Written by Guest Contributors, Tony & Erica Ciro | February 17, 2022
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. -Ephesians 6:18
Many of us are aware that generosity extends beyond our financial giving, such as being generous in other ways like giving our time and talents. But have you ever considered how praying can be an act of generosity as well? Jesus showed us how this can be during his time on earth. Jesus is the most generous person to have lived, yet he had very little earthly wealth. Rather, he was generous with his time and talents and gave himself up to the Father and others through prayer. Jesus lived a life of constant prayer. He prayed when he was being tempted, when he needed a reprieve from ministry, before performing miracles and while he was with his disciples before he went to the cross.
Likewise, when we pray for others it is called intercessory prayer, and this is a wonderful way to demonstrate our love for God and people. Going to our Father on behalf of a loved one, a friend or a perfect stranger is an incredible way to be generous. Intercessory prayer requires us to stop what we are doing, focus our thoughts on the person, listen to the person’s needs and then bring those needs to our Father in prayer. Amazing things can happen when we are generous in this way! Being available to pray for others can lead to deep conversations about life, faith, Jesus and the many promises of God. Praying for others can bring healing, provision, deliverance or reconciliation. Giving ourselves to God and others in prayer can also strengthen our own faith journey.
The great thing about prayer is that we don’t need any special ability to do it! We just need to be aware of the individual needs of those whom God has placed in our lives and have the willingness to pause during our day to bring those needs to God. When we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit even provides the words that are needed. We started our prayer journey in this way, not knowing how to pray, but since then it has become a much larger part of our life together. We keep a prayer journal, recording all of the ways we pray for others. When looking back on this journal, we are continually in awe of the many blessings God has bestowed upon us through our generous prayer life.
Relationships with others have strengthened through our prayer life because we’ve become invested in the lives of those we’re praying for, asking them how they’re doing or reaching out to serve them in more tangible ways. We’ve been a part of prayer groups that have covered others in prayer who have battled illness, injury, employment issues and loss of loved ones. Through this we have seen the Lord answer prayers in greater ways than either of us could have imagined! We have built community with people from different age groups, genders and life circumstances – all through prayer. Our prayer life has strengthened our faith and our relationships and has led us to live a life of greater generosity. If you are not taking time to pray for others, begin today. It is a great way to be generous to others and to show them the unending love of Jesus!
Photo Credit: Drew Beamer
Bio:
Tony and Erica Ciro have been married for 32 years and have 2 children. Tony serves at Samaritan’s Purse “Operation Christmas Child” as a Regional Director, and Erica is an aid at Immanuel Lutheran School in the Chicago suburb of Batavia, Illinois. They attend Immanuel Lutheran Church and School in Batavia and love to serve both inside and outside the church. They are great examples of generous living as a lifestyle. Tony and Erica believe that praying for another person is one of the greatest ways to show them generosity.
