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Pray the Word of God for the people around you, when you do not know what to pray.
One of the biggest fears in the life of a believer is the fear of praying in public. Many people ‘freeze’ when they are asked to pray publicly for the opening of the service, for the preacher or just for any other person. And often that happens because people do not know what to say in their prayers. However, in this article, I want to help you overcome your fear of praying in public.
A real example
A couple of days ago, my wife and I visited one of our relatives because my wife needed some help with a project she had. And I had to be there to help. However, after we did accomplish our goal, I proposed them to have a time of prayer. Therefore, I did ask my wife’s relative what we could pray for her. And she did share with us some of her prayer requests. And after that I asked her to start praying, assuring her that I will have the final prayer.
However, immediately after I told her to start praying, I saw how she became nervous and agitated. And she did suggest that I should begin our prayer time. Graciously I did begin praying, and then my wife prayed and then she just prayed a very short prayer in which she just said ‘thank you God…amen.’ Then, we left.
On our way back I was thinking about this event. And many memories came into my mind when I was a child, and I was asked to pray publicly in the congregation. The same ‘symptoms’ were present in my life too. I used to be agitated, my face turned red, I began sweating, and I was not able to find any proper words. Moreover, I felt embarrassed and ashamed. However, the problem was that I did not know what to pray! And it was until I did learn to pray these points that I became ‘free of failure’ regarding prayer in public. And ever since the moment I was taught to pray like this, I constantly pray these points, as the Lords leads.
What exactly to pray?
Let me share with you the five prayer points a missionary man from Australia taught me. They are easy to remember, and they all start with the letter ‘P.’ Therefore, when someone asks you to pray for them or someone else, you can:
1. Pray for God’s Presence
Moses said in Exodus 33:15 (TLV)
If Your presence does not go with me, don’t let us go up from here!
According to the traditional Jewish understanding (and other Bible translations), God’s Presence refers actually to God Himself! And I believe this is the right understanding.
I believe Moses was afraid that God would not guide him and the people of Israel anymore through the wilderness, into their promised land (see Ex. 33:1-3) because of their sin. And Moses knew that without God’s Presence they would not make it. And one of the lessons we can learn is that we cannot make it in life without God either! We need the Holy Spirit to guide us!
But we are not the only ones who are in need of God’s Presence. The people around us need the same thing. Therefore, you can use this prayer point and pray that God would guide them through His Holy Spirit. And that is one of the most amazing things you can ask in prayer for people— guidance and anointing!
2. Pray for God’s Power
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
We need God’s power to love one another, to forgive one another, to humble ourselves, to do God’s will and to submit to Him. No one can live the Christian life without God’s help and power. If one can live the Christian life in his power that means he is not living the genuine Christian life! We all need the help of the Holy Spirit to empower us to be witnesses of Jesus (Acts 1:8).
Therefore, whenever someone asks you to pray for another, pray they would experience God’s power to ‘do good deeds’ and to be a vessel of healing for the people around them (Acts 10:38). And always remember that the source of power is God (John 19:10-11).
3. Pray for God’s Provision
In Matthew 6:34 (TLV) Jesus said
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
It is not always easy not to worry when we face so many problems and needs every day. However, Jesus is teaching us that we have a good Father who takes care of every need we have. And from a good Father like ours, we need to expect only good things. However, God may have a different perspective on what is good than our view.
Therefore, it is essential to pray for God’s provision for ourselves and the people around us. And remember that in Jesus we have everything we need— provisions for forgiveness, salvation, grace, power, etc. Let us pray the Name of God (Genesis 22:14) over the people.
4. Pray for God’s Protection
Adonai is your Keeper. Adonai is your shadow at your right hand. The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. Adonai will protect you from all evil. He will guard your life. Adonai will watch over your coming and your going from this time forth and forevermore.
Let yourself be inspired by the Word of God and pray these words for yourself and the people around you. God is the only One who can protect our life from Satan and his agents. God is the One who can protect us from sin, from evil people, sickness, infirmity, and even from the good intentions of the people around us that can hinder us to receive the best from God. Pray for God’s protection for people! Very often I pray the blood of Jesus over my life and my family. There is power in the blood of Jesus.
5. Pray for God’s Peace
I will lie down and sleep in shalom. For You alone, Adonai, make me live securely.
God’s peace (shalom) is something rare in our days. Moreover, the people without God cannot understand and taste His shalom. Let us pray for people to ‘make peace with God’ and receive the ‘Prince of Peace’ into their lives.
The fear to pray in public can be overcome if we know what to pray. And the best prayers are the kind of prayers that are inspired by the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Therefore, next time when we will be challenged to pray for someone, we can use the above outline and ask for God’s Presence, power, provision, protection, and peace for them. Use it in your prayers for yourself too. And let’s make a difference in our sphere of influence.
Love you guys!
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I am a blogger, writer, pastor, Director of Zion Romania Bible School, husband to Olguta, a father and, most importantly, a child of God. I also completed my studies at the King’s University where I earned a B.A. in Theology with a concentration in Messianic Jewish Studies. I love Israel and I love the ‘Jewishness’ of the Bible.
Very good to learn prayer,God bless you and your work