Remember to Pray for Others

1. How do we know that our prayers are important to Jehovah?

PRAYER is a marvelous provision. Think about it: Jehovah has delegated certain tasks to the angels. (Ps. 91:11) He has also given his Son weighty responsibilities. (Matt. 28:18) However, what about listening to prayers? That is something Jehovah has reserved for himself alone. Jehovah, the “Hearer of prayer,” personally listens to us.​—Ps. 65:2.

2. What example did the apostle Paul set with regard to praying for others?

² Although we can freely approach Jehovah about our own concerns, we should also pray for others. The apostle Paul did that. For example, he wrote to the congregation in Ephesus: “I continue mentioning you in my prayers.” (Eph. 1:16) Paul prayed for individuals too. For example, he told Timothy: “I am grateful to God, . . . never ceasing to remember you in my supplications night and day.” (2 Tim. 1:3) Paul had anxieties of his own to pray about. (2 Cor. 11:23; 12:7, 8) Still, he took the time to pray for others.

3. Why might we neglect to pray for others?

³ We might at times forget to pray for others. Why? A Christian sister named Sabrinaa identifies one reason. She says: “Life in this system is hectic. We can get so distracted by our problems that we pray only about our own needs.” Have you observed that tendency in yourself? If so, this article can help you. It will (1) explain why it is important to pray for others and (2) offer suggestions on how you can do it.

WHY PRAY FOR OTHERS?

4-5. How can our prayers for others have “a powerful effect”? (James 5:16)

⁴ Praying for others “has a powerful effect.” (Read James 5:16.) Can praying for others really affect the outcome of a situation? Yes, it can. Jesus, knowing that the apostle Peter would soon deny him, said: “I have made supplication for you that your faith may not give out.” (Luke 22:32) Paul also knew that prayer can make a difference. When he was unjustly imprisoned in Rome, he wrote to Philemon: “I am hoping that through your prayers I will be given back to you.” (Philem. 22; see study note “for I am hoping that through your prayers.”) As it turned out, Paul was soon freed and was able to resume his preaching.

⁵ Of course, this does not mean that by praying we can put pressure on Jehovah. He notices the concern that his servants show, and he at times chooses to act on their request. Knowing that can help us to pray earnestly to Jehovah about a situation and then confidently leave the matter in his hands.​—Ps. 37:5; see 2 Corinthians 1:11 and study notes.

6. How can praying for others affect how we feel about them? (1 Peter 3:8)

⁶ Praying for others helps us develop “tender compassion.” (Read 1 Peter 3:8.) Compassion is an awareness of another person’s suffering along with a desire to relieve it. (Mark 1:40, 41) An elder named Michael says: “When I pray for others about their needs, I become more aware of the struggles that they face and this deepens my love for them. I feel closer to them, even though they may not be aware of it.” An elder named Richard describes another benefit. He says: “When we pray for someone, we are more inclined to do something to help him.” He adds: “When we offer practical assistance to the person we are praying for, we are in a sense helping to answer our prayer for him.”

7. How can praying for others help us to have a balanced view of our own problems? (Philippians 2:3, 4) (See also pictures.)

⁷ Praying for others helps us to put our own problems in the proper perspective. (Read Philippians 2:3, 4.) Each of us contends with some hardship that comes from living in a world that is under the Devil’s control. (1 John 5:19; Rev. 12:12) When we make it a habit to pray for others, we are reminded that “the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by the entire association of [our] brothers.” (1 Pet. 5:9) A pioneer named Katherine says: “Praying for others reminds me that others too are facing challenges. That fact keeps me from becoming overly focused on my own problems.”

THEY NEED OUR PRAYERS

8. Give examples of who can be included in our prayers.

⁸ Who can be included in our prayers? We can pray for groups of people​—for example, those who have health problems, young ones who face ridicule and peer pressure at school, or those who face the challenges of old age. Many of our fellow believers endure opposition, either from family members or from governments. (Matt. 10:18, 36; Acts 12:5) Some of our brothers have had to abandon their homes because of political unrest. Others are victims of natural disasters. We may not know these brothers and sisters personally. But when we pray for them, we show that we are following Jesus’ command to “love one another.”​—John 13:34.

9. Why should we pray for those taking the lead in Jehovah’s organization as well as for their wives?

⁹ We can also pray for those taking the lead in Jehovah’s organization. This includes the Governing Body and their helpers, Branch Committees, responsible overseers at the branch offices, circuit overseers, congregation elders, and ministerial servants. Many of these brothers deal with their own anxieties as they expend themselves in our behalf. (2 Cor. 12:15) For example, a circuit overseer named Mark says: “One of my greatest challenges is being far away from my aging parents. Both are in poor health. Although their needs are being cared for by my sister and her husband, it pains me to be so limited in what I can do for them personally.” Whether we are aware of the anxieties that these hardworking brothers are dealing with or not, we do well to keep them in our prayers. (1 Thess. 5:12, 13) We can also pray for the wives of these brothers, as their loyal support helps their husbands to continue in their assignments.

