Prayers of the Destitute
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“He regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer” (Psalm 102:17).
In one church we attended before we moved away, the congregation every Sunday during the service would pray the weekly list for the sick, the pregnant, the soldiers, those traveling, those in the mission field and he families of those who had died. People could add their own requests out loud, but at the end of the list, the pastor always added, “and for those for whom nobody else prays.” In the church where we are now, we pray a similar list, but there is also a place in the service to pray for those “whose faith is known to God alone”.
How sad to think that there are people out there in this world who are so isolated and alone that no one is praying for them or knows about the state of their faith. But the alone and hurting do exist all around us. They may be sleeping under bridges, or in ten bedroom mansions. They may be digging through trashcans or digging into their pockets to purchase the latest high tech toy.
Destitution is not necessarily an economic thing. It is always a spiritual one.
Yet, I believe we are called to pray for them, and are prompted by the Holy Spirit to do so. Prayer never falls deaf upon God’s ears. He hears every whisper and every scream. He hears every sentence spoken out loud as well as those which are so deep inside our souls, we just can’t muster up enough gumption to voice them. God does respond, even though we cannot feel it. One way is by asking others to join in our prayer.
Prayer is so much more powerful than we can ever imagine. It can reach across thousands of miles or just down the street. It can touch the heart of the person sitting in the pew next to us, or a lost soul under the shadow of a downtown cathedral steeple clear across the country. It can touch someone who has lost the ability to hear the church bells chime, children laughing or the birds singing because their minds are so filled with the sounds of hatred, anger or despondency. Prayer can reach into the crevices of a heart cracked from hurt and pain. It can filter through the closed doors of doubt. It can touch the lives of people we will never know, as well as those we think we know . . . and change them.
If God has placed a thought on your heart, or a name of a person, or even an image, please take time to stop and say a prayer. It just may be the Holy Spirit prompting you to lift up another soul. Prayer brings miracles into action, sends the devil fleeing and heals hidden wounds. Never underestimate the power of a simple upward lifted prayer.
Know this: when you are down and discouraged, when despair creeps in and you can’t find the words to send up to Heaven, God has already placed you on someone else’s heart. Someone on this earth, as well as the Son in Heaven amongst the throngs of angels, is praying for you.
Questions: Who has God prompted you to pray for today? What do you need someone else to pray about for you? Let us know.
About the Author Julie Cosgrove
Tags: angels, congregation, destitute, Julie Cosgrove, mansions, prayer, pregnant, sick, soldiers
7 Responses to “Prayers of the Destitute”
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Hi Robin – what a wonderful way of expressing yourself. I know that whenever God puts someone or something on my heart for prayer, it isn’t a burden for me, it is a joy & privilege. God bless you.
Amen! I really enjoyed reading other’s responses to this. Recently, I have been able to see and know the true and beautiful blessing of praying for others. May Jesus always lay the burden upon our hearts to pray as He would have us to, for others!
Thanks for this reminder. It’s easy to think about ourselves, and get caught-up in our own lives/ problems… it is humbling to remember others, and remember they have problems/ issues too that they are going through.
Thank you so much for this. I feel that prayer also adds much peace when we offer our prayers to those who are beyond our abilities to help.We all have people we can not DO anything physically to help. It can be frustrating and heart breaking. We can release the frustration and lack on control and surrender it to the Lord knowing He has it all in His hands. Prayer is the most powerful help we can offer to those we know and love and those we have never met. As with all God’s gifts it brings not just love to the one being prayed for but peace to the one offering the prayer. Praise Him for giving us gifts that as we give to others give back to us.
SO true – it help me to understand why someone out of my past or a person I haven’t seen in years comes to mind. Thank you for helping me to understand at least a little bit how powerful prayer can be.
Dear Julie,
Certainly we are to pray in many circumstances but nowhere does scripture tell us we are to pray for the dead. That is a Roman Catholic doctrine that lead to Luther’s breaking away from the Roman church.
Respectfully,
Gail
Thank you Julie, for reminding me of the power of prayer. A few years ago I was “prompted” to pray for a couple that I only knew in passing that lived in my neighborhood. I was puzzled about it, but I did start praying for them, although I didn’t know exactly what their needs might be. About a year later I learned the wife had breast cancer. Then I knew why I had been called to pray for them! That incident was so powerful for me, I know I will never ignore God’s calling to pray for someone.