Include Others In Your Prayers

October 24, 2004 | Link To Us | Index | This sermon is for your spiritual edification and to spread a little hope and cheer. Luke 11:1-4

Do you ever wonder why you a feel a certain way? You can't quite put your finger on why you feel that way. And then you start saying to yourself that you can't figure it out and your mind decides to take a vacation.

The way to get back from this vacation of the mind is to start telling yourself that you can find the answers to life's dilemmas. Don't say you can't because if you say that over and over again you will actually have yourself believing it.

The answer to that kind of dilemma is to stop and realize something very important. That is that no matter how much the answers to life illude you, God knows the answers. You need to stop and pray.

But quite often that is not enough to just pray for yourself, you have to include others in that equation. Pray for someone else in pain, such as a neighbor in the hospital or a business associate that has been out of sorts lately.

I find that if I just pray about myself I don't feel as good as when I include others in that prayer. There are a lot of people these days with all sorts of maladies, sicknesses and weights on their daily lives because of one thing or another. They need help and they need a person to pray for them.

Now you may be thinking that if a church bulletin or newsletter from your favorite church has a bunch of people listed that are having all sorts of things wrong with their lives, that they have enough people to pray for them. But that isn't always the case, because I am sure that there are a lot of other people that think that same thing. And so you have this situation where a particular person you are praying for that is listed in the church newsletter, has not been prayed for for maybe days. And then you pray for that person and because of your prayer that persons life might be a bit brighter.

So you see it is very important to include others in your prayers. Why wallow in self-importance? Why only think of yourself? If you do, do you actually feel good because of it? You might end up in the quagmire of disillusionment because a prayer isn't being answered as quickly as you would like it to.

I think that is why there are so many people on this planet. People are here to help people, not make themselves think the universe revolves around them. Because after a while you will feel alone in a world where billions live their lives the best way they know how, and that may not include you.

It's like relationships, unless you work at them they will not grow into the kinds of friendships that you would like them to. They need two people participating together to work. If you try to understand that other person, even at times when it seems it so hard to do, you start getting away from the shell of life. You know, the shell that we all place around ourselves for security reasons instead of venturing out into the world of the unknown.

Life takes effort and no matter how much time you want to spend curling up on the sofa of life to view the lives of other people on the TV, you need to make up your own story as you go along. But make sure that God is part of that story. He is there for you now and He waits to help you in your times of need. He will carry you when you need it and He will offer the shoulder of life when you need to cry. He will make your life blessed. But you need to make sure that you think about others in your prayers.

Because without others, this place in the universe that we call the planet earth will be a lonely place. So give of yourself to others and make their lives cheery and filled with hope. And we all want that fuzzy feeling inside us from time to time, and God is there to help you get your warm fuzzies. So make sure you prayer for others. You will be blessed beyond your dreams if you do.

Prayer: Dear Lord, Thank you for all your many blessings. I know I might not take the time to thank you for your blessings, so I am saying it right now. In this coming week, Lord, when I am feeling down and I want some love, please remind me to pray for somebody else in need. Thanks again for your love and your understanding, Lord. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless.

© 2004 Bryan Hill