When Jairus asked Jesus to come to his house because his daughter was dying, he was interceding for his daughter. And we can come to Jesus with other people’s needs too. Paul said: ‘I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.’ We can ask for things for others, those we know and those we don’t know. We’re not supposed to be ‘me focused’. We need to look out, not just in. Our needs are important, but so are the needs of others. Sometimes when we’re praying, we’re so focused on listing off all our problems to God, that we lose sight of the fact that other people need prayer too. Or maybe we tell someone that we’ll pray for them, only to forget to actually do it. But we need to make praying for others a habit in our lives. Jesus also intercedes for us. The Bible says: ‘Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us’ (Romans 8:34 NIV). That’s an amazing thought. Jesus is speaking to God on our behalf. Jesus even prayed for us when He was approaching His death. He prayed: ‘I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me’ (John 17:20-21 NIV). If Jesus can pray for us when He knew that the worst thing was ahead, we can pray for others no matter what’s going on in our lives. So when we hear of someone who needs prayer, will we approach Jesus on their behalf, just like Jairus did?

What Now?

Choose five people to pray for and write their names on sticky notes. Put them up in your room and commit to praying for them every day for a week (or longer!).