When I think of all the prayer needs in the world, I can easily become overwhelmed. How can I pray for everyone? Am I even expected to? I’m going to share some scriptures that give direction concerning whom we are to pray for. Then we’ll look at one way we might accomplish that.
“. . . always keep on praying for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).
In a letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul wrote that they should continually pray for all those who believe in Christ. For us, that means not only the Christians we know, but believers around the world. Jesus was our example. Right before his crucifixion, he prayed for not only his disciples but also all future believers. “9I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours . . . 20My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message”(John 17:9, 20).
“I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:28).
Jesus was teaching his disciples how to live as his followers. Besides praying for fellow believers, we are to pray for the person who persecutes us and the one who mistreats us. The Greek word translated mistreat means “to intimidate by using threats and false accusation . . . ‘customized’ to smear [our] reputation” (HELPS Word-studies). We are to pray even for those who attack us in extremely personal ways.
“1. . . prayers . . . be made . . . 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1Timothy 2:1-2).
This is what Paul urged in a letter to Timothy during the time Nero, a notoriously cruel ruler, reigned. Whatever we think of the people and their policies in every level of government, we are instructed to pray for them.
“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone” (1 Timothy 2:1).
Before telling Timothy to specifically pray for rulers, Paul urged him to pray for everyone. The Jews of that day regarded Gentiles as being outside God’s mercies. Paul, however, knew God had extended salvation equally to all people. God cares about every person, so we should as well and pray that they would come to know him.
You can probably find a great variety of plans online to help you pray regularly and systematically. I’m going to share just one idea I came up with many years ago. At the time, I was so overwhelmed with all the things I knew I should and wanted to pray for that I couldn’t find a starting place. As a result, I had some lean times of prayer.
Since I couldn’t pray for everyone every day, I organized people and situations into six broad categories that I assigned to days of the week. (Sunday is an open day.) Following are my categories with a few people and events that fit into each one.
- Monday—U.S.: national and local government leaders, current events, disasters, preservation of freedoms, spiritual revival
- Tuesday—World: governments, current events, persecuted believers, missionaries
- Wednesday—Church: the worldwide church, my local church, unity of believers, integrity of leadership, integrity of the Word taught, people in my congregation
- Thursday—Ministries: those we volunteer with, support financially, or believe strongly in the work they do
- Friday—Friends: high school, college, co-workers, current friends
- Saturday—Family
For a prayer journal, I use a calendar with lines where I list who and what I pray for each day. On Monday one week I may concentrate only on the Supreme Court. If God impresses something else on my mind while I’m praying, I add it to the list and pray.
If a ministry need comes to my attention through the mail, I jot it down on its upcoming day. If I hear of an illness, I pray for the person, then add them to the appropriate day to make sure I continue to pray for them. In addition to specific friends, I may pray more generally for an entire group such as my high school classmates.
Do I miss days? Yes. But I pray more with this plan than I did without it. I try to live in God’s grace, content with the needs I talk with him about and not feeling defeated about the ones I may not get to.
If you are sometimes overwhelmed with more prayer needs than you feel you can handle, ask God to help you design a plan that works for you. He’ll be delighted to do it.
Scripture quotations are from NIV.
Greek definition is from Bible Hub. See Resources.
Feature photo by jcomp on freepik.com
Brenda+Murphy
July 28, 2022What a great idea! I’ve been overwhelmed recently by all who need help and prayer, and have wondered how it is possible to pray for “everyone” when we only have 24 hours a day, and there’s also so much else to be doing. Thanks for this perspective, and I love the notebook idea. 🙂
bspencer
July 28, 2022You’re welcome, Brenda. I’m glad you found it helpful.
Angie Camp
July 28, 2022THANK YOU for stirring up my faith to pray! I have written these categories to pray for everyone:
My Family/My Church Family/My Neighborhood Family
The Church Worldwide
The Un-Churched Worldwide
The United States’ Leaders
The World’s Leaders
Angie
bspencer
July 28, 2022Thank you for sharing these categories, Angie. Great list. Looks like “everyone” is covered in prayer!
marilyn
July 29, 2022Thanks for the great ideas. I have also organized a prayer list for each day also, but never thought about keeping a prayer journal. I really like that idea! Thank you for sharing this.
Marilyn
bspencer
July 29, 2022You’re welcome, Marilyn. My “journal” is really only a list. I seem to need a list in order to accomplish anything, and this one is achieving its purpose. But I’m not disciplined to the point that I go back and write any notes of how God is answering my prayers. So I’m thinking I am probably calling it by the wrong name. 🙂
Jane Onspaugh
August 8, 2022Thank you for the suggestion. I just thought I would share how I keep track. I like your journal idea though because it is nice to be able to look back at what was answered.
I write out a 3×5 card for all the topics or individuals I wanted to pray for. For example, I have a card for my brother and his family. One for my bible study group. One for my church. Another for the US government. Another for world disasters or the persecuted church. I also have 1 specifically for Thanksgiving and Praise. I write specific needs on the cards as I encounter them.
At the start of every day, I read 3-5 cards and update any specific prayer needs. I actually keep the cards in the bathroom where I can look at them while I get ready for the day. Then make a point of praying for those items that day. Sometimes that prayer is during my regular quiet time, but sometimes it is while I am driving or working out. The next day, I move the cards I prayer for to the bottom of the pile. If I missed one, I keep it on the list for today.
I also have one card for the date which I update each time it comes around then put it on the bottom of the pile. This tells me how long it took to get all the way through the pile.
bspencer
August 8, 2022Thank you so much for sharing your system for praying for everyone, Jane. I find that I need to do things differently sometimes to keep things fresh, and this sounds like a great system. I have a couple of questions.
Approximately how many cards do you have, and does it take you days or weeks to go completely through them?
Do you always select the cards for each day from the top of the stack?
Do you shuffle after you complete the pile?
Thanks again for this great idea!
Sharon Bayes
August 26, 2022Thank you for your ideas on daily prayer. Sometimes I ask the Holy Spirit to pray for me as I am overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people who need prayer. Romans 8: 26-27 is a blessing for us.
Love, Sharon
bspencer
August 28, 2022You’re welcome, Sharon. Yes, it is indeed a comfort to know that the Holy Spirit is interceding for us. Thank you for this scripture reference.
For others who may read this: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” (Romans 8: 26-27)