10-11. Are general prayers for our brothers and sisters pleasing to Jehovah? Explain.

¹⁰ As we have discussed, we often pray for broad groups of brothers and sisters. For example, without any particular individual in mind, we might ask Jehovah to help those who are imprisoned or to comfort those who have lost loved ones in death. An elder named Donald says, “We have so many brothers and sisters going through difficulties that sometimes we give an ‘umbrella’ prayer so that we can include all those who are suffering.”

¹¹ Are such prayers pleasing to Jehovah? Of course! After all, we do not know the specific needs of all our fellow believers. So it is appropriate to make general requests for groups of our brothers and sisters. (John 17:20; Eph. 6:18) These prayers give evidence that we “have love for the whole association of brothers.”​—1 Pet. 2:17.

WHEN PRAYING FOR INDIVIDUALS

12. How can being observant help us to be more specific in our prayers?

¹² Be observant. In addition to praying for groups of brothers and sisters, it is proper to pray for individuals by name. Is someone in your congregation battling a chronic illness? Is a young one downcast, perhaps because of pressures he faces at school? Is a single parent struggling to raise a child “in the discipline and admonition of Jehovah”? (Eph. 6:4) By being observant, you will deepen your fellow feeling for others, which will strengthen your desire to pray for them.b​—Rom. 12:15.

13. How can we pray for those we do not know personally?

¹³ Pray for others by name. We can do that even for those we have never met. For example, consider our imprisoned brothers and sisters in such lands as Crimea, Eritrea, Russia, and Singapore. On jw.org, you can find the names of those who are in prison.c A circuit overseer named Brian says: “I have found that writing down the name of an imprisoned fellow believer and then saying it out loud helps me to remember the person and include him in my personal prayers.”

14-15. How can we make our requests specific?

¹⁴ Make specific requests. Michael, quoted earlier, suggests: “As I read accounts on jw.org of imprisoned brothers, I try to imagine how I would feel if I were in their situation. I know I would worry about my wife, and I would want to make sure that she would be cared for. So that gives me something specific to include in my prayers for our imprisoned brothers who are married.”​—Heb. 13:3, ftn.

¹⁵ When we consider what daily life must be like for our brothers in prison, we can also find other ways to make our prayers specific. For example, we can pray that the prison guards will be kind and that those in positions of authority will allow our brothers to worship freely. (1 Tim. 2:1, 2) We can pray that the local congregation will be encouraged by the example of their faithful imprisoned brother or that unbelievers will observe the prisoner’s fine conduct and listen to our message. (1 Pet. 2:12) Of course, the same principles will help us in our prayers for our brothers and sisters who are enduring other trials. By being observant, praying for others by name, and making specific requests, we can show that we “abound in love for one another.”​—1 Thess. 3:12.

A BALANCED VIEW OF OUR PRAYERS

16. How can we keep a balanced view of our prayers? (Matthew 6:8)

¹⁶ As we have seen, our prayers may make a difference in how a situation turns out. However, we need to have a balanced view. When we pray, we are not informing Jehovah of something that he does not already know; nor should we advise him on how best to handle a situation. Jehovah knows what his servants need even before they​—or we—​are aware of it. (Read Matthew 6:8.) Why, then, should we pray for others at all? Apart from the reasons already mentioned in this article, it is what caring people do. Love motivates us to pray for one another. And Jehovah rejoices to see his love reflected by his servants.

17-18. How can our prayers for fellow believers be illustrated?

¹⁷ Even if our prayers do not seem to affect the outcome of a situation, they do reflect our love for our brothers and sisters, and Jehovah takes note of that. We can illustrate it this way: Imagine a family with two small children​—a boy and a girl. The boy is sick in bed. The girl begs her father: “Please do something for my brother. He’s really sick!” The father already has the situation under control; he loves his son and is taking good care of him. However, how happy the father must be to see his young daughter care so much about her brother that she begs her father to help him.

¹⁸ That is what Jehovah encourages us to do​—to care about one another and pray for one another. As we do so, our prayers reveal the depth of our unselfish concern for others and Jehovah takes note of that. (2 Thess. 1:3; Heb. 6:10) Also, as we have discussed, in some cases our prayers can even make a difference in how a situation turns out. By all means, then, let us remember to pray for one another.