Praying With Joy
Praying with Joy
I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. (Phil. 1:3–5)
No Passing Thought
How many times has someone expressed a need to you and you’ve replied with, “I’ll pray for you,” only to realize a few days later that you forgot all about it? For many of us, our good intentions about praying for others are just that—good intentions. But rather than feeling guilty about coming up short in this area, maybe we ought to ask ourselves why we don’t prioritize prayer for others more. Maybe the problem goes deeper than laziness or forgetfulness. Maybe it’s really a problem of belief. Maybe we don’t think it matters much whether we pray or don’t pray.
Reading today’s verse, you don’t get the sense that the apostle Paul struggled to remember to pray for the Philippians. You also don’t get the sense that he thought prayer was unimportant. Quite the opposite. He said he thanked God “for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer.”
A Beautiful Partnership
Notice how Paul says that he prays for them because of their “partnership in the gospel.” As Christians, we’re all in this together. We desperately need the prayers of others, and others desperately need our prayers. Praying for others is a great joy and privilege. Don’t neglect it.
Bottom Line
Praying for others is one of the best ways you can love them. Let your prayers be filled with thanksgiving and joy and faith.