Hey, this is Mike Zwick from If Not For God Podcast, our show. Stories of hopelessness turned into hope. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just seconds.
Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing the Truth Podcast Network. And now, here's James. So today on Encouraging Prayer, we're going to talk about something you see a lot in the Bible, but you don't hear too much about it.
James, take it from there. Scripture says in Romans 12 15 to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. And it's part of a passage that talks about putting God's love into action. So today we're going to talk about helping others cry, if you will, when they pray. Praying with the hurting, because I believe that as we do that, God meets us there and meets them in beautiful ways. Yeah, I am so glad we're going there, James, because when you think about what has been going on in the world, especially a situation in Afghanistan, we really do need to pray for and with our brothers and sisters there.
Yes, we do, Robbie. It is heartbreaking. And this is where people who don't really understand what prayer is usually say things like, well, they need more than your thoughts and prayers. And yes, they do need action.
I get that. But the thing they miss is that prayer is powerful action. Why don't you share an example from your personal experience about praying like this? Yeah, absolutely. Some years back, the group of pastors I belonged to was meeting, and so it was an opportunity to go forward and pray with other leaders in our church about any needs that you have.
And you know how that is, kind of you look around the room and, should I go forward or not? But this was a time when my son and my daughter were really struggling. My son was wrestling with substance abuse. My daughter had lost her first love for the Lord. We went forward to pray with another pastor, Keith Cobb and his wife, and they prayed for us with so much compassion, so much heart for our kids, and they wept with us. But they also had this forward-looking faith as they prayed.
And you need that when you're grieving, because all you can see is the situation in front of you. And that's why it's helpful to come alongside and just love you and love God with their prayers. And what God did in my son's life has been absolutely astounding.
We've talked about it many times. He went from heroin addiction to a youth pastor. He's been clean now over eight years, and only God can do that. And I see him moving in my daughter's heart and life as well. Steps are being taken in the right direction as we continue to pray. But what happened in those moments of prayer that day were so absolutely vital.
No, I can see why. And you're right. I mean, you do see this in Scripture. First of all, just the compassion of Jesus when he prayed for someone and healed them. And also in Galatians 6, where it says to bear one another's burdens.
Right. And that's a great example, because it starts with if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you may also be tempted to carry each other's burdens.
It goes on. So the whole emphasis is going to others who are in a weak place and keeping your eyes on the Lord with them. And that's the beautiful thing about prayer. When we sincerely seek God from the heart, trying to help others and be there for them, he really does have a way of meeting us.
Oh, yeah, he does. I mean, he certainly did that for you guys that night. And he's done it for me so many times.
So let's talk about how to do this for a moment, shall we? I mean, because we probably all think of times when someone came for us to comfort us and meant well, but maybe said just the wrong thing. This isn't about the words we speak as much as it is. It's about our hearts and just going to God together. So when you pray with someone who's hurting, don't preach to them when you pray, you know, by pretending you're talking to God when you're actually sort of trying to give them messages.
That doesn't help. Enter into their grief. Cry with them before the Lord. Again, weep with those who weep, if you will. Ask the Lord why.
If you don't understand along with them or how long, if that's the question that's on their hearts, you see both of those questions in the Psalms, especially Psalms of lament. Wow. It just reminds me when I had my brain abscess scores. I didn't know I had a brain, but I knew that I had a headache that was unbelievable. And they had done an X-ray and said, oh, we've got to get into his head right away.
I mean, literally surgery. And they didn't have anything to stop the pain. And they put me in sort of a side room while they were trying to get the emergency room surgery situation opened. And a girl from my Sunday school class happened to be on duty that day. And she came into my room. And of course I really was crying. I couldn't even hardly stand any sound, any light, anything, because my head was literally exploding inside of my skull. So she just held my hand and literally it was like I was holding God's hand.
I'll never, ever, ever. It's one of those things that's like, it was a God moment of God moments. Like he had sent her there specifically to feel God's presence in this situation.
And you knew, even though no words, because she couldn't say anything, because my head was exploding. But the prayer was going on, believe me. Wow. Yeah.
Yeah. I mean, that's just, that's beautiful. And that's who we're called to be, isn't it? And you wonder where might God be calling you or me to go to have that kind of love for someone today. And, you know, again, as we do this, He'll show up like He did for you that day. And think of the Book of Lamentations, you know, another time of international crisis, where Jeremiah writes, Yet this I call to mind, therefore, I have hope, I say to myself, The Lord is my portion, therefore, I will wait for Him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him to the one who seeks Him.
You know, it's good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord and then elsewhere in Lamentations, you know, it talks about great is His faithfulness. We need to just love people with the love He gives as we pray. So as we wrap up today, I think it'd be right that we pray for the people of Afghanistan together, right?
Can we do that? Yeah, let's let's Lord Jesus have mercy. Oh, beyond our power to ask for, you know, the hurting and just the mayhem that is there. And we pray the power of your spirit to move for resolution of this problem to save lives, especially Lord, we pray for your church. And Lord, we pray for those who are trying to get out.
And again, Lord, we don't know what to do, but our eyes are on you. And we pray for what only you can do in Jesus name. And Lord, I pray also that there would be Ramona's people that would come up and put in hands and hands that people would sense your presence and comfort and know that you're there in the midst of this unbelievable war, that you're there in the struggle. I pray that you would show up big time in Jesus name. I pray. Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray. This is the Truth Network.
