Craig T. Owens

When do people typically ask you to pray for them? My guess it’s when things aren’t going so well for them.

How about you? When do you usually ask others to pray for you? When things are going well, or when you’re in a tough spot.

Why is it that we usually only think about prayer for sick friends or for friends in desperate need?

The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Christians at Ephesus to encourage them. This church, as far as we know, wasn’t asking Paul for advice, and they weren’t facing intense persecution. They were mostly a spiritually healthy group.

So Paul wrote this to his healthy friends—

I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly. (Ephesians 1:16)

Paul went on to share with us his prayer for strong, spiritually healthy people (vv. 17-22). He asked God to make his healthy friends even stronger. He asked God to give them:

• a super-abundance of the Holy Spirit
• more wisdom and revelation
• deeper intimacy with God
• greater hope
• greater power
• and more strength

I’m not suggesting we stop praying for people in need. We definitely need to keep doing that. But perhaps it’s time to make a list of your healthy friends, and ask God to give them even more of Himself!