Is it counter intuitive to both die to yourself, and ask for prayer for yourself?
It's SOS week and it doesn't feel awkward to ask people to pray for that.
What I'm wondering is how much of a jerk am I to never ask people to pray that God would do huge stuff this week, and then ask people to pray for a little talk I'm giving?
It's clear that I'm much more motivated to get people to pray for ME, because I really do love ME. It's also clear that I haven't been filling my e-mails, conversations and blog with requests for prayer for other things going on. So the whole deny yourself, "...I no longer live, but Christ lives in me..." thing, leads me to believe I should absolutely be so in touch with the needs around me that I'm constantly asking people to pray for _________.
Turns out that the majority of things I go to people with (asking for prayer) are things that ultimately affect me. I'm motivated to have people praying for ME....and that's possibly an example of Me loving Me.
I should probably throw in the disclaimer that I'm not really wallowing in some sort of Irish/Catholic/martyr complex - kind of guilt. I just noticed this...and thought I'd mention it.
Bottom line for me - God's given me one or two gifts, I'm to be a decent steward of those gifts and responsibilities - and I don't think it's all that bad to have people praying for something that seems largely about me. Ultimately speaking to a group isn't about me (I just like to think it is) And maybe I ought to pay enough attention to the people and needs around me so that I'm more motivated to pray for them as well...
A person who prays is asking for a change in their own reality. Praying for someone who asks you to do it helps you to focus on a positive outcome without the interference of your own ego. It actually affects you more than it affects them though. That's why it's best to pray for those who want the same things you do. Your prayer is more likely to become a reality in your own life.
ReplyDeleteWhen you pray for someone for whom you are not responsible and who did not request it you are attempting a kind of sorcery. It usually doesn't work out well. You can't know their calling unless they tell you what it is, so how could you know what to pray for? There was even a study that showed an increase (small, of course, no one in the group was Merlin or anything) in surgical complications when people were prayed for by anonymous folks. Make sure requests at your prayer groups have the express permission of the prayee.
So, no, I think you're better off asking people to pray for you than praying for anyone who didn't ask for it.