I remember the time I was working at the factory. Early in the morning, when I couldn’t sleep, I would start praying for all the people who worked with me. I couldn’t even remember all of their names, but then I would refer to those six men who took the products out of the molds, or the group of women who cleaned the factory. I’m sure God knew who I was talking about. For many of them, it was the first time that somebody prayed for them.

I still remember some of my prayers. One was for the foreman in the factory who had to try for his driver’s license again and, yes, that time he made it. I believe in prayer. Yes, even for things like that. Not because it was me praying, but because God and prayer are powerful.

I believe in it!

Paul also believed in prayer and prayed continuously for his readers: ¹²And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you.

Paul believed that his prayer or conversation with God can make a difference. He believed that God heard his prayer, but even more: That God will respond and do something. Paul continued to pray, because prayer had achieved so much in his life already for him.

It doesn’t help us to pray if we don’t believe that God is listening. Read the sentence again, because it makes a lot of sense. Yes, don’t we often pray with a kind of hit-and-miss attitude? Sometimes we pray, but we don’t actually believe it will make any difference.

However, if you do believe in prayer, keep on praying. As much as possible. Pray for family and friends. I’ve said this so often, but I really believe that my mom’s prayers kept her bunch of children on the right road. We have to pray often and seriously for one another, because it works!

And like Paul said, the best thing we can pray about for one another is love. As the old saying goes: Love makes the world go round. It’s the fuel that our lives run on. Where there is love, hate and hurt go away. Things go better, because people care for one another. Other people become more important than the own self.

In a way we need to get off our own chair and put the other person’s needs first. And that is what we have to pray for, for one another. When love takes root in each of us, the world will be transformed.

This is the instruction: Pray for your family, friends, employees, employers, colleagues, teachers and even those you don’t know so well. Pray that God’s love will become a reality in their lives. Also pray that God will work in their lives and that there will be less and less sin in their lives.

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

Reflection

Do you really believe in prayer?

For whom do you have to pray right now?

How strong is your love for others?

Prayer

Father, You teach us about love. Please help us to follow your example and to love one another. Please help us transform our words into actions so that our love can become visible. Amen.