According to Pew Research Center, 55% of Americans pray daily. People pray to express gratitude, ask for help or direction, seek forgiveness, find comfort, and connect with God. What role does prayer play in your life? Prayer is the communications system that keeps me on track. Several times a day, I huddle up with God, sharing my praises, fears, requests, and concerns. Much like the Psalmist, I find myself saying “Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me” (Psalm 27:7 NIV).
Prayer can give us strength, endurance, and direction and keep us focused. When we pray for others, we take our eyes off our own trials, needs, and desires. Paul taught, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of other” (Philippians 2:3-4). Sometimes looking after others’ interests and praying for their success requires personal sacrifice.
Albert and Albrecht Dürer were raised in a village near Nuremberg back in the fifteenth century. They both wanted to become artists, but they knew their parents could not afford to send them to art school. The brothers finally devised a plan and made a pact: The loser of a coin toss would work in the nearby mines, supporting the other while he attended the academy; the winner would, after four years, return to support the other brother while he attended art school. Albrecht Dürer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert prayed for his success while working in the dangerous mines to finance his brother’s dreams.
Albrecht experienced remarkable success at the academy, and by the time he graduated, he earned considerable fees for his commissioned work. As promised, he returned to his brother, grateful and ready to support Albert through art school. Albert looked lovingly at his brother, and with tears streaming down his face, he said softly, “No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me.” He held up his rough and disfigured hands, evidence of the suffering he had endured in the mines. It was no longer possible for him to do the fine, detailed work of an artist.
Because of his brother’s prayers and sacrifice, Albrecht Dürer had the opportunity and ability to create hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings that still hang in every great museum in the world. But perhaps his most widely recognizable piece is the one he created as a tribute to his brother. Known by most of us as the “Praying Hands,” this famous ink and pencil sketch of Albert’s hands memorializes the silent story of brotherly love, sacrifice, and faithfulness.
Looking out for another’s interests and praying for their success, especially amidst our own suffering, takes selfless love, spiritual maturity, and strength of character. The Apostle Paul modeled this, often praying for the people he was ministering to when he was imprisoned, essentially bearing hardship for their sake so that they could benefit from the Gospel. He believed his suffering was giving others the courage to successfully spread God’s Word (Philippians 1:13-14). Paul looked after the interest of others, and his prayers demonstrate a sacrificial love and faithfulness despite his own hardships.
Scripture Reading: Philippians 1:3-7
Personal Application: Looking out for others’ interests begins with praying for them. Consider the contents of your prayers. If you spend most of your time praying for your own health, comfort, and success, it’s time to take inventory of the needs around you. Who needs God’s grace, healing, blessings, and encouragement? Whose success can you pray for today?
Jim Grassi, D. Min.
We cherish any verse in Scripture that reminds us to keep focused and intentional about evangelism and discipleship. “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5