ENCOURAGING OTHERS WITH YOUR PRAYER
Dear Brethren,
I would like to share to you the best way to be a true friend to one another and that is to pray one for one another. If you want to encourage your brethren, take this important first step which is to pray for this person fervently and constantly. If there is only one thing you can do for your brethren, choose prayer. It may not be known or seen by the brethren, but it is certainly the most effective and spiritually the most edifying to the person.
Prayer is a privilege which many Christians neglected. When God saves us, He also grants us this special relationship whereby we can call upon Him as our Heavenly Father in prayer and He will hear us. It is God’s means of dispensing His blessings unto us for our benefit. And not only that, when we pray for others, it will also bring joy to them and ourselves. And even as prayer encourages us in our walk with God; likewise too, praying for others will also be a great encouragement for others in their walk with God. This we can see clearly in the prayer which the Apostle Paul had for the Philippians.
The Apostle Paul prayed, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy” (Phil 1:3-4). The Apostle Paul always remembered the Philippians in his prayers and he constantly thanked God for it. And the Apostle Paul stated that it was his joy to be able to pray for them. It is a comforting thought to know that there is someone always remembering us in their prayers!
My brethren, other than your own wants and needs, do remember others in your prayer too. As you thank God for providing food for you, do remember to pray for those who are in need. And as you thank God for your health, do remember to pray for those who are suffering physical afflictions in health. And when you thank God for the peace in your heart, do remember to pray for those whose heart is troubled. And as you thank God for your salvation, do also remember to pray for those who are still outside the Kingdom of God.
Let us learn to pray, not for ourselves only, but also for others. Do earnestly pray for them. Like the Apostle Paul, let them know that you have been praying for them – be it through email, SMS or sharing. And I am sure it will be a great encouragement to them in their walk with God to know that there is someone in this world who is concerned to pray for them, and to bring their petition before our gracious King.
The remembrance of the Philippians drew the Apostle Paul to give thanks to God. He said, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you” (Phil 1:3). The Apostle Paul is one who always praises and thanks God for all things in his life. By being a thankful Christian, we will also encourage others in the act of thanksgiving too. And by thanking God in your prayers, others will be directed to have confidence in God as their source of providence too. So, let us remember that even as we pray, there must be joy and thanksgiving being made unto God.
Yes, the Apostle Paul always remembered the Philippians in his prayers, praying with joy for them and never ceased to thank God for them. And not only that, the Apostle also encouraged them to have confidence in God, especially concerning their salvation, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). Having confidence simply means being persuaded, trusting, obeying and believing. It is an outward reflection of our inward conviction. If we were to put our confidence in God and His promises instead of man’s, then our confidence is unshakeable as it is built on an immoveable foundation.
Let us learn to encourage one another with our prayers and to give thanks to God in every remembrance of one another. May our encouragement for each other always be spiritually focused to lift our brethren to greater confidence and trust in God.
As we begin our Church camp this week, spend much time to pray for the campers and others not able to attend the camp that our hearts will be revived by the Lord.
Elder John Leong
WHAT DOES “AMEN” MEAN?
“Amen” is a word that we use so often, at the ending of a prayer, in response to Scripture, and also at the end of service when we sing the three-fold amen. However, when quizzed on this, many teens do not know what this word means. Some treat it as just a punctuation mark, as a way of putting a fullstop at the end of their prayers. Others say it flippantly, reeling off the whole phrase ‘in-Jesus-name-I-pray-amen” in just one breath and saying it just for the sake of saying it.
In the Bible, the word “amen” means “surely” or “truly”. It brings across the meaning of “so may it stand” or “so be it”. It is used both of affirmation and assent to what is said. In Revelation 3: 14, the word “amen” is even used as a name for our Lord Jesus Christ who is the faithful and true witness. It is used to describe Him as being true, certain and faithful. As can be seen, this is a word that is not meant to be used lightly or meaninglessly.
When used in prayer and at the end of prayer, it shows that we agree with what is being prayed. It is good to sometimes voice our inward agreement by an audible ‘yes” or “amen”. Of course, this means that we have to pay attention to every word that is being uttered by the person praying, for how can we voice our agreement f we are not even sure what we are agreeing with? Sadly, though, many teens sometimes have their thoughts wandering away during prayer, and some even start SMS-ing or talking to their friends during the pastoral prayer!
When we sing the three-fold amen at the end of service, it is also certainly not just a formality or a ritual, but a way of showing that we agree to all that has transpired throughout the course of the entire worship service, including the Word that has been preached. It is as if we are saying of what we have heard, “This is most certainly true,” As such, we should sing it firmly and with great confidence, and not in a careless manner. So next time you sing the three-fold amen, may you sing it meaningfully with all your heart, showing your agreement to what has been said.
“For all the promises of God in him ore yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” (2 Corinthians 1: 20).
(Taken from Teenz.RPG, April – June 2007, p18)