Practical Prayers for Others
By Kim Butts
Grateful tears fell around the room as spouses hugged one another, friends embraced, and even those who didn’t know each other well reacted with a surprising depth of emotion. The simple act of praying a blessing from Scripture for one another touched hearts at deep levels.
I had given each person a list of blessings and then divided them into groups of two. I instructed them to place a hand on the shoulder of their prayer partner and pray a blessing over him or her. I demonstrated with a volunteer using 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24:
“Elizabeth, may God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.”
Power of Scriptural Blessings
I often teach the practice of the power of blessing prayer from God’s Word. And gauging from the responses, it seems this practice is retained and used more than almost any other prayer topic I teach. Why would this be?
Consider what we know about how Scripture touches hearts. His Word is His will. It is truth. It is powerful and it heals. It strengthens and encourages. It never returns void. It is filled with promises for the children of God—and it is filled with blessings. Here are just a few things the Word of God has to say about how God blesses His children:
- “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).
- “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jer. 29:11).
- “We have all benefited from the rich blessings [Jesus] brought to us—blessing upon blessing heaped upon us!” (John 1:16, TLB).
Imagine taking the Word of God and praying it as a blessing into the lives of your spouse, children, grandchildren, neighbors, friends, pastors, leaders, teachers, and even people you barely know or have never met. Imagine these truths prayed over you, knowing the blessing of God Himself is impacting your life.
God blesses us abundantly, and so we know it is His desire that we also bless others. We read in 1 Peter 4:10 (TLB), “God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings.” And Proverbs 11:25 (msg) says, “The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed. . . .”
Let me share some of the many ways you can bless others with the Word of God and why it is so powerful. As I share these stories, may you be captivated enough to step out in faith to bless others.
Blessing Children
I first discovered the amazing power of praying scriptural blessings as a young mother. My then two-year-old son David was lying on the floor, looking up at me after a diaper change. Suddenly, I felt compelled by the Spirit to pray the Aaronic blessing from Numbers 6:24–26 over him. I simply placed my hand on his head and said, “David, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you and give you peace.” It was a bit modified, but what I thought a two-year old could handle. Short and sweet.
I continued this habit every night before bed as the last thing between us before the light went out. One night, when he was four, he put his little hand on my head and blessed me back! And the night before his wedding, he came into our dark bedroom, whispered my name to see if I was awake—and then knelt by the bed, asking for his blessing one last time while living under our roof.
Even after telling this story many times, I still tear up. As his mama, it blessed me greatly to know that this simple act was so meaningful to him as a young man.
A Canopy of Blessing
Several years ago, our family visited a large Messianic congregation in Texas. During the service, I was especially touched by a powerful practice between the men and the children. The rabbi called the children to the front—and what followed was extraordinary and something I have challenged congregations to do ever since.
Many of the men, I am assuming elders in the church, came forward and surrounded the children, spreading their prayer shawls over their heads to create a canopy. We then listened to a time of these men praying and singing blessings over the children in both English and Hebrew for probably five minutes or so. We sat mesmerized and rejoicing in what we witnessed. When the men finished, the rabbi dismissed the children to their own kids’ church.
Can you imagine being a child who is regularly blessed and prayed over in this way? What a powerful legacy of blessing this church is planting in these young hearts.
Celebration Blessings
I rarely host a wedding, baby shower, birthday, anniversary, graduation, or retirement party without putting the person of honor in a chair in the middle of a room at some point. Then I invite all the guests to place hands on him or her and pray blessings for that person’s life. I have a handout with some blessings from Scripture already written out so that everyone can participate. Of course, lots of other prayer comes too, as the blessings serve as a spark to more intercession.
What a joy to watch how this not only touches the person being blessed, but also those who are giving the blessings. It can be a powerful witness to anyone attending, especially those who have yet to give their lives to Jesus.
More Creative Ways to Bless Others
E.M. Bounds said, “The word of God is the food by which prayer is nourished and made strong.” I believe this to be profoundly true! Using God’s Word to bless people in my life has been such a gift.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you who needs a blessing—and what blessing to give. You will be amazed at how the living and active Word of God ministers to people as you step out in faith to bless others.
Here are some additional ways you can bless people in your life:
- Whenever you send a handwritten note, text, or email to someone, include a blessing as you sign off. For example, maybe you are trying to encourage someone who is going through a difficult time. Romans 15:13 is filled with hope. I like to insert the person’s name to make it more personal: “Mary, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with the hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
- Are there missionaries you pray for regularly? Why not let them know you are praying for them and, as the Spirit guides you, offer a blessing for their family such as, “I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers . . . I always pray with joy . . . being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:3–6).
- Use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snap Chat, and other social media platforms as an opportunity to bless. A post, meme, or comment can become a blessing to many people. Every word can pack the power of God. Perhaps you are involved in ministry to the homeless or at a crisis pregnancy center or a food bank. Take time to bless the people you come into contact with by using some of the blessings from Scripture. If you are too shy to bless people in person, have some scriptural blessings typed up and ready to hand to people. You can bless friends, neighbors, or family by writing a Scripture blessing with sidewalk chalk on their walkway or driveway.
- Have a “blessing-a-day” jar or basket on your dining room table. Take turns pulling out a blessing to pray over family members.
As you read the Bible and notice Scriptures that you can use to bless others, start keeping a list and carry it with you. Some additional passages you can include: Ephesians 1:16–19, 3:14–19; Philippians 1:9–10; 1 Thessalonians 3:12–13; 2 Thessalonians 1:11–12, 3:5, 16; Philemon 6; Hebrews 13:20–21; 1 Peter 5:10, and 3 John 1:2.
As you can see, the possibilities for ministering to people using the blessings of God are endless. As you seek the heart of God, He will continue to expand your ministry and teach you new ways to be an instrument of blessing for others.
KIM BUTTS is cofounder and vice president of Harvest Prayer Ministries . She is the author of several books, including The Praying Family: Creative Ways to Pray Together, available at prayershop.org.
