Pray For Us

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

PRAY FOR US

Heb 13:18-19

18 Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. 19 I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.

NIV

Certainly this is a statement of a personal nature from the author to the reader for which it was written, yet God also says that all of scripture is profitable for teaching, correcting and rebuking and training in righteousness, so that would include this statement. What can we learn from this? Maybe it is as simple as the fact we should pray for others, even though they have a clear conscience and that they desire to live honorably in every way. Maybe all too often we only pray for people when they are in some sort of need, whether that be a physical or spiritual one. Maybe we only pray for others when they ask for prayer for a particular situation, although it is not too often we hear people ask for prayer for themselves. For the most part prayer requests are usually for a friend who has a brother whose aunt has a second cousin who has a problem or some sort of convoluted relationship so far removed from those who are being asked to prayer that it is almost meaningless. Should not the request for prayer be from one person seeking the other to prayer for them? This is what we are seeing  and learning here and it is not a request for a physical need or a spiritual need, but simply a request to be lifted up before God, although the author does desire to have them pray that he will once again be able to be with them. The desire to fellowship is a matter of asking for prayer about. It may not be so much that we learn about prayer here as much as it is for the desire to live with a clear conscience and to live honorably in every way alone with the desire for fellowship. This would certainly refute that we are an island onto ourselves and that we really truly need to be in fellowship with others, not just friends, but fellowship. That would require speaking about more than the weather, politics in season, sports, personal agendas or gossip about others. Whatever has happened to talking about God, and His Word and our walk with Him, when we gather together with fellow believers? Whatever has happened to personal prayer requests? They do not have to be about a need other than to be a blessing to God, although needs surely can be sought for also. Pray for us.