Remember Always In Prayer!

November 13, 2025

Remember Always In Prayer!

It’s all too obvious in the Scripture that we are called to pray for other people, especially people who have placed their faith in Jesus!  That call seems easier to follow when the other person is someone with whom we have a close relationship and when the other person is going through a season of struggle.

In contrast, it is often more difficult to heed the call to pray for another people when things are going well for them.  We get busy with our own busyness and simply forget to take the time to pray for them.

My failure to pray for other people is often not intentional.  The reality is other things and other people and other circumstances press in on my time, my energy, and my attention.  Too often, it is a couple of weeks (sometimes only a couple of days!) later that I hear the other person was needing me to remember them in my prayers.

Each time that happens, I am sure the Holy Spirit is nudging me and teaching me to remember my friends and family as well as my co-workers and neighbors in my prayers.

As the Apostle Paul begins his letter to the churches in Rome, he reminds the Christ-followers in that city he is praying for them.  In Romans 1:9 Paul writes; “For God, whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the gospel of his Son, is my witness that without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers,…”

Paul is serious about praying for other people.  He says in two different ways that he is continually praying for them.  In Romans 1:9, he says he is praying for them “without ceasing” and “always.”  For Paul, praying for others is no casual matter; he prays all the time and without ceasing!

Paul remembers the Christ-followers in Rome because they were suffering great persecution by the government leaders.  Life was hard and remaining steadfast in their faith in Christ was even harder. 

In another letter to the church in Colossae, the Apostle Paul reminds the Christ-followers in that church to remember him in their prayers as he is bound in chains in prison.  In Colossians 4:18 we hear; “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.  Remember my chains.  Grace be with you.”

In the book of Hebrews we are told to remember those who were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus.  In Hebrews 13:3 we hear; “Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them, those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured.”

We are called to remember other people in our prayers as if we are experiencing the same struggles and troubles right along side of them.  In other words, remembering other people in our prayers is an expression of empathy.  Our prayers can be filled with compassion, mercy, or love. 

We remember people and their circumstances and troubles in our prayers because we care about them and because we believe Jesus will act on their behalf.

In another letter, the Apostle Paul reminds the Christ-followers in the city of Ephesus that he is remembering them in his prayers.  The struggle for the Christ-followers in Ephesus was not so much persecution as it was the temptation to be distracted from their faith in Christ.  In Ephesians 1:16 we hear; “I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers…”  We can remember in our prayers those who may be or already have drifted away in their relationship with Jesus.

A couple of months ago, a friend’s name was pressed into my mind.  There was no indication that anything was wrong nor was there any evidence that something concerning was going on.  And yet, the Holy Spirit stirred something in my heart so I reached out to invite them for a cup of coffee.

Remembering other people in our prayers is always a matter of paying attention to other people while we pay attention to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit in our heart, in our mind, and in our soul.  The good news is when we pray for other people, Jesus will answer our prayers.

+Sometimes Jesus will resolve a troubling situation or heal a suffering friend.  Other times, Jesus will give the other person strength to walk through those difficult seasons.

+Sometimes Jesus will open a door or give tender mercy.  Other times, Jesus will show the other person a different path or pour out amazing grace.

+Sometimes Jesus will give birth to a new relationship or bring an unhealthy relationship to a close.  Other times, Jesus will delay the timing of a new relationship or may bring healing when the hurt finally stops.

Jesus will answer our prayers for other people when we remember them and remember to pray for them. 

I wonder for whom you might pray today and each day for the next seven days.  Put a reminder on your phone to pray.  Put a note on your calendar to pray.  Lay a memo next to your TV remote to pray. 

Pray for that person every day for seven days.  Ask Jesus to be present with them.  Invite the Holy Spirit to fill them with power.  Plead with our Heavenly Father to show them tender mercy, amazing grace, and real love. 

When you pray for them, their life and your life will be filled with delight in who the Lord God is and what the Lord God is doing in and through your prayers and the other person.     

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug