03/06/2026
A while ago, many of you prayed for me as I battled against double pneumonia but today, I wish to pray for you and all those around us, and to ask that you join me by praying for them as well. My prayer today is not for their physical bodies, but rather for their spirits and faith. Have you ever prayed such a prayer before? If you haven’t then you are missing the greatest opportunity in prayer... to pray for the will of God to be manifest in all its power within the spiritual being of others.
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV
We just read a prayer that Paul wrote to the Ephesians. I wonder how many times he prayed for its substance before he finally penned it and sent it to them for their edification. How many times did he pray for the spiritual wellbeing of others before praying for their physical lives? The degree to which Paul loved the churches, and those who comprised them, astounds me. Do you love those around you enough to pray such a prayer for them too? When you think of Jesus speaking the second greatest commandment, do you believe it is rooted in the physical world, or can you see that it begins in the spiritual realm before bleeding over into what we do in this world?
“And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."”
Matthew 22:37-40 ESV
Whenever I pray for my family, I pray for their salvation, for God to draw their souls to Jesus Christ as their savior, and for Him to become the one true God in their lives. As I do, I pray for their wisdom, knowledge, intelligence, and many other things that might increase their faith and allow them to live full and prosperous spiritual lives in their faithfulness. This prayer is wonderful, and it thrills my soul as I pray it ,but then, after praying for them I begin to pray for my neighbors, friends, and enemies, and as I pray for them I do so for their salvation too. But occasionally I find that the vigor with which I have prayed for my family is lacking in the prayers I have prayed for others. I asked for many of the same blessings but subconsciously I have held back some of my enthusiasm so that my family might come before them, and the thought of this convicts me. I have discriminated between my own family and the souls of others... I have placed the good of the few, whom I love best, before that of the many who God loves equally.
I share my earthly father’s name with all those in my family. This is the name that was given him by his father, who received it from his, and so forth and so forth. We are all members of the Forbes family, but as we each think about the name that our earthly father has given us let’s revisit Paul’s words:
“I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named”
Paul says immediately that we are all the children of our Heavenly Father, and that we share a common name. Suddenly I realize that my family on earth is just a reflection in microcosm of my family that is in heaven. This means that as I pray for you, and you for me, we should feel that same family connection and see the family resemblance; not in our outer coverings, because all the world sees those, but in our spirits and souls.
Today as we love one another in prayer, let’s feel this family connection, let’s love each other as we love ourselves. Let’s be one family with one Father and pray every blessing that we would pray for our own earthly children on each other as brothers and sisters in Christ; one family of God, without discrimination. Can we do that?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for each of my brothers and sisters who share your name with me. I thank you for the spiritual prayers they have prayed when I have been faint in my faith just as they have prayed to you for my physical healing when I have been ill. But most of all Holy Father, I thank you for their prayers that have asked you to pour your grace and forgiveness over me.
This morning Heavenly Father, I thank you for the blessing that such a large, robust, and diverse family is to me. I ask that your Holy Spirit surround, and fill, each one of them, and that your hand be upon them always. I ask that you forgive them their sins Merciful Father as they humbly come before you, and that you hear me now as I say that I forgive them for any trespass they might have committed against me. In this way Gracious Lord I am walking just as Jesus walked and straightening the road for all my family as they journey through this life towards your kingdom. Give each of them wisdom, knowledge, intelligence, and creativity, so that they might prosper your kingdom by bringing many souls to it. Provide for them this day, protect them from all temptation and harm, and shield them against evil in all its many manifestations. Lift their faces towards you Father, and as they seek to see you, let their eyes rest upon your Son Jesus Christ through whom they must come as they sojourn in faith towards you. Give them strength for their pilgrimage, give them perseverance to overcome all obstacles before them, and keep their stride steady and without faltering as they climb the mountain to where you are. For those who are at their journey’s end, I ask that your Peace and rest greet them, and that they dine in joy at your table forevermore... I pray that they praise you and honor our family name in glory before you and all creation.
Amen, Amen, Amen.
Rich Forbes