A few years in the past, I used to be the supervisor of a Christian bookstore. Most of our prospects had been a pleasure to serve and handled our workers with respect, even once they had been pissed off. Some, nonetheless, got here in with the burden of the world on their shoulders, and it confirmed of their interactions. Donna was a type of difficult folks. She had a incapacity that required her to make use of a wheelchair and wanted fairly a bit of additional assist as she made her approach round our retailer. Typically, she was demanding, grumpy, and impolite. On many events, I needed to come to assistance from a struggling workforce member who didn’t know the right way to deal with the state of affairs.
One specific day, I discovered myself nearing the tip of my rope. We had tried all the things we might consider to assist Donna, however she simply wasn’t happy. As she grew to become more and more indignant and hostile, and I grew to become more and more determined to discover a answer, I made a decision to strive one thing I had by no means carried out earlier than. I turned to Donna and mentioned, “Would you thoughts if I prayed for you proper now?” Startled, she replied, “Positive, that might be nice.” I don’t know what I mentioned to God, however I knew that I wanted His assist in that second. As I completed praying, I might see a noticeable change in Donna. She was already much less indignant and appeared extra relaxed. Pretty rapidly, we had been capable of finding what she wanted, and she or he commented on how a lot she appreciated the assistance. The atmospheric change after we prayed was palpable.
From that day ahead, I dedicated to praying with folks, not simply for them. As you learn the New Testomony, you get the sense that Paul prayed with and for folks lots. His letters are full of feedback like, “I give because of my God all the time for you due to the grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus,” (1 Cor. 1:4) and “it’s my prayer that your love might abound increasingly more with data and discernment” (Phil. 1:9). Jesus frolicked educating, speaking, and consuming with His disciples. He additionally prayed with and for them on many events, together with His deeply private prayer on the Final Supper. This sample of intimate, private prayer continued into the early church as His disciples practiced what that they had been taught. It was an indicator of Christianity from the time of its basis and must be for us as properly.
As we take into account the right way to successfully combine prayer into our counseling follow, let’s take into account the next three rules:
Our Prayers Ought to Be Well timed
We should take into account the context of our conversations and ask the Holy Spirit for knowledge about when to hope with folks. There could also be instances when stopping to hope collectively just isn’t applicable for the state of affairs we face, however many instances it’s. How typically can we deal with asking good questions, taking cautious notes, offering biblical steering, and but someway overlook to hope with our counselee? It’s good to hope for them privately, however it may be transformative to hope with them in your presence. Not solely do they see how deeply you take care of them, however you may also mannequin God-centered and trusting prayers that they’ll pray for themselves.
Our Prayers Ought to Be Particular
If we’re listening properly and taking good notes, we are going to know what to hope for. By being particular, we’re demonstrating that we perceive what has been shared with us and are taking this severely sufficient to share with God. That specificity issues to folks. They wish to know that their coronary heart considerations are being heard and that it’s okay to take each mundane and critical issues to our Heavenly Father. These sorts of prayers can have an effect that we might not absolutely see or perceive whereas we sit collectively within the counseling room. However that doesn’t imply your prayers aren’t having an influence. One factor is for sure: your counselee wouldn’t be prayed for by a secular therapist.
Our Prayers Ought to Be Daring
There are numerous instances when our efforts to pay attention, ask questions, and supply biblical knowledge might look like they’re falling on deaf ears. At different instances, the conditions confronted by our counselees could seem insurmountable within the right here and now. It’s in these moments when daring prayer known as for. Religion-filled prayers are infectious. As we consider in God for giant adjustments in folks’s lives, we shouldn’t be stunned when He solutions these prayers. We should always search to usually mannequin what it means to really have religion—the reassurance of issues hoped for, the conviction of issues not seen.
Let’s be faith-filled counselors who pray with and for our counselees as typically as we are able to.
Questions for Reflection
- Do you intend time to hope collectively in your counseling periods?
- Are you modeling believing prayer to your counselees?
- Are you being particular and daring while you pray?
- Are you anticipating your counselees to develop of their prayer lives?
- Do you spend time privately praying to your counselees?
