Life can be tumultuous. There are ups and downs. It was true for all of us in 2018 and it will be true for all of us again in 2019. That’s just how life rolls. Thankfully, God cares and desires to walk with us through every peak and valley that this New Year has to offer.
One of the incredibly great blessings in life is to have people in your corner. Specifically, to have people who care enough about you and love you enough to regularly pray for you. Do you have people in your life who pray for you? And more to the point of this writing, are you someone who others can count on to pray for them?
One of the Bible’s great stories on the power of prayer is the story of Moses and Joshua in Exodus 17:8-16. Here we see the Israelites are attacked by an enemy and face great opposition. Moses tells Joshua to go fight the attackers while he does battle through prayer. It’s a powerful picture of the importance of prayer. Moses, Aaron and Hur go to the top of the hill and as long as Moses’ hands are up Joshua is winning. When his hands drop, Joshua is losing. Upon seeing this, Aaron and Hur determine to hold Moses’ hands up when he grows tried. In the end, Joshua and the Israelites defeat their enemy and are victorious.
Moses’ outstretched arms are symbolic of his appeal to God for help and enablement. Literally, there are people in your life and mine that need us to pray consistently for them. Your family and friends need you to pray for them.
Believe in prayer. Be convinced of its power. And remember that Jesus told us – and taught us – to pray. Others are depending on you. Praying for others is a vital prayer for us to pray in 2019. Make a chart listing out the people you will purpose to pray for every day. Write down some of their needs and how you want to pray on their behalf. Whether you know it or not, they need you.