The "Specifics"of Prayer

“And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done (Luke 22:41:42)." Have you ever asked someone to pray for you or someone you know? Perhaps, you have been asked to do the same for others. Recently, I was asked to pray for a friend of a friend. However, they did not really supply any specifics as to what to pray for or about. When I inquired further about specifics to pray about I didn’t get any and was given the impression that my question was unwelcome. So many questions arise when this happens. How do I know what to pray for if I don’t have any specifics? Why did you ask me to pray for you if you don’t tell me the reason? I know there have even been times when we probably don’t even pray when asked; just say we do to make a person feel better. That has value, of course, but I am not sure anything was really accomplished. I am sympathetic to the idea that we may not want to tell all our business or the business of others. Christians, like the unbelieving world, can be just as guilty of gossiping when the details of a prayer request are discovered. None of us want our private lives made public, especially when it can be a sensitive issue. But, the real reason we should consider being more specific about asking someone to pray for us is because of one thing; how do we measure the results of our prayers if we don’t have specifics to pray for?

Just prior to being arrested, Jesus went to pray to the Father. In His prayer He specifically asks for “this cup” to be taken away. We know that by saying “this cup” Jesus was directly referring to the crucifixion and, more specifically, the suffering and agony He was about to endure on His way to His death. I wonder how the disciples would have responded if Jesus said to them, “Pray for Me,” but offered no specifics. They would have probably had much of the same questions that I mentioned earlier. Or what if one of the disciples knew for sure what Jesus was about to go through and said to the other disciples, “Pray for Jesus.” No doubt they would have asked, “Why?” or “What’s going on?” Then if they didn’t get an answer they would have been perplexed as to what was to do. However, because we know what Jesus was praying for we can also measure the results of His prayer. The “cup” was not removed and Jesus would die on the Cross. And thank God He did. It was the Father’s will, which Jesus also prayed for, that the Lord was to die for our sins. Because the prayer of Jesus was specific, the results of His prayer can be measured. The next time you are in need of prayer and ask others to share your burden, I encourage you to share some specifics about your situation. Therefore, you can all look back in time and determine if the prayer was answered in the way you desired or not. If it was, you can thank God and rejoice. If not, you can still thank God, rejoice and get a clearer understanding of Him, His will and your relationship with Him.