Once you have become solid in your prayer life, overcome obstacles, and persevered through trying circumstances, you ought to be leading others in prayer. Absolutely everyone needs prayer. The apostle Paul asked people to pray for him all the time, and we need people to pray for us so that we can fight sin in our lives. I believe we can do this even before we feel ready. Lean on God when someone asks if you can pray for them. Just stop what you are doing and pray for them out loud. When people have done this with me, I have always felt blessed and uplifted. Be a blessing to others.
Many times I have noticed a reluctance of people to pray in front of other people because they feel self-conscious. Banish this thought once and for all. If you’re praying the way you ought to pray, for eternal results rather than temporary ones, others need to know how to do this. What better way than to pray wholeheartedly to the Lord in front of others? Or is your fear of man stronger than your desire to please God? Remember that fear of man brings a snare (Proverbs 29:25). Don’t be ruled by what other people think of you. I much prefer a broken person blurting out a true prayer than a polished prayer with no heart engaged. So does God.
Talk to God as if there were no one else present. When you become more comfortable, change the pronoun to “we” instead of “I,” and pray just as earnestly. Bring the requests of others before the Lord as if they were your own, because they are. You are part of the body of Christ, and you are commanded to pray for others. You are commanded to love others as much as you love yourself (Matthew 22:39).
Many times in Scripture, people were called upon to pray in front of others. Solomon led all of Israel in prayer when he dedicated the Temple. For one section of his prayer, he was kneeling in front of the people, even though he was the king (I Kings 8:12-61). Elijah prayed in the hearing of all the people who worshiped Baal, asking God to strike fire down from heaven, and God answered (I Kings 18:36-39). Jesus prayed in front of the crowds all the time, including when He multiplied the loaves and the fish, and when He raised Lazarus from the dead.
Let’s not stay in a state of infancy in our prayer lives where we are babies and can never pray for others. Let’s ask God to mature us. Let’s be brave warriors who do prayer battle on behalf of our hurting brothers and sisters in Christ. ALL believers are commanded to grow to maturity and stop being babies. Yes, we can lean on others during hard times, but let’s be a rock that other people can come to for strength, where they know that we will pray boldly because we have an advocate with the Father, who is our Lord Jesus (I John 2:1), who intercedes for us day and night (Romans 8:34). Let us lead others in prayer, even if we feel nervous.
Many times I have led someone in prayer, not knowing what to pray. I threw myself upon God, asking silently with all my heart that He would show me how to pray. The earnestness of my prayers have always uplifted the person I was praying for, even if I stopped or blundered in my words. Who cares? I love God, and I love others with all my heart, and that’s why I can pray with others.
