I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine. —John 17:9
Every day I try to pray for the members of my family: my husband Lynn and two college kids far away from home and Kendall who is making her way through high school and my niece Vanessa and Lynn’s parents…the list goes on. I often used to feel that I wasn’t praying effectively for them because I wasn’t always sure of what their specific needs were that day. Frequently I’d finish with the vague regret that I’d forgotten some important things.
That’s why I delighted in the advice of an older woman, a beloved prayer warrior in our church who told me that when praying for others, she always followed Jesus’ pattern of prayer for His disciples described in John 17. At the Last Supper, Jesus asked God to:
• Protect them from the evil one (John 17:15).
• Sanctify them—make them holy—by the Truth of Your Word (John 17:17).
• Unite them to You and to each other that the world might believe (John 17:21).
This pattern of prayer is becoming my new Three-Point Plan when praying for my family. Protect, sanctify and unite are simple but powerful points that are easy to remember. And even when I’m in a hurry, I feel that I’m covering most of the bases.
Father, You have given me a circle of precious people to pray for, and now I discover that You have shown me how to pray for them. Thank You.
