Too Ashamed to Ask for Prayer

Scripture: James 5:16 - Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Brother John was a saint strong in the Lord. He was rooted in the gospel of Christ and lived his life as righteously as humanly possible. Brother John was also a prayer warrior. He spent time with the Lord daily and he faithfully prayed for others. Everyone that knew John knew that he did not mind praying for you at anytime, anywhere, and for any reason. When a person was worried, concerned, upset, or afraid; Bro. John would ask, “Would you like for me to pray for you”? He was never ashamed about praying. Take it to the Lord in prayer was his mantra. Bro. John would say, “The Bible says, to pray for all of the Lord’s people and that’s what I do”. One day, Bro. John found out that he was sick. He didn’t understand why he contracted this illness because he always ate well and even took the time to exercise and never smoked or did drugs. Despite the illness, Bro. John didn’t worry he just began to pray. Take it to the Lord in prayer was his mantra and pray he did. Bro. John prayed in the morning. He prayed in the afternoon and he prayed in evening. Despite Bro. John’s constant and consistent praying he was not getting better. Instead, he was getting depressed because he believed that the Lord was ignoring his request. He knew he was a strong prayer warrior for others but felt his prayers for himself fell on deaf ears. For the life of him, Bro. John could not imagine why God would ignore him. Nonetheless, he continued to pray and keep his illness a secret. His daughter suggested that he go to the church and have them pray for him, but he said no. See, Bro. John was ashamed about his illness. He didn’t think people would understand and would judge him. He didn’t want the church to know that he was sick. He thought they people would view him differently, negatively. Bro. John was too ashamed to ask for prayer.

The Bible tells us that intercessory prayer is good. We can’t be so full of ourselves that we can’t ask for prayer. There is no shame in infirmity or weakness. The Bible tells us that in our weakness God’s strength is made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9). Some believe sickness and adversity are punishments for sin but that is not true in all cases. Jesus experienced adversity but He never sinned. Job was a righteous man but still experienced adversity. Moreover, even if the reason for sickness or adversity is because of sin a person should still ask for prayer from others. No one should let any situation make him too ashamed to ask for prayer. Remember that you can ask for prayer without telling your situation because God knows all about it. You can ask for prayer and tell your situation so the saints can pray specifically. The prayers of the righteous avails much, and there are times when a situation calls for individual, corporate, and intercessory prayer.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the ability to come to You in prayer about any and everything. Lord, thank You for the saints who are willing and able to pray for others. Lord, destroy any feelings of shame that causes us to hide and not seek the prayers of others. Lord, thank You for Your grace, that You have said is sufficient and for Your mercy that is everlasting. Teach us Lord, that prayer is the best solution for all of problems, and sometimes we need others to pray for us as well. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

(by Pat Towns)