Praying for One Another

As I have been reading 1 & 2 Thessalonians the last couple of months, I have been greatly encouraged by Paul's example of praying for these believers. He prays for them frequently (1 Th 1:2 give thanks to God always for all of you, 1 Th 1:3 constantly bearing in mind, 1 Th 2:13 constantly thank God, 1 Th 3:10 we night and day keep praying, 2 Th 1:11 we pray for you always) and with intensity (1 Th 3:10 earnestly).

These books contain specific examples of Paul's prayers:

1 Thess 3:11-13
Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you; and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all men, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.

1 Thess 5:23
Now may the God of peace Himself sancitfy you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thess 1:11-12
To this end we pray for you always that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power; in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thess 2:16-17
Now may or Lord Jeus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.

2 Thess 3:16
Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance.

These verses have formed the basis of my recent prayers for those on my prayer list. What a blessing to pray for one another, and to know others are praying for me. When we pray according to Scripture, we can be confident we are praying according to God's will. It also helps focus our prayers on the spiritual, and not just the circumstantial. It can even change the way we pray regarding specific circumstances.

So I would challenge you, when you come across Scriptural prayers in your Bible reading, use them to pray for one another. You and they will be blessed!