How to Pray for AnyoneSample

PRAYING FOR OTHERS TO EXPERIENCE GOD'S PATIENCE

Waiting for an answer.

Waiting for the test results.

Waiting for the next step.

Waiting for the news.

Waiting for the person.

Waiting for the next season.

Waiting for the truth.

Waiting for the healing.

Waiting for the promise.

There is no quick fix for patience. No man-made pill or amount of money can give us more of it—for ourselves or for those we love. That’s why prayer and patience are inseparable. Patience is something only God can provide, because it is a byproduct of His nature—His very presence at work in our lives.

Patience is a tender word, but an even more vulnerable experience when it shifts from being a noun we long for to a verb we are required to live out in a difficult season or circumstance. And yet, Scripture offers us good news: patience is holy.

It belongs to God. It is His patience toward us that has resulted in our salvation. He has been patient with us and for us since before we were knit together in our mother’s womb. Because of His patience, He is actively working all things together for the good of those who love Him, inviting the Gospel to continually transform us.

The Latin root of patience is patientia—“the quality of suffering or enduring; submission; indulgence; leniency; humility.”*

It was God’s suffering that brought us Christ, and His long-suffering that continues to carry out the work of the Gospel in those who believe.

When patience shows up as a fruit of the Spirit, it means we are able to suffer well. Patience doesn’t paint the picture of someone simply gritting their teeth until answers come. Instead, it reflects someone who clings to God in such trust that their waiting itself becomes worship.

This is why, when we face circumstances beyond our grasp and don’t even know what to pray—for ourselves or for others—patience is one of the most important prayers we can offer. It encompasses our entire being, from the deepest places of our souls to our daily needs. It asks God not only to sustain us, but to equip us in the “middle” with grace to endure suffering well—in ways that reflect trust in Him.

Patience is not something we can manufacture. It is holy fruit—evidence of the Spirit at work in us and through us while we wait for God to make all things right.

So when we are asked to bear patience ourselves, or when we stand alongside a friend in the thick of waiting, we are given the opportunity to bear witness to God’s patience—His long-suffering love—that continues to bear fruit in their lives and in ours.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

• Who in your life is in a season of waiting, patience, or suffering? How can you pray Scripture over them today?
• In what ways are you practicing patience in your own life? Where do you see God’s patience toward you bearing fruit?

*https://www.etymonline.com/word/patience

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