Sometime ago, I began praying earnestly that God would send friends my way. And while I am always thankful for casual acquaintances that keep life interesting, I was yearning for friends that sincerely cared. What I didn’t realize at the time is that what I was really seeking were praying friends.
We know that prayer is simply talking to God. And while the concept is simple, it is humbling to think that we can go directly to the creator of the universe who knows us inside and out and still loves us. And even more than that, He actually desires to hear from us. For way too many years, most of my time spent in prayer was allocated selfishly. I prayed about my needs and wants and those of my family. I know God was listening and grateful to hear from me, but I am sure He was hoping for a little spiritual maturity that I might actually become burdened by the needs of others rather than just my own. Needless to say, I wasn’t a praying friend.
Sadly, we live in a society that seems to be reminding us over and over that we are each more important than anyone else. That we should satisfy our own needs and desires before glancing in someone else’s direction. But our lives are meant for so much more than that. As followers of Christ, we are called to bear one another’s burdens.
So what does bearing another’s burden actually mean? When we truly care and sympathize with others, we actually take on a portion of their burden and help lighten their load. One of the most effective ways that we can do this is to go before the Lord and pray for the needs of others. And because our loving Heavenly Father is faithful, the more time we spend praying for the needs of others, the more we begin to see God’s hand at work not only in our lives but in the lives of those around us as well.
The second part of Galatians 6:2 mentions that the act of bearing others burdens fulfills the law of Christ. The law referred to here is that we are to love one another.
While you and I may sometimes feel that we are not capable of showing this type of love and concern for others, we have that love in us through Jesus. It is His amazing love that we are sharing when we are bearing others burdens. Being this kind of friend requires that we ask about the needs of others, that we truly care what is going on in their lives, and that we spend time talking to the Lord about it.
At a woman’s retreat years ago, I learned a fascinating fact about elephants. In the wild, elephants who are burdened and sick have a hard time standing up. And not standing up leads to death for these animals. But their elephant “friends” will come along beside them and literally help them stand up. They get them back on their feet until they can stand on their own. This is a perfect picture of bearing others burdens. This is what it means to be a praying friend.
The Lord has definitely answered my praying friends prayer beyond my expectations. My life is richly blessed by “elephant friends” that occasionally come alongside me and help me stand up. They rejoice with me when prayers are answered and provide a sympathetic ear when the pathway seems dim. But in order for us to receive those friends with open arms, I think the Lord first works on our hearts and gives us a desire to be praying friends as well.
My prayer today is that each of our lives will be blessed by praying friends but even more importantly that we will become friends who pray for the needs of others, that we will have a desire to bear others burdens, and that we will allow the love of our Lord to flow through us as we show care and concern for others.
