I pray for a lot of people. It is definitely expressed numerous times in the scriptures for us to do so. There are many areas for which we are directed to pray for others.
For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, (Col 1:9 WEB)
This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; so that you may approve the things that are excellent; that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Php 1:9-11 WEB)
To this end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and work of faith, with power; (2Th 1:11 WEB)
I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and givings of thanks, be made for all men: for kings and all who are in high places; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and reverence. (1Ti 2:1-2 WEB)
As seen in the above verses we pray for believers to “be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding”. We pray that believers “may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment”. We pray “our God may count you worthy of your calling”. We pray that “we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and reverence”. And these are just some of the prayers for us that Paul and the apostles lead us in.
An area we pray for is healing over all manner of sickness: Yes, a lot of people get delivered in the scriptures, but that doesn’t mean people in the scriptures didn’t get sick or that everyone gets delivered. Paul wrote this about Epaphroditus:
For indeed he was sick, nearly to death, but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow on sorrow. (Php 2:27 WEB)
And Paul wrote this about Trophimus:
Erastus remained at Corinth, but I left Trophimus at Miletus sick. (2Ti 4:20 WEB)
And we read in the scriptures about long-term illness:
A certain man was there, who had been sick for thirty-eight years. (Joh 5:5 WEB)
And we read about people who are born with an illness or disability.
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of God might be revealed in him. (Joh 9:1-3 WEB)
This man was healed by our Lord but look at some of the things taught here. Because someone is sick or disabled does not mean they have sinned. Life looks to be unfair; this man was born blind through no person’s fault.
The Lord has reminded me that we all, from the most prominent to the least known, need prayer and should request prayer. Paul asked that we pray for him:
Now I beg you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints. (Rom 15:30-32 WEB)
I especially like “that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints; that I may come to you in joy through the will of God” If I am doing anything right at all there will be people opposing me – pray for deliverance from people that promote worldly philosophy (even that which has worked its way into the churches) that the pure word of God might live and become stronger in our day and time). Please pray that my service is acceptable to the saints. And that I help people grow in the full counsel of God. Please pray that this website can help the body of Christ and believers, in particular, grow in the simple faith the Apostles delivered to us, free of the many traditions that have sprung up since that are based on worldly philosophic influences and mishandled scriptures.
And please pray for my health. I am in my seventies. I was diagnosed at 11 years old with advanced degenerative disk disease, a form of arthritis. The doctor wasn’t sure but he said I might have been born with it. Growing up I never looked obviously deformed and even played some school sports but it affected me growing up limiting me. The problem has continued to affect me and has increased over the years to where I became officially disabled in my fifties. The diagnosis has changed to various kinds of arthritis over the years with numerous and varying medical treatments. Some of the medical interventions have improved my condition somewhat and I am so thankful for any improvement I get.
I have sought miraculous healing in ministries that practice the manifestations of the spirit for about 5 decades now. One person that ministered to me a year or so ago (over the phone I might add) incredibly pinpointed all the areas that I am affected in down to the right hip and left shoulder (and even greater detail than that) and so forth and so on in amazing detail and prayed for my deliverance. Yet I am still limited by the condition. It severely limits my ability to work (and thus my finances are very limited) or even to do a lot of activities that many people take for granted. I also have other health issues that have developed as I got older but arthritis with the resulting pain and fatigue is the most disabling.
Please pray for my health, my finances, and my ability to just be a part of more activities.
Do you remember the story of the man born blind? One of the elements of that true story is that no one had ever heard of someone born blind being healed.
Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind. (Joh 9:32 WEB)
Evidently, some things are harder to heal than others, in this case, blindness from birth. I have been told that I was probably born with my condition, and I believe that it needs more than my faith alone to overcome.
And it is harder to heal or be healed in some environments. Jesus himself was limited by the unbelief of the community he was in at the time of this verse:
He (Jesus) didn’t do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (Mat 13:58 WEB)
Healing is available according to God’s word:
My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings. Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the center of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body. (Pro 4:20-22 WEB)
while you stretch out your hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy Servant Jesus.” When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were gathered together. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. (Act 4:30-31 WEB)
Please join your faith to mine in prayer and pray for not only my healing but the healing of all those afflicted in need of healing anywhere calling out to the Lord.
Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them.” (Mat 18:19-20 WEB)