Recently, I was listening to one of my favorite radio stations and the question was asked: “If God answered the prayers you’ve been praying, would it change anyone else’s world but your own?” This got me to thinking. If we’re honest with ourselves, most of our prayers center around our world. We’re so focused on praying for something for us that we don’t see the problems others around us are facing. We may throw out a prayer for the extended part of our world once in a while but for the main part it’s all about us. We yearn for a life free of trials and stress.
Now don’t get me wrong. Of course God is concerned about every detail about our life but He’s also concerned about the bigger picture – His glory being portrayed through our lives as we activate His power through our prayers on behalf of others.
Then I began to think of the story of Job. I’ve always just read over that verse but this time it struck me. Job 42:10 says that God restored Job’s fortunes two fold AFTER he prayed for his friends. Then I began to wonder, if Job hadn’t prayed for his friends would God still have blessed him two fold? We may never know the answer to that on this side of earth. But are we blocking the extra blessings that can be ours if we would just pray for others intentionally? When we get out of our own box that’s our world and step into other people’s world we may be surprised as to what God will do in our lives as a result.
Let us pray prayers beyond the scope of our own life, and watch what God will do in our own life.
The Reason I Rise 