Pray First For Others

I asked the Lord to care for me and mine,
Their illness and poverty to destroy;
I raised each by name, a daily design,
Pled God remove all that harm or annoy.
But of my friend's plight, a word was uttered not;
Of his woes, I neither cared or besought;
He endured as much as did all our lot;
I should pray for him first, as Jesus taught;
Then I heard him pray for me, and I knew,
God gives to others a whole lot more
When a friend beseeches, and not just you;
At last I prayed for him, late, not before!
My lesson learned, I prayed with more success;
Pray first for others; then my needs address.

Remember what Jesus commanded us to do in John 15:12, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." One of the best ways to show that you love as Jesus loved is to pray for others; consider their needs first in beseeching God for assistance. If you chance to hear another person praying for you, it both humbles and encourages you, and you have the assurance that God has heard the prayer and is more likely to grant it than if you had asked for yourself.

Please let me pray for you right now. "Dear Father in heaven, thank You for this reader who is looking at my blog today. I ask that You encourage him in whatever difficulty he may be encountering at this time. Help him to know how to do for others the things that they need done. Let him feel the power of God in the fulillment of whatever he asks you to do for a friend. Help him to believe in Your existence and Your love for him. Help him to know that his life is a blessing to others. I ask these favors in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son Who is my Savior and the Savior of the world. Amen" Thank you, my friend, for allowing me to do this.