Why Do I Pray For People By Name?
In my class last spring on Contemporary Christian Prayer and Spirituality, some fun was poked at the expense of people who maintained a prayer list. I know other people who feel that praying for others by name is somewhat redundant, like telling God to do something that He already knows about and is probably doing already.
Well, I keep a prayer list and I pray for specific people by name. I have done this for years, and it feels right to me but it’s a good question: why do I do it?
I do in fact believe that God holds all of us close, cares for us, and does His best to answer our petitions, whether or not we speak them. For that reason, I don’t ask for specific intentions very often unless someone asks me to do so. I usually ask God to hold people close, hear their prayers, and bless them abundantly, which I figure should cover everything.
I guess for me it’s a specific act of love, to commend these folks to God each day. Many of those on my list are people I do not see every day, and praying for them by name helps me feel close to them and to think of them. I’m afraid that outside of prayer time, my brain is so busy that although I might think of someone, left to circumstance I would probably forget.
And then there are the people on my list who I don’t like. I’m not sure why I pray for them daily, by name, other than in hopes of effecting a change in my own heart. My pastor, Fr. N., once said in a homily that anyone you prayed for by name couldn’t remain an enemy for long. In hopes of that, and in some specific cases in hopes of healing, I pray for certain people who I would much prefer to ignore.
There is another reason. It has to do with being an extreme introvert (a reality show you will never see). People wear me out. I love them, and I want to hear their stories—and then I want them to go home. And sometimes I don’t want to see anyone for awhile. It is easier for me to love some people from a distance—and one of the ways I do that is by praying for them.