I had started a new job where a very large department of people reported to me, and honestly, I was intimidated. Because I was trying so hard to come across as a high-level manager, I was highly guarded and all-business.
Later on, I could tell that I was not connecting well with some of my team members, but I could not figure out what the problem was, so I became even more reserved.
On one particular day I was very overwhelmed from a dozen things going wrong. As I passed one of my team members, I mumbled something like, “This day is kicking my butt!” She immediately quipped back, “NOW, I am seeing the REAL you!”
I realized that she was alluding to the fact that I had been wearing a mask of perfection, and by letting her see me sweat, I immediately became relatable. Vulnerability breeds relationship, don’t you think?
As such, we cannot always be the one praying for others, and never sharing our needs. It gives the persona that we’ve got it all together when truth is, no one does.
If this does not come natural to you, here are some ideas for requesting prayer from others:
1. Find someone you can really trust, and build a comfort-level with them so you can share private matter.
2. Take note of that person who seems to genuinely care about you, and let them in some of your struggles.
3. In a small group, start by sharing some temporal needs and work up to more serious ones over time.
4. When someone you are ministering to asks for prayer, reciprocate with something they can pray for you.
5. When asking for prayer, realize that you do not have to share every sacred detail. Simply say you need healing, encouragement, and so on.
Allowing others to pray for us, as we pray for others is God’s will. The intimacy of prayer strengthens the body of Christ because it builds close relationships. We are all in this thing called "life" together, and God intends for us to depend upon one another as much as we depend on Him.
The Apostle Paul knew how to ask for prayer, and did so often:
“I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,” Romans 15:30
If Paul did not mind asking fellow believers for prayer, then why should we hesitate?
