I not too long ago talked with Tim Augustyn, Pastor of Ministry Assets at Open the Bible, a couple of easy however highly effective device for praying for others: Nancy Guthrie’s e-book I’m Praying for You: 40 Days of Praying the Bible for Somebody Who’s Struggling (10 of These, 2021). Listed here are highlights of our dialog.
Kevin Halloran: Tim, how are you utilizing the e-book to wish for others??
Tim Augustyn: I put collectively an inventory of about fifteen folks that I’m praying for day by day. They’re people who find themselves going by means of some form of trial–struggling with a well being drawback, grieving the lack of a beloved one, or scuffling with some relational problem.
The e-book has a QR code that permits you to ship a textual content with a prayer to the individual you’re praying for that’s primarily based on a Scripture passage. It actually engages individuals. They’ve been very interactive about what I’m praying for them, and commenting on it, and sharing different prayer requests. Various persons are additionally deliberately working by means of the Scripture passage for themselves.
It’s a Spirit-inspired approach to love others and level them to Christ.
One individual stated to me, “I’ve by no means earlier than had a pastor pray for me particularly and frequently–that I’m conscious of.” They most likely have, however they didn’t realize it. And so it’s made me replicate on the truth that we do pray for individuals, however oftentimes they’re not conscious that we’re praying or what we’re praying for them. It’s a double profit for them: you’re praying for them and also you’re sending them the encouragement of the Scriptures. I’m discovering it to be an efficient approach to have interaction with the one who’s going by means of a trial over a time frame.
I like issues which might be easy, however profoundly useful. And this e-book and strategy appears to be each.
It truly is. I’m doing it for fifteen individuals day by day which takes me about 10–quarter-hour. It’s merely laid out. Nancy Guthrie provides you a Scripture passage for every day, a one web page rationalization of it, after which slightly prayer with fill-in-the-blanks for the individual you’re praying for. After which she provides you a prayer to ship to them utilizing a QR code. It’s all there for you, and it helps me take into consideration the individual and what their scenario is and attempt to apply it. It’s a extremely useful approach to pray for individuals. I feel essentially the most stunning factor is how inspired I’ve been with the interactive factor. Praying for others is an actual privilege!
Typically we wish to pray extra for others, however with out intentionality our want typically falls by the wayside. This e-book’s easy approach provides you steps to observe.
I’m finished with the forty days, however I nonetheless needed to wish, so I began selecting my very own Scripture passages and writing prayers, primarily based on the mannequin Nancy set out. Nancy’s e-book is instructing me methods to pray the Bible for others, in an ongoing means, which is a superb present to me and to these I’m praying for. And anybody can do it!
Is there a selected Scripture or reality that you just’ve prayed that has touched individuals in a particular means?
What I observed is that there are particular issues that resonate with individuals. For instance, one of many prayers that Nancy wrote addresses the truth that our struggling typically continues for a very long time, and I instantly had three or 4 individuals textual content me again. It clearly touched them.
Nancy Guthrie’s e-book was so useful to me in understanding what struggling persons are going by means of. She helps you see the connection, due to her depth of expertise, between struggling and the Scriptures. She’s very tenderhearted and that has helped me to be extra tender with these I’m praying for.
I’m excited to advocate I’m Praying for You by Nancy Guthrie to extra individuals and hope that it will likely be a useful gizmo for private development and for ministry to others.
