Bob Tamasy: Have You Noticed Who's Praying For You?

  • Thursday, January 16, 2025
  • Bob Tamasy
Bob Tamasy
Bob Tamasy

How do you feel when someone says, “I’m praying for you”? I don’t know about you but hearing that encourages me greatly. (Unless it’s being said in a way that suggests, “God needs to straighten you out, buddy!”) Because I can use all the prayer support that I can get.

In truth, every one of us needs as much prayer as we can get because we’re imperfect people going through life basically not knowing what we don’t know. Being the recipient of the prayers of others seems like kind of a safety net to protect ourselves from our own mistakes and misjudgments.

Maybe on the other side of eternity the Lord will reveal the people He impressed to pray for me over the years, possibly even some I never met. Perhaps somebody reading this is among them. If so, thank you so much. Because in many ways God has answered prayers that I never would have thought to pray. As Ephesians 3:20 states, “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”

Yes, it’s a blessing and an honor to think that people are taking us to God’s “throne of grace” (Hebrew 4:16), offering petitions to Him on our behalf. I picture some folks retreating to their “war room,” the quiet place they’ve designated for prayer, with our names on their hearts – and their lips. What a humbling thought to have a prayer team interceding on our behalf.

But do you know what’s even better? The Bible tells us that the Lord Himself prays for us! Consider the following:

Toward the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus was talking to one of His disciples, fully aware that soon this impetuous, outspoken follower would be denying Him not once, or twice, but three times. The Lord said, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32).

I imagine Simon – whom Jesus had renamed Peter – heard this with mixed feelings. How would you like to hear that Satan has asked for permission to sift you like wheat? On the other hand, it must have bolstered Peter’s spirits to know Jesus Himself was praying for him, specifically that his faith would not falter. That he wouldn’t end up as spiritual wreckage.

This isn’t an isolated promise made to one individual. In similar fashion, the Scriptures assure us the Lord serves as our intercessor. As Hebrews 7:24-25 declare, “because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.” What an amazing assurance!

What about the other member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit? We can’t find a clearer statement than Romans 8:26, which says, “In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

Have you ever experienced a time – or times – when your circumstances seemed so overwhelming you struggled with praying? We’re never instructed not to pray – for ourselves or others. But when uncertainties, anxieties, even fears assail us, seeming so great that we’re at a loss trying to figure out what to ask God for, how good it is to know that “the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

If you find yourself at a crossroads, faced with a major decision, or confronting a crisis that seems to have no solution, take heart. God hears your prayers. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). But also know that others are praying for you, whether they’re aware of your particular situation or not.

Beyond that, also be assured that the Lord Himself has you on His prayer list, poised to intercede for you in ways you can’t imagine.

And if you’re enjoying a relatively calm period in your life, with no major concerns, that’s great. But the next challenge could be right around the corner. When times like that arrive, we can know that along with our own prayers, the Lord has assembled a very special prayer team for us.

* * *

Robert J. Tamasy is a veteran journalist, former newspaper editor and magazine editor. Bob has written, co-authored and edited more than 15 books. These include the newly published, ”Marketplace Ambassadors”; “Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace”; “Tufting Legacies,” “The Heart of Mentoring,” and “Pursuing Life With a Shepherd’s Heart.” A weekly business meditation he edits, “Monday Manna,” is translated into more than 20 languages and sent via email around the world by CBMC International. The address for his blog is www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com. His email address is btamasy@comcast.net.

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