Oftentimes, when people look back on their experiences at camp, the memories they hold the deepest aren’t the location or the food — it’s the people they met. And we live in a day and age where you can stay connected to the friends made over the summer throughout the year on social media or FaceTime. Yet there’s nothing quite like being reunited the next summer in person to be able to feel truly connected and together again.
As we anticipate another great summer in a few months, there are still things to do in the waiting. This devotional was created to be done with friends near or far from you to remember our calling to each other as we live out our Christian lives.
Start by reading the passages below
Read:
Ephesians 6:18-20 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Philippians 1:3-6 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
3 John 2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
Say:
Both Paul and John, the authors of the above passages, emphasize the importance of praying for one another. In Ephesians, Paul asks for prayer for himself to be able to do the work that God has called him to. Sometimes, it’s intimidating or scary to ask for prayer when doing something you feel led to do. But this is where you lean in harder on those around you. The temptation to give up, the possibility of failure, and the amount of time needed to do something can all cause you to walk away from a calling from God. When you boldly ask your friends and loved ones for prayer, you are allowing them to join you in the bigger picture that God is creating.Â
In the Philippians and 3 John verses, Paul and John speak of the joy they find when praying for their friends. As sons and daughters of God, we have the ability and privilege to partner with those who can be miles away from us through prayer to our Heavenly Father. And we see here that our prayers can be big and mighty asking God to further His kingdom through our friends, or they could be as simple as asking for good health. No matter what we pray, the Bible makes it clear that we are to pray for one another.
Questions:
- Do you have friends that you pray for consistently? If not, write down 3-4 names of people that you can pray for every day for the next month.
- Have you been afraid to ask your friends for prayer for a vision or calling from God? If so, share it with your friends now and allow them to join in your calling through their prayers.
- How can you find more joy when praying for your loved ones?
Prayer:
Make space for a time of prayer. Ask each other for any prayer requests and then simply pray. If you’re unsure what to pray about, you can follow John’s lead and simply pray for good health and that all will go well with them. Your prayers don’t need to be fancy or special, and if you’re not comfortable praying with your own words, you can use the prayers from the scriptures above.
