“I’ll pray for you.”
How often have you told someone these 4 powerful words and then forgotten to actually pray? I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve let these words slip off my tongue without the discipline of follow through.
So I’ve been trying to only speak these words if I mean them. I don’t want I’ll pray for you to become a trite conversational phrase. Instead, