My email was supposed to be a prayer request, but it started out sounding more like an apology. Although we needed friends to pray, I was hesitant to ask because I didn’t want my request to be a burden for anyone.
A few years ago my husband J.J. was having health problems and needed to have a liver biopsy. His doctor told us it was precautionary, so we weren’t sure if it would end up being anything serious in the end. And that made me hesitant to tell people about it. Yet I knew I didn’t want to walk through it alone or in my own strength.
Fifteen minutes after I sent my email, several friends started telling me they were praying. Not only did my friends pray – they thanked me for sharing what was going on and for letting them be there for me.
For someone who hates to impose on others, I need to remember that asking for prayer isn’t about putting burdens on my friends. Asking for prayer is about letting our friends walk by our side down a path that we were never intended to walk alone. {today’s post is a partial excerpt from my #AConfidentHeart #Devotional book}
Is it hard to ask others to pray for you?
Let’s stretch ourselves today and let others walk beside us in prayer by sharing a burden and then praying for one another. Briefly share one things we can pray for you by clicking “Share Your Heart” below this post. Then leave a prayer or say “I’ve prayed for you” under the request left before yours. Ready.Set.Pray.
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Renee, what a blessing you are to so many. I pray that God continues his work through you and gives you the strength to balance both family and your ministry. Prayed for you!
I am recently divorced, but not by my choice. I pray to God all the time for restoration; or that he sends me a man that has Christ in his life. It is so hard at the age of 56. But my faith is strong and will continue to wait for God’s blessing. Renee, pray for me ! If it wasn’t for my friends praying and being at my side going through this loss, I don’t know how I would have found the strength. God is merciful and good; he has blessed me so much and I thank him all the time for family and friends and you.
In Jesus name…
Be
[email protected]
So grateful God has surrounded you with friends that will fill in your gaps and be there for you, praying you through this loss and into God’s promises. I just prayed for you too!
There are so many of our friends/family going through struggles – long term marriages where the couples are at odds with one another, several friends with severe health challenges. I do take these burdens to God but am going to ask someone to “lift up my hands” a I stand in the gap for ‘my’ people. Thanks so much!
I just prayed for you Deb and the friends/families yo know that are going through struggs in their marriages, health, etc. You are gift to each of them and Im standing in the gap with you today!
I know that I have ahard time asking for prayer support. However, I suffer with Social Anxiety and have a very hard time making and keeping friends. The area that God is working on in me right now is with self doubt. I just don’t feel that what I am dealing with is important enough to try and ask for prayer support. I always feel that what everyone else is going through is enough and they don’t need to hear about me or my struggles <– see told you self doubt is a big issue for me.
I have bought Renee's book A Confident Heart and I bought the devotional as well. I will be reading through them and trying to apply what is said to my life. Thank you Renee for this book. I cannot wait to read it and discover where God leads me.
Thank you for reading and for your prayers.
I’ve prayed for you! May the God of all comfort fill you with hope, give you strength, & encourage your heart!
I have chronic pain. I wake up daily with a sinus headache. I have had a sinus infection and had to be off work. I went back to work today and I am still struggling with a cough. The cough aggravates my back and so on it goes. Secondly I am wanting to write but other than my blog, I have so much fear of rejection. I am taking the compel course, but I feel so far behind and inadequate compared to what is being written. Thank you for your prayers. Diana
Father God, I pray for Debra, Lord bind her heart with the women at church. Lord give her something in common with these ladies. Lord remove any pride from the ladies or Debra that might be hindering the relationships from forming. Lord, friendship takes time, allow Debra to give herself the time to form friendships. However, may she hear the melody of what a friend we have in jesus. Lord, this time in the world is of economic insecurity. But we can trust you with our futures. Lord this desire to go to school is coming from deep in Debra’s heart. Clarify for her if this desire is something that she needs to research like are there any scholarships for women to pay for her education. Help her explore raising support to go to school. Lastly, perhaps research free courses. Let her research student loans so she can make an informed decision, since educational loans can not be defaulted on. Lord, meet their needs physically, financially and spiritually. Help her grown children to help them now. Lord, you are in control and you are bigger than our problems but our problems lead us away from you when we don’t trust that you hear our prayers. Lord, any tears she is shedding please catch. Do not let Satan condemn her for helping others. In Jesus name, please send blessings to debra and her husband. Let her know that she is loved. Diana Rockwell
I am in a very tough place right now. I am in a new group at church all older women as myself. I feel very intimated as they are all college educated and I am not. They all have great careers, I have lost my job and feel bless to have my part time job as a crossing guard. Life has not been easy this last year, my husband lost his job. This was not expected and we were not prepared. We both are in our 60’s and did not prepare
for retirement due to accidents and life in general. We put our priorities on getting children through college, helping out when they needed help and forgot about ourselves believing we would have time to save. Our
home is not paid for and we have debt. I have see the good in this trial I had all my trust in our jobs, money and not God. It is still hard to adjust to barely making it Praise the Lord our basic needs are met. The hard part is adjusting to not having wants little things that we took for granite.
Please pray for me not to be intimated around these women in this group, have the confidance that God has given to me that I am important also even without a college education. Pray for me to make the right choice about going back to college at this age will it be benefical or just blowing money that we don’t have.
Where to begin? i need a job but nothing works out. I Want to do
Something meaningful is available or my education isn’t enough or fill in
the blank. I can’t take any more…Wait any more or hope any more. I feel
trapped…I am trapped!
today I am just discouraged, frustrated, broke & tired of all the perfect
storm struggles…So bummed…So upset. Thank you for praying for me.
I truly understand your pain, as I am in the same boat. I know that God is here with us.
Lord please help Prodo to learn to trust in You with all of her heart to lean not to her understanding, to acknowledge You in all of her ways, make her pathway straight Lord to the job You have for her. Lord
the job You want her to be in for Your Glory. Lord surround her with Your peace, comfort and love and
let her know You care and are concerned about her. Give Her Your confidence Lord, thank You Lord
that You go before her that Your favor proceeds her that she is always in the right place at the right time
as You direct her steps to the job you have chosen for her. Thank You Lord that she is highly favored and chosen over others Lord because Your favor went before her. In Jesus name amen
Good day Mrs. Renee Swope,
My name is Nardia and I live in Kingston, Jamaica. I thank God for you and also for that lovely ebook on Valentine Day it truly bless my heart daily. A big thank you. Also, I have a problem in asking people to pray for me as I see it has a sign of being weak and lacking enough faith for oneself. Please pray for me to have this mindset removed has there are a lot of things I need prayer for, example strength to serve God daily and also to get a house to purchase in a wonderful complex I have found. Please pray for me that I will get the opportunity to own one of these apartments in Jesus name. Thank you.
His,
Nardia
Hi I have been a herion addict since the age of 13..I am now almost 22 and by only God’s love, grace,& Word I am going on 4 months clean!!!! I have never been clean before and I know that many of you are probably thinking only 4 months???! But in my life. ..This is A true blessing. Pray for me please. .thanks
Praying for you, Ashlee, that you will continue to rely on God’s strength to keep you clean. God Bless you!
Brenda,
Thank you for your prayers as well I am praying for your son. Addiction is sometimes harder even on those who care and have to watch it unfold and feel helpless. I pray that God comforts you through this time and for physical and emotional healing for him and the family too.
My husband lost his job last June. His severance ran out in September and we are out of money, resources, and everything else. We are low on food, both for us and our cats. We need cat litter too and we are way behind on bills. My faith is shaky and it seems like every other day I just want to curl up and cry. I know God has a full time church position for us but I don’t know why He is waiting so long. It seems our friends have moved on leaving me feeling extremely lonely. Our two part time jobs are not cutting it. I’m tired, hurt and lonely. I just want someone to care, care enough to ask me how I’m doing and then listen and help me through this.
Carol, I am so sorry no one is listening and walking by your side. My husband and I are in the same boat as you are right now. It is hard very hard I wont lie to you. Many people shy away as if they might catch the poor bug. But our God hears us and see our pain. Yes it is much harder than any can ever know unless they have had to walk in faith for food, bills, and jobs. My husband and I both feel very grateful that God exposed where our trust was, it was not in God, but in our jobs and money. The walk out of this is not easy. We both read the scriptures that we found on trusting in God, how God provides we pray them out loud as if they were written for us.
Lord Jesus you hear the cries of this woman, Lord I know from experience how painful, hard and lonely this place can be, Lord. Lord Jesus I am coming to You asking for You Lord to provide food, cat litter, help to pay their bills and better jobs Lord. I praise your holy Name Lord and thank You Lord for hearing our prayers and I thank You Lord that You have provided all these needs to Carol and her family. Lord I thank You that you surround Carol and her family with friends who will listen, and be concerned as You tell us in Your word. Lord I am thanking You for hearing and loving us to take care of us and provide our needs in Jesus name amen.
I am so sorry for your situation, Carol. Praying for God’s provision and care for you.
Angie,
Thank you for your prayers you are in mine too. Sometimes its even more comforting to know that someone who feels and experiences the same things as you is praying for you.
Terra,
I know the feelings that you feel for giving up…but I have been shown by God that’s not His plan for me..I don’t know what He has in store for me but you are blessed and loved and God wants to use you too. Its hard when those feelings seem to be so strong and all consuming. I’m praying for you right now and will be.
My husband and I have been owners/operators of a gas station for 6 1/2 years now. It has been an unbelievable trial in our life. It has been a huge financial drain on us. I work there 40 hours a week for free so that we aren’t paying employees to work there. We take home no income. We lost power yesterday due a bad snow storm so lost a ton of business. Please pray for many new customers to support our business. We are a very small family owned business that cannot compete with the big gas stations out there. It is a lonely struggle that few people can understand. Thank you for this opportunity to share this prayer request. Praying for God’s intervention in this business of ours.
I prayed for you.
I am asking for prayers for strength and wisdom. A year ago, my younger brother was found dead in his apartment in China where he had been teaching English as a Second Language. We finally received his remains last Thursday. In addition on February 23, my 33 year old niece died from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) leaving behind a 6 year old son and a husband along with many other family members and friends who loved her very much, myself included. Because I am an ordained minister, the blessing of conducting their memorial services has fallen to me. (I’m called the family pastor.) I do consider it a blessing to be able to offer this final act of love for them both, but I know that I am going to need all that God can give me in order to make it through both services and provide the comfort that others need. Thank you all in advance for praying for me. I appreciate it greatly.
I am single mom. I pray that God will bless me with a godly husband and godly father for my son. I also need prayers regarding my career path. I will be taking two praxis tests in hopes of becoming a teacher. I pray that if it’s God’s will that I will pass these tests and become a teacher. Thank you in advance for your prayers!
Father God, I know that You know Megan’s needs. I know that You have someone who will be a Godly husband to her and a Godly father for her son. Bless her with patience as she waits for Your very best to be poured into her life. Bless her as she takes the Praxis tests that she will have the necessary calm as she takes them. In all things, Father God, may Your will be done and may Megan rejoice in the extravagant blessings that You send her way. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Hi my name’s Betty and my husband and I are fostering our 3 grandsons.
We really need prayer as it is so very hard to be united in how to parent our grandsons for a time.
We are in our 50’s so not really wanting to fight with strongwilled boys and toe the line; it is to much easier to give them what they clamor for. I want to have rules and stick with them because when they go back to their dad/mom they will be expected to obey and follow rules; my husband does not want to have the fight that ultimately ensues when we want to enforce our requests.
Please pray that we as a couple will not allow the enemy to put a wedge between our relationship with each other.
Pray also that we will be able to guide our grandsons to understand in some part why we have rules and desire for them to obey them.
Pray also for the parents, who are seeking a divorce, that they will put their children first instead of their own fleshly desires.
Thank you
Praying for you, Betty.
Donna
I prayed for you and your family! I pray that your husbands job difficulty is resolved.
Dear Terra,
Please, please don’t speak those words! I am praying for you now. Do you know how blessed you are? God loves you too much to let you give up. Something my mentor has always said to us is its not how often you fall that matters but how many times we get up and try again. And you know what I have felt like a failure too many times to count but every time I get back up and try again it only makes me stronger. don’t give up on your self. Just speak the name of Jesus every time you feel weak and keep saying it until you are at peace! May God bless you and your children today! LOL Janet
Thank you, Janet!
Please pray for my family. My husband is miserable at work – difficult situation – has recently applied for a new position. Please pray we will make the right decision and he will be where God wants him to be.
Dear Donna
I pray that your family will be surrounded by our Lord’s pace and strength as you seek direction as to which way to go. I pray our Lord will open a door to the place He has planned for your husband. I pray that you will rest in the knowlege that He is in control and that He has a plan for your life and that, that plan is for good and not for evil to give you a hope and a future. (Jer 29:11)
Stay strong in the Lord and rest in His faithfulness. May the Blessing of our Lord Jesus Christ rest on you.
Love
your sister in Christ Jesus
I need prayer for over reacting and not thinking of what burdens I may be putting on others by my misconceptions of what a person may be telling me. I need help speaking mor positive things over my life.
Thank you! Renee!
I prayed for you!
Hi my name’s Betty and my husband and I are fostering our 3 grandsons.
We really need prayer as it is so very hard to be united in how to parent our grandsons for a time.
We are in our 50’s so not really wanting to fight with strongwilled boys and toe the line; it is to much easier to give them what they clamor for. I want to have rules and stick with them because when they go back to their dad/mom they will be expected to obey and follow rules; my husband does not want to have the fight that ultimately ensues when we want to enforce our requests.
Please pray that we as a couple will not allow the enemy to put a wedge between our relationship with each other.
Pray also that we will be able to guide our grandsons to understand in some part why we have rules and desire for them to obey them.
Pray also for the parents, who are seeking a divorce, that they will put their children first instead of their own fleshly desires.
Thank you