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IN THEIR SHOES (2)
'God knows how often I pray for you.' Romans 1:9
Suffering. No one wants it, we all try to avoid it. But have you noticed that it's one thing every human has in common? No matter who you are, or where you're from, everyone goes through it. Pain affects us all in different ways, to different degrees, but we all know what it feels like. In his first letter, the apostle Peter encourages Christians who are being horrifically tortured for their faith. Sadly, pain and suffering have not been far from faithful Christians since the start. But, no matter what sort of tough situations we're in, God wants us to help each other through them with real care. Paul frequently includes something like this in his letters, '...how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God....'
Barnabas, another Christian from the book of Acts, was actually called Joseph. 'Barnabas' was just his nickname. It means 'son of encouragement', so he was a probably a fairly good friend to get a nickname like that! When we're going through a hard time we look for those who know what to say, who encourage us. So return the favour and ask God to make you that kind of a friend - one who brings comfort and encouragement to others.
What now? How often do you pray for people? Do you find it easy to pray for others? If not, think about why, and make an effort to include at least three of your friends in your prayers this week.
written by Bob Gass
'God knows how often I pray for you.' Romans 1:9
Suffering. No one wants it, we all try to avoid it. But have you noticed that it's one thing every human has in common? No matter who you are, or where you're from, everyone goes through it. Pain affects us all in different ways, to different degrees, but we all know what it feels like. In his first letter, the apostle Peter encourages Christians who are being horrifically tortured for their faith. Sadly, pain and suffering have not been far from faithful Christians since the start. But, no matter what sort of tough situations we're in, God wants us to help each other through them with real care. Paul frequently includes something like this in his letters, '...how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God....'
Barnabas, another Christian from the book of Acts, was actually called Joseph. 'Barnabas' was just his nickname. It means 'son of encouragement', so he was a probably a fairly good friend to get a nickname like that! When we're going through a hard time we look for those who know what to say, who encourage us. So return the favour and ask God to make you that kind of a friend - one who brings comfort and encouragement to others.
What now? How often do you pray for people? Do you find it easy to pray for others? If not, think about why, and make an effort to include at least three of your friends in your prayers this week.
written by Bob Gass
