Praying For Others

Written By Waldean Wall

Resting in God's Design: How to Pray for Others with Unshakeable Confidence

Introduction: The Burden and the Rest

  • The weight of praying for loved ones, especially children

  • The tension between urgent love and patient faith

  • Promise: There is rest to be found in understanding God's sovereign design

I. The Foundation: God's Character Guarantees Our Confidence

A. God's Eager Heart for Sinners

  • Ezekiel 33:11 - God takes no pleasure in death but delights in repentance

  • 1 Timothy 2:3-4 - God desires all people to be saved

  • 2 Peter 3:9 - God's patience reveals His heart, not His reluctance

  • Christ's own tears over Jerusalem demonstrate the Father's compassion

B. God's Unlimited Power to Save

  • Romans 1:16 - The gospel remains God's power for salvation

  • Isaiah 59:1 - God's arm is not shortened; He can still save

  • Hebrews 7:25 - Christ saves to the uttermost

  • No sinner is beyond God's reach, no heart too hard for His grace

C. God's Proven Faithfulness

  • Deuteronomy 7:9 - The faithful God who keeps covenant

  • Lamentations 3:22-23 - Mercies new every morning

  • 2 Timothy 2:13 - Even our faithlessness cannot make Him faithless

II. The Sovereign Design: Why We Can Rest in God's Plan

A. God Ordains Both Ends and Means

  • Prayer is not persuading a reluctant God but participating in His purposes

  • Our intercession is part of how God accomplishes His will

  • The Reformed understanding: God's sovereignty makes prayer meaningful, not meaningless

B. Christ's Perfect Mediation

  • Hebrews 4:16 - We approach with confidence through Christ's righteousness

  • Our prayers are acceptable because of Jesus, not our performance

  • The Father hears us for Christ's sake, not our own merit

C. The Spirit's Intercession

  • Romans 8:26-27 - The Spirit helps our weakness and intercedes perfectly

  • Even when we don't know how to pray, God knows our hearts

  • Our fumbling words are translated by perfect divine intercession

III. Practical Rest: How This Transforms Our Prayer Life

A. Pray According to God's Revealed Will

  • 1 John 5:14-15 - Confidence comes from aligning with God's will

  • Focus on what Scripture promises: salvation, sanctification, protection

  • Trust God's wisdom when our specific requests don't align with His timing

B. Persist Without Anxiety

  • Luke 18:1-8 - The persistent widow teaches us not to give up

  • Delays are not denials but opportunities for deeper trust

  • God's timing is perfect, even when it doesn't match our urgency

C. Rest in the Outcome

  • Success is not measured by immediate visible results

  • Our responsibility is faithfulness in prayer; God's is sovereignty in results

  • Even "unanswered" prayers are answered according to divine wisdom

IV. Addressing Common Struggles

A. When Prayers Seem Unanswered

  • God's "no" and "wait" are still answers

  • Delays often serve purposes we cannot see:

    • Growing our faith and dependence

    • Preparing us or others for the answer

    • Drawing us into deeper communion with God

    • Refining our motives and desires

B. When Children Seem Far from God

  • God's love for our children exceeds even our own

  • The doctrine of election provides comfort, not fatalism

  • Many testimonies of prodigals returning in God's timing

  • Our prayers are never wasted, even when results are delayed

C. When We Feel Unworthy to Pray

  • Confidence based on Christ's merit, not our own

  • God delights to hear the prayers of His children

  • Weakness in prayer doesn't disqualify us—it drives us to grace

V. The Puritan Pattern: Learning from Our Forebears

A. Thomas Watson's Confidence

  • "God is more ready to give than we are to receive"

  • Humble confidence based on God's promises

B. Jonathan Edwards' Perspective

  • God never reluctantly answers but waits for the best time

  • Prayer is a means God uses to accomplish His eternal purposes

C. John Calvin's Rules for Prayer

  • Pray with hope, knowing God will answer according to His promise

  • Let Scripture shape both our requests and our expectations

VI. Practical Application: Praying with Confidence

A. Regular Rhythms

  • Establish consistent times for intercession

  • Use Scripture to guide your prayers

  • Keep a prayer journal to remember God's faithfulness

B. Corporate Intercession

  • Pray with other believers for mutual encouragement

  • Share testimonies of answered prayer to build faith

  • Join with the historical testimony of the church

C. Specific Prayers Aligned with God's Will

  • Salvation and regeneration

  • Growth in grace and holiness

  • Protection from evil and temptation

  • Wisdom and discernment

  • A heart that delights in God

Conclusion: The Rest That Remains

A. Our Part and God's Part

  • We pray faithfully; God works sovereignly

  • We plant and water; God gives the increase

  • We cast our burdens; God carries them

B. The Ultimate Confidence

  • Based on God's character, not circumstances

  • Rooted in Christ's finished work, not our performance

  • Sustained by the Spirit's power, not our strength

C. The Eternal Perspective

  • God's purposes span generations

  • His timing is perfect, even across decades

  • His glory is the ultimate goal of all our prayers

Final Encouragement: When you pray for others, you participate in the grand design of a sovereign, loving God who delights to save sinners and answer the prayers of His children. Rest in His design, trust His timing, and pray with the confidence that comes from knowing the One who holds all things in His hands.

 

Waldean Wall https://PrayTheBibleWithMe.com
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