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Note: This post is part of the Two Weeks of Waiting Devotional. To return to the table of contents for the devotional, click here. To read this as a downloadable ebook, subscribe below.
I have a confession to make: I’ve never really liked the whole “prayer request time” during Bible study. In some of my past experiences, the prayer request time seems to go on forever, leaving little time for the actual Bible study. Other times, an awkward silence follows, people wondering whether or not they have something worthy of sharing.
I remember one specific occasion when I was new at a Bible study, and we went around in a circle at the end, the expectation being that we would share at least one prayer request. I panicked and racked my brain. Asking for prayers for the upcoming school year is too small — especially when the girl before me shared about her brother who has cancer. But surely sharing something I really want prayers for — my infertility — with these people I barely know would be an overshare?
I can’t remember what I shared, but it definitely wasn’t about my infertility.
During this time of waiting, prayer hasn’t always been easy. Waiting for so long makes it hard to keep praying. I wish I could say I have prayed every single day for a baby for the last 2 1/2 years, but the honest truth is: Sometimes it gets exhausting to keep asking for something when it feels like the answer is never going to change.
(That doesn’t change the fact that I need to learn to continue to pray, by the way. But that’s for another post.)
But this exhaustion has prompted me to do something that I rarely do: Ask others to pray for me. So although I didn’t share my prayer request with that initial Bible study, I finally did ask for prayers in another small group.
And you know what? I’m glad I did, and I challenge you to share your prayer requests too — with a friend, with a small group, with a pastor, with someone.
Here’s why: When waiting makes it hard for me to keep praying, it’s comforting to know that others are continuing to pray anyway. It’s nice to know that others are bringing my prayer requests before God, especially when I feel like I can’t do it myself anymore. It’s a relief to know that God is still hearing my prayers, even if they’re not coming directly from me. And it’s comforting to hear people tell me they’ve been praying for me, because scripture tells us that prayers from others really do make a difference.
Further Study + Reflection
Luke 5:17-26 tells the story of Jesus healing a paralyzed man. In this story, the paralyzed man is physically unable to come before Jesus…if not for the help of his friends. Jesus heals him after seeing the faith of his friends (v. 20). This literal representation of healing should prompt you to ask for prayers and help from others, too — especially when the waiting makes it hard to keep praying yourself.
*If it’s hard for you to pray, too, also check out Prayers from the Psalms for Times of Suffering.
Note: This post is part of the Two Weeks of Waiting Devotional. To return to the table of contents for the devotional, click here. To read this as a downloadable ebook, subscribe below.
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