How to Pray for AnyoneSample

Introduction to This Plan

I’m so eager to walk through this journey of prayer with you!

Whether you are brand new to a relationship with Jesus or looking to go deeper in your walk with Him, I have good news: there is holy ground ahead. Prayer is one of the most powerful tools Jesus teaches us to use — not only to communicate with God for ourselves, but to shape history, overcome darkness, and intervene relationally in the world around us, all for His glory and the good of others.

Whatever reason has brought you and me together today, the fact remains: we want to pray. And I am so grateful for that!

But the reality is, sometimes we get stuck before we even get started. Maybe we begin, only to feel overwhelmed, lost for words, or discouraged.

Again, I have good news — for those of us longing to “come into the prayer chamber filled with faith and armed with courage,” as A.W. Tozer wrote:

We don’t have to have the perfect words for God to move.

He is looking for hearts that want Him to move, regardless of our methods.

Walk in confidence that prayer is for everyone — because the Gospel is for everyone — and you can talk to Him about whatever is on your heart.

And when we don’t know how to pray for something (or someone) specifically, we can trust the Spirit to intercede on our behalf.

All we have to do is keep showing up.

But there’s something else that has completely transformed my life — and that’s why we’re here today.

One of my first mentors taught me the practice of praying Scripture — and it changed everything. Here’s why:

• Praying Scripture aligns our prayers with God’s heart and His will for us and those we are praying for.
• It keeps us rooted in biblical truth, holy hope, and an eternal perspective.
• It supercharges our prayers. Isaiah 55:11 reminds us that when God’s Word goes out, it never returns void. Praying Scripture sends God’s promises into action.
• It gives clarity, authenticity, and direction to our prayers. Scripture expands our vision, anchors us in truth, and reminds us of God’s relentless love for us and others.

When we aren’t sure what to pray, we can be confident that,

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

(2 Timothy 3:16–17)

In tender circumstances, or when words feel hard to find, I have found that specifically praying the fruit of the Spirit over someone’s life is powerful. It ensures our prayers are sincere, deeply aligned with God’s heart, and rooted in holy hope. So, with that in mind, Galatians 5:22-23 will be our roadmap for this plan.

James reminds us that prayers from a righteous heart — prayers aligned with God’s will — are “powerful and effective.”

Here’s my encouragement:

Grab a journal (or start a new one!) and actually write down your prayers.

Use the Scriptures connected to each characteristic we’ll explore.

You don’t have to come up with perfect words — just pray God’s Word over the people He has placed on your heart.

Your friend. Your neighbor. Your enemy.

And don’t forget to ask God to grow these fruits in your own heart, too.

The aim of this plan is to equip and encourage you to apply this material to your own prayers and life — with full confidence that God will show up and do what only He can do.

Let’s dive in!

Day One: Praying for Others to Experience God’s Love

We’re kicking off by learning how to pray for others to experience God’s love — the real, transforming kind that only He can give.

God Himself is love.

The thread running through the entire Bible — from beginning to end — is a thread of love.

The word for love in the New Testament is often the Greek word “agape,” which Strong’s Greek dictionary defines as:

“Goodwill toward others; brotherly affection; the love of our neighbor, which the Lord commands and inspires.”

A love that God commands.

A love that God inspires.

This is not a love that flees or fades.

This is a love that abides.

When you invite Christ into your life, His love takes root deep within your heart.

And when we pray for others to experience that real, ground-shaking, unconditional love, we are asking them to encounter God Himself in His purest, most life-changing form.

Love has the power to heal, restore, ignite, and reconstruct any soul or circumstance.

When we pray for others to receive this kind of love, we are praying with boundless potential for miracles — because experiencing God’s love is nothing short of miraculous.

It’s no coincidence that the very first fruit of the Spirit is love.

Love must be the foundation of every prayer we pray for others.

If love is not the reason we are interceding, then our prayers are not fully aligned with God’s heart — not for others, and not for ourselves.

Today, spend some time reading through the Scriptures listed above.

As you pray them over your circumstances and the lives of others, ask God to make His love known to you — and to them.

Invite His love to change everything.

Questions for Reflection:

• Is there evidence of the kind of love Christ commands and inspires in your life?
• What does that kind of love look like in action?
• How would God’s love transform, bless, and influence the people God has laid on your heart to pray for?

Are your prayers for others grounded in God’s love for them?

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