If you only pray for the people you know and love, you might inject new vibrancy into your prayer life by praying for people you haven’t even met…yet.
My wife started doing this when she was a young teen. She prayed for her future husband, not only that he would be incredibly handsome, smart and sensitive but also that he would be a man who loved God and followed Jesus.
I wasn’t nearly so wise and forward-looking. But then we got married, and she amazed me. She not only prayed for our children before we had them, but she also prayed for the people they would eventually date and marry (who were also yet to be born).
Who does that?
Turns out, a very wise and spiritual person. So, I joined her. I started praying for our children and their spouses. And, when they were born and began growing into actual people, we both prayed for the friends they would make, the teachers who would influence them and more—long before we met those people.
And, while we’re still waiting for some of my wife’s prayers for her husband to be answered (though she would say they have been), many of our other prayers for people we had yet to meet have been abundantly answered. It’s been a thrill to meet people we’ve long prayed for, and sometimes be able to tell them we’ve been praying for them since before we knew them (such as our daughter-in-law and son-in-law at their weddings).
It may sound crazy, but sometimes “crazy” leads to unexpected blessings. So, why not try praying for people you haven’t met yet? Here’s a list of possibilities.
—Children and grandchildren yet unborn
—The future husbands and wives of loved ones
—Future friends and neighbors
—Future pastors, teachers, coaches
—Local, state and national leaders of the future
—Future employers and employees
And that’s just a start. You may, of course, feel free to add to the list as you think of those whose paths will cross yours in the future. Or those who eat what you’ve cooked or baked, read what you’ve written or use what you’ve created or improved.
And some day, you may have the blessing of meeting someone new and saying, “Oh, I’ve been praying for you!”
