“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV)
Paul didn’t just pray for the people in his life. He prayed for them with joy!
There are probably things in other people’s lives you’d like to change. You don’t want to change yourself; you want themto change. You can’t make them change—but you can, however, pray and let God do his work in other people.
Positive praying is more effective than positive thinking. All the positive thinking in the world isn’t going to change your spouse, child, friend, or situation. Positive thinking might change you, but it won’t change somebody else. But positive prayer can make a difference in both you and in others.
What’s the quickest way to change a bad relationship to a good one? Start praying for the other person! It will change you, and it may change them, too.
Paul even gave us an example of how to pray for others: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11 NIV).
From these verses, you can learn to pray for the people in your life in four ways:
Pray that they will grow in love: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight . . .”
Pray that they will make wise choices:“. . . so that you may be able to discern what is best . . .”
Pray that they will live with integrity:“. . . and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ . . .”
Pray that they will become like Jesus:“. . . filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”
Pray this for yourself and for other people in your life. Then watch how God turns around even your relationships that have seemed hopeless.
Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California with campuses in major cities around the world. He is the author of The Purpose Driven Life, which has been translated into 90 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. You can listen to his daily radio broadcast at PastorRick.com.
