Romans 15:30

Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit.

It is an incredible privilege to belong to the Christian family. As soon as you become a Christian, you have brothers and sisters who are part of your new worldwide and eternal family. I treasure that moment recorded in Acts 9:17 when Ananias went to meet Saul after his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus. Ananias knew of Saul’s violent reputation and he was clearly surprised at the news that he had met the Lord, but we read that Ananias went into the house where Saul was staying, placed his hands on him and said: “Brother Saul.” What a miracle!

In today’s verse, Paul speaks of how his brothers and sisters could join him in his struggle. There is no doubt of their love and respect for Paul, and I am sure that they were eager to do whatever they could to support him. Paul told them that the way to do so was through prayer motivated by the love for him that the Holy Spirit had given them. When we see someone struggling, we want to do something practical to help them, but often the greatest support that we can give is in prayer.

There are many Christians struggling today. Millions of believers live in countries where the government is opposed to Christianity, and life is a continual challenge for them. I am sure that there are also Christians in your own community who are struggling. Perhaps their struggle is with health issues, or the care of relatives, or relationship difficulties, or challenges at work, or problems in their church. We won’t need to look far to find people who are struggling, and I pray that because of the love that the Holy Spirit has put in our hearts, we will commit ourselves to praying for them.

Question

Who do you know who is struggling at the moment? Take some time to pray for them right now.

Prayer

Lord God, I pray for those I know who are struggling at this time. Please show me how I can bring them your love and encouragement. Amen