I Pray for You

'Tis better to give than to receive. That's what they say, right? In the case of having a praying friend and being a praying friend, I think it's tied. Both are so powerful. You can't really pick which one is better. Personally, being a praying friend has brought about many blessings in my life and I want to help you become that friend. When I first started, I was very lost. I didn't really know what to pray for. I looked on Pinterest, and for once, it failed me. I couldn't find any substantial content regarding praying for your friends. That's when I had to actually use my brain, which is probably a good thing. I will admit that having a comprehensive list would have helped boost my prayers in the beginning. I want to give you some general ideas that you can personalize or use to help get your mind cranking and your prayers flowing.

1) Success: Pray that God will make them successful. Not just wealth, but that they will see results in their efforts in every aspect of their life.

2) Encouragement: Life is hard. I try to have a positive outlook, but no one can deny the fact that life is just hard. As much as I try, I can't provide the divine encouragement and endurance that God does. If your friend is like any other human, they have struggles in life and need that special encouragement and resilience that only God can give.

3) Wisdom: Every day we make decisions. Some days bigger than others, but all of our decisions are important. Pray that your friend will navigate life with godly wisdom.

4) Desire for God: I think we have all been at a point (or several points if you're me) where we just don't desire God like we should. For whatever reason, you get burnt out, tired, uninspired, distracted, etc. and you don't have any motivation to chase after God. I've been here many times before, and I want to do my part in making sure this doesn't happen to someone I care about. How can I do that? Prayer!

5) "Jesus glasses": this is a term I thought of at three o' clock one morning. It' pretty lame, but it's what I always think of when I imagine seeing life the way Jesus does. Personally, I struggle with how I view myself. I'm my own worst enemy. I would be ashamed if I were to post the utterly hateful things I think about/tell myself. I often pray for God to help me to see myself how He sees me. It's virtually impossible to know who struggles with this since it is an internal issue (unless the person tells you), but I know how hard it is when the worst things you've ever "heard" about yourself are coming from yourself and you feel like you can't stop. Because of that, I go ahead and pray about this. I also know that the Bible warns against pride. Pride can be just as bad as the abuse I put on myself. Wherever you fall on the self-esteem spectrum, I would bet that you need "Jesus glasses."

6) Friends: I have "officially" diagnosed myself with athazagoraphobia (Don't ask me how to say it, though.) I saw it on Pinterest. It's the fear of being forgotten or ignored. I think most people feel this to some extent, but some of us feel it more than others. I would honestly put this in my Top 5 fears*. That being said, this is a prayer that was hard for me to pray, but I decided to get over myself. I sincerely do not want to be anyone's only friend because that would suck for them, quite frankly. I may have my good moments, but there are a lot of qualities that I simply do not have. There are 16 Myers-Briggs personality types, and I encompass one (and a half). As much as I want to be one, I will never be an ENFP, and I believe with all my heart that everyone needs an ENFP friend. Anyway, as scared as I get of being forgotten or replaced, I value others enough to genuinely pray for their other friendships and for them to acquire new ones that will be beneficial to them. (*Future blog post?)

7) Thank You: For Pete's sake! (Who is Pete, anyway?) Tell God thank you every once in a while for your ol' pal! If I didn't know better, I would think that God gets annoyed at all my random little prayers of gratitude. The day's not over until I utter a little prayer of thanks. I'm not saying this to brag on myself, but rather to brag on God for blessing me so much that my soul cannot keep quiet about it. One of my favorite verses is Philippians 1:3 which says, "Every time I think of you; I thank my God." This rings very true in my life.

8) Godliness: Leading a godly life is hard. I know I struggle with having a godly/God-honoring attitude. I have asked for prayer in this area of my life, among others, and I would bet money that all of you reading this wouldn't mind having someone praying for you in your pursuit of godliness. It takes strength, endurance, and good resolution to withstand the temptations we face day in and day out. Let's be honest, we can't walk around slapping their hand every time temptation comes their way for several reasons. For one, that's completely ridiculous and unreasonable. Two, many sins are mental and you may never know about them. And three, we have our hands full enough trying to keep ourselves out of sin. Lending a helping hand through prayer is one of the best ways you can support your friend in their efforts regardless of the situation.

9) Relationship with Christ: This is by far the most important thing you can pray about. If you don't pray about anything else, pray about this. This specific topic can take a lot of forms. Whether it's their time reading the Bible, their lifestyle, their growth, their prayer life, or simply their salvation. (Now, if they are close to Christ, some of these probably won't apply. But for the sake of my point, let's say they all do.) If your friend goes through life as a foolish, discouraged, unsuccessful person, but has an intimate relationship with Christ, that's all that matters.  I have actually prayed, "If you don't do anything else, draw them close to You because that's what we all need more than anything."

I hope this has been helpful for you. I know when I first started it was hard for me to know what to pray for. One more quick tip is to pray for them what you want someone to pray for you. Often times, my prayers for others reflect my life - especially when I'm not sure how to pray for them. If I'm feeling lonely, I pray that they aren't lonely. If I need peace, I pray that God gives them peace. The closer you are to the person, the easier it is to pray for them, too. Like most things in life, prayer takes practice, but it is very much worth it! I'm sure your friend would agree!