A Prayer for Others

The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, chronicles the advent of the resurrected Savior to a people in the Western Hemisphere. During His glorious three days among the people, He taught them His doctrine and His gospel, the same principles He taught to His Judean disciples before His death and resurrection.

Among the many precepts Jesus taught the eager people was the injunction to pray. And so they would understand the form of prayer He wanted them to experience, Jesus taught by example. After directing the multitude to kneel, "he himself also knelt upon the earth; and behold he prayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him. And after this manner do they bear record: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father; And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father" (3 Nephi 17:15-17).

Having set the example, Christ then commanded His disciples:

And as I have prayed among you even so shall ye pray in my church, among my people who do repent and are baptized in my name. Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you.
--3 Nephi 18:16

The church is a society in which we pray for one another. If I do not pray for others, I am missing an important aspect of membership and discipleship in Christ's church.

I do not claim to understand how prayers on behalf of others work. I believe, however, that my prayers for others is a similitude of Christ's advocacy and intervention for me. 

God the Father knows all things. He doesn't need me to tell Him what to do or how to do it, either for myself or for others. Yet, Christ's commandment to pray always and for others stands as a critical injunction to those who would be His disciples. 

And so, because I want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, I pray for others. It's a habit. I can't stop myself. I think of people I love, and I ask God to bless them with whatever they need. I rarely know what even those closest to me truly need. I may see outward signs of distress or trials, but I don't know what God knows about their real, eternal needs. Nevertheless, I pray. 

I hear of a neighbor struggling with an illness or affliction, and I pray for them. I don't know how God plans to heal or fix that person, or if fixing is what they actually need in their eternal progression, but I can at least pray that they will be strengthened to endure and to know if God wants me to do something to help.

I see a homeless stranger wandering the street, and I pray for them. If I gave a panhandler a million dollars, I couldn't fix their life. Even God can't fix their life if they won't turn to Him and let Him in. But I still pray. They not be praying for themselves, but at least someone is praying for them.

When I think of praying for others, I am reminded of the moving lyrics of the song "Not Too Far From Here" by Hillary Weeks:

Somebody's down to their last dime.
Somebody's running out of time.
Not too far from here.

Somebody's got nowhere else to go.
Somebody needs a little hope.
Not too far from here

And I may not know their name,
But I'm praying just the same
That You'll use me Lord to wipe away a tear,
'Cause somebody's crying
Not too far from here.

Somebody's troubled and confused.
Somebody's got nothing left to lose.
Not too far from here

Somebody's forgotten how to trust.
Somebody's dying for love.
Not too far from here

It may be a stranger's face,
But I'm praying for Your grace
To move in me and take away the fear,
'Cause somebody's hurting
Not too far from here.

Help me Lord not to turn away from pain.
Help me not to rest while those around me weep.
Give me Your strength and compassion
When somebody finds the road of life too steep.

Now I'm letting down my guard,
And I'm opening my heart.
Help me speak Your love to every needful ear.
Someone is waiting not too far from here.

Effectual Fervent Prayer

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
--James 5:16

Another interpretation of this saying is, "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." In other words, prayer works. God hears all prayers, but the prayers of a righteous person who keeps the commandments and is in tune with the Holy Spirit get more attention because they are already in harmony with the Lord's will. They are easy for God to answer.

I do not claim to be a righteous person, or that my prayers are always fervent or effective, but I try to pray regularly for others, and I like to think that others are praying for me. I need the prayers of others to bolster my own pathetic prayers. Most importantly, I rely on the prayers of Jesus on my behalf:

"I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them." (John 17:9-10)

"Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him— Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified; Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life." (D&C 45:3-5)

The only truly righteous person to have lived on the earth is Jesus, and surely His prayers are effectually fervent. Though I fail in many ways every day, I have hope because Jesus is praying for me.

Jesus Prays for Me

On the night of Jesus's betrayal, after concluding the Last Supper, knowing He would shortly be separated from His disciples, Jesus offered the Intercessory Prayer in which He prayed for His friends. Among the petitions He presented to His Father were these words:

I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
--John 17:9

I want Jesus to pray for me. Therefore, I must come out of the world. He does not pray for those who embrace the world, but only for those who embrace Him. I have made the covenants and entered the ordinances that make me His child. I have taken His name upon me. While I fail constantly to live up to my covenants, I am headed in the right direction. 

I am less of the world today than fifty years ago, forty years ago, or even ten years ago. As imperfect and weak as I am, I am giving myself to my Savior. And so, I believe He is praying for me. His prayers are so much better than mine. Surely the Father hears and answers the prayers of His Beloved Son. For this and many more reasons, my hope is in Christ.