“Pray for Others”

Early 80s, a man went to a church everyday in the morning to pray. He has lots of prayer lists, and one of them was the oath that he would offer his first son to God as a servant like the prophet Sameul. He was only a student even without a girlfriend but kept praying.

After several years, he married a woman who met at the church. May 29, 1987, it was beautiful Spring season. There was a woman in a hospital with labor pain. With several hours of delivery, she finally had a boy. The boy’s father named him Shinjae.

I was born through prayers of my parents, especially my father.

And after I was born, the prayers did not stop. My father continued to pray for me. Before I went to sleep, he would pray for me. I was too young to understand all of it. But I was being carried by prayer before I knew how to pray for myself.

My mom was working at the church as an administrative staff. So, in my early life, I was raised in church. I met lots of pastors and congregations. At first, I did not fully understand their eyes. They would look at me almost with pity and say, “We’re praying for you.” Now I think I understand what those eyes meant.

Not only my parents, my grandparents always prayed for me.  One of my grandpa prayed for me “O God, please protect Shinjae’s voice and vocal cords since he needs to become a pastor with great voice. My grandma also put me in her prior prayer list since I would become a pastor.

I was raised in the church through prayers of many people.

Like my father, I met my wife at the church. I asked her to go out three times. Whenever asked her, she said that “I don’t like a man who is younger than me, who is at the same church, and who is doing theology. It was me. But I did not give up. I asked her to have 40 days prayer meeting in the early morning. And, every morning, I picked up her and went to church to pray together.

40 days. Every morning 40 days. Anyone would grow closer if they met every morning for forty days, went to church together, and shared breakfast afterward. Finally, we got together.

I married through prayers of mine and my wife.

My wife and I planned to come to the US to study God more. Right before come to the US, my wife got diagnosed with cancer. We cried a lot. It was the hardest time for us. My friends and church congregations prayed for Saerom a lot. Thanks to one of congregation, she could have a surgery performed by a highly respected doctor who was known as the best in that field in Korea. She had a successful surgery, and thanks to God, she passed the test last February.

She was saved by the prayer of people. And we successfully came to the US through the prayers.

And that is why, when I hear the phrase, “I am praying for you,” I do not hear it as a small sentence. I hear my father’s early morning prayers. I hear my grandparents’ prayers. I hear the prayers of church members who cared for me. I hear the prayers of friends and congregations who prayed for my wife when we were afraid.

So today, when I talk about prayer for others, I am not talking about an abstract religious idea. I am talking about something that has carried my life. I was born through prayer. I was raised through prayer. I was married through prayer. My family came through suffering through prayer.

And maybe many of you can say the same thing. Maybe you are here because someone prayed for you. Maybe a parent prayed. Maybe a grandparent prayed. Maybe a spouse, a pastor, a friend, or someone in the church carried your name before God when you did not know how to pray for yourself.

That is what we see in today’s Gospel. In John 17, Jesus knows the hour has come. He knows the cross is near. He knows his disciples will soon be afraid, confused, and scattered. And in that moment, Jesus prays: “I am asking on their behalf.”

That is the heart of intercessory prayer. Jesus does not only teach his disciples. Jesus does not only correct them. Jesus does not only send them. Jesus prays for them. And he prays for them even though they are not perfect. Peter will deny him. Thomas will doubt. The disciples will be afraid. But Jesus does not give up on them. He holds them before God.

This means prayer for others is not something we do only for strong and faithful people. Prayer for others is what we do when people are weak, afraid, sick, lonely, confused, or lost. It is easy to worry about people. It is easy to talk about people. It is easy to judge people. But Jesus shows us another way: Pray for them.

Before we give up on someone, pray for them. Before we try to control someone, pray for them. Before we only complain about someone, pray for them. Because prayer is one way love refuses to abandon someone.

But we also need to remember this: prayer is not control. Prayer is trust. Sometimes, when we pray for others, we want God to do exactly what we want. We want God to fix the person according to our plan. But Jesus’ prayer is different. Jesus entrusts the disciples to the Father. He says, “They were yours.” He says, “All mine are yours, and yours are mine.” And then he prays, “Holy Father, protect them in your name.”

Jesus places them in God’s hands. That is what we do when we pray for others. We are not putting people into our control. We are placing them into God’s care. And that is not easy. Because when we love someone, we want to hold on tightly. When someone is sick, we want healing right now. When someone is lost, we want direction right now. When someone is hurting, we want the pain to stop right now.

Those desires come from love. But prayer teaches our love to trust God. Prayer says, “Lord, I love this person, but I am not God. I cannot be everywhere. I cannot fix everything. I cannot see the whole road. But you can. You love them more deeply than I do.”

That is why even a short prayer can be faithful: Lord, hold them in your love. Lord, hold my child. Lord, hold my spouse. Lord, hold my friend. Lord, hold the person who is sick. Lord, hold the person who is lonely. Lord, hold the person I love but cannot fix. That is prayer. That is love. That is trust.

And then Acts shows us what kind of community the church is supposed to be. After Jesus ascends, the disciples do not know everything. They do not know the full future. They do not know when the Holy Spirit will come. They do not know what their mission will cost. But Acts tells us: “All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer.”

That is the church. The church is not a community of people who already have all the answers. The church is not a community where everyone is strong all the time. The church is a community that gathers in uncertainty and prays.

When someone is sick, we pray. When someone is lonely, we pray. When someone is grieving, we pray. When someone is looking for direction, we pray. When the church faces uncertainty, we pray. Not because prayer is magic. Not because prayer allows us to control God. But because prayer brings us and those we love into the presence of God.

And something happens there. Sometimes the situation changes. Sometimes healing comes. Sometimes doors open. Sometimes the way becomes clear. But sometimes, before anything outside changes, something inside us changes. Our worry slowly becomes trust. Our fear slowly becomes compassion. Our helplessness slowly becomes hope.

Prayer does not only place the other person before God. Prayer also changes the one who prays. And theologically, this is important: when we pray for others, we are not praying alone. Christ intercedes for us. The Spirit helps us when we do not know how to pray. So when we pray for another person, we are participating in the love of Christ and the work of the Spirit.

That is why the church prays. We pray because Jesus prays. We pray because the Spirit helps us pray. We pray because love becomes prayer when it stands before God.

Friends, I believe our prayers become a legacy. My father prayed before he ever met me. My grandparents prayed for my future. Church members prayed for me as I grew up. Friends and congregations prayed for my wife when we were afraid. Those prayers did not disappear. They became part of my life.

And now it is our turn. We are called to pray for our families, our children, our church, the sick, the lonely, those who have lost their way, and even people who may never know how much we prayed for them.

So today, I invite you to carry one name. Just one. It may be someone in your family. It may be a friend. It may be someone who is sick, lonely, grieving, or lost. It may be someone you love but cannot fix. You do not need perfect words. Just bring that person to God.

Say, “Lord, I am asking on their behalf.” Lord, protect them. Lord, guide them. Lord, comfort them. Lord, heal them. Lord, hold them in your love.

Later in the service, we will use a prayer card. I invite you to write down one name and keep that card with you this week. And every day, pray one simple prayer: Lord, hold them in your love.

Prayer for others is love. Prayer for others is trust. Prayer for others is one way the church becomes the church. I was born through prayer. I was raised through prayer. I was married through prayer. My family was carried through suffering by prayer.

And I believe we are all held by prayer. We are held by the prayers of those who came before us. We are held by the prayers of this community. And most of all, we are held by Christ, who still prays for us.

So bring the names you carry. Bring them to God. And when you do not know what to say, this is enough: Lord, hold them in your love.

Amen.