Supplicate is a fancy word meaning to pray to God. The Bible encourages us to pray for others.
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. ~James 5:16
Love thinks of other people and their needs. A natural outpouring of thinking about others is to pray for them. We can’t help but think about those we talk to God about. It draws us closer to them and increases our desire to seek good for them and their lives and may even prompt us to action to help bring about the good things.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” ~Matthew 5:43-45a
Jesus even implored us to pray for our enemies. I think the purpose was to change our hearts toward those we have conflict with. By talking to God about them, it provides God the opportunity to change our hearts toward them. We may even change the way we think about them and eventually see them as friends rather than foes.
I know that when I am not feeling particularly generous toward another person, I will pray for a change in heart and attitude. I will also try to pray for God to bless them in specific ways to try to break the negative thoughts I have probably been harboring against the person. Sometimes it takes time, but often God is successful in softening my heart and changing my attitude toward them.
Do you regularly pray for your friends, coworkers, or neighbors? Have you ever tried praying positively for someone with whom you have conflict?
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This post is part of a five week series. To read the other posts, click on a link below.
Love Does: Cultivate a Kind Heart
Love Does: Advocate for Others
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