about one another.

I find it real easy here. I’ll be thinking about one of you, and first thing that comes to

mind is almost always thanksgiving. I suppose that is because I’ve preached in a couple of really difficult churches before this, and I KNOW what kind of people we

have here.It’s easy for me to be thankful for people like you. And I find myself being thankful

for you - a lot.

The fact that I’d experienced difficult people in the past ministries got me to

thinking… there’s some people that aren’t real easy

to be thankful for.Have you ever met someone like that?

People that have disappointed you, or hurt you…, or whatever. And so you find it real

hard to thank God for that person.

Two sisters spent the day fighting.That evening they prepared for bed, still

mad at each other.As usual, they knelt beside their beds for

their prayers."Dear God," the 8yr. old began, "Bless

Daddy and Mommy, bless our cat and dog."Then she stopped.

Her mother gently prodded, "Didn’t you forget somebody?"

She glared across the bed at her 6yr. old sister and added, "And, oh yes, God bless

my ex-sister."

Paul gives us a word of advice on how to deal with that problem.

Philippians 1:3 ESV I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer

with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion

at the day of Jesus Christ.

When we’re praying for others in this church we need to be praying for them - not

so much for what they have ALREADY done but for what God may yet do through

them.That person sitting near you may not be

living up to your expectations. You may not - at this moment - be real

thankful for them BUT… our confidence needs to be in what God will YET do in their

lives.

Our confidence needs to be in God not the Christians who aren’t living up to our

expectations.

We must be thankful for them, believing that "He who BEGAN a good work in them

will carry it on to completion."

Jesus saved them for a reason… and Jesus isn’t done with them yet.

So…even if you can’t think of anything to be thankful for when you pray for someone,

focus on being thankful that God isn’t finished with them yet.

PRAYER TIME:What I want you to do this morning is pray for each other. I want you pick 3 people to

be thankful for this morning:A person beside or near youA person on your prayer list

A person you’re having trouble liking this morning.

Have you ever thought of the differences between what Church should be like and

what the world tries to substitute for Christ’s family. Someone once wrote:

The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit there is to the fellowship Christ

wants to give his church.

Conclusion

The bar is an imitation dispensing liquor instead of grace, escape rather than reality, but it is permissive, it is accepting and it is

an inclusive fellowship.It is unshockable.It is democratic.

You can tell people secrets and they usually don’t tell others or even want to.

The bar flourishes not because most people are alcoholics, but because God has

put into the human heart, the desire to know and be known, to love and be loved.

And so many people seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers.

BUT, there is one more thing that makes the church different than the local tavern.

In fact, it is the one thing that makes us different than any other human

organization

The church is a place where we train each other to care for one another.

And that training starts when we learn to pray - giving thanks for one another… both for what we are, and for what we are yet to

become.