Don't Just Promise to Pray-PRAY!
By Dick LaFountain
In my ministry, I customarily greeted people at the door after the service. Often people would whisper a personal prayer request to me and I would say, “Yes, I’ll pray for that.” One Sunday morning, I was convicted by a thought, “No, you won’t. You rarely remember those requests.”
The conviction was so deep that it led me to preach a message on praying for one another. In that sermon, I promised never to say, “I’ll pray for you,” without praying for the person then and there. That meant, whether at the door of the church, on the phone, or in the supermarket, I would stop right there and say, “Let me pray for you right now!” My practice was to lay hands on them and pray. After first asking I would lay a left hand on their shoulder, lift my right hand to the Lord, and pray audibly for them.
A funny thing happened at first. People stopped requesting my prayers because they were uncomfortable with me praying for them immediately. But I persisted.
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Praying on the Sidewalk
The first occasion for this was the week after that message. I met one of our dear saints on a downtown sidewalk and in our conversation she asked me to pray for a certain need she had. I smiled and said, “Linda, remember my message on Sunday? I said I wouldn’t promise to pray for you without praying that very moment.” She affirmed she remembered and that I could pray right there on the sidewalk, so I did. I laid a hand on her shoulder and lifted my hand to heaven and prayed out loud for her.
The next week she confessed to me that she walked away so embarrassed she wanted to hide. As she thought on this, she sensed the Lord whisper to her, “Are you ashamed of me and my word? Are you ashamed of praying in public?” Right then, she said it changed her mind about praying like that. Then she said, “Pastor, now I’ve started doing that with people in the supermarket.”
Even in Walmart
Another time I met one of our young leaders in Wal-Mart and in our conversation, he said he was praying about a mission trip. He asked me to pray for him to have the Lord’s leading. I asked him if I could pray for him right there in the store. He smiled sheepishly and said, “Go for it, pastor!” There in the houseware department of Wal-Mart, I laid my hand on his 6-foot shoulder and lifted my hand to the Lord and prayed. Later, he told me it made him so proud to have a pastor bold enough to pray over him in public. That young leader heard the call of God, went on a short-term mission project, then he, his wife, and whole family went to Guatemala as missionary teachers where they have been for seven years.
My People Learned
Then it started rubbing off on my people. One night, one of my parishioners was working his usual night shift as a custodian in a large company. That evening, he encountered the president of the firm in his office. In the conversation that ensued, it became obvious the man was in severe pain because of a back injury. The subject immediately turned to Jesus Christ and His power to hear and answer prayer. This humble custodian wasn’t sure if he should offer to pray for this important man, but the Lord seemed to compel him to do so. He asked if he could put his hand on the man as he prayed. This president consented and Perry prayed. When he finished, the man was weeping and said, “Perry, no one has ever prayed for me like that before.” In other words, no one ever bothered to put his hand on him and pray over him. Later, this executive said his back was better.
I wonder what miracles and answers to prayer we miss because we don’t think to pray publicly. Instead of just praying FOR someone, be sure to pray WITH them and OVER them. It will bless you and encourage them. It is also amazing how many of those requests are granted. God answers prayer, not requests for prayer. “PRAY ONE FOR ANOTHER THAT YOU MAY BE HEALED” (James 5:16).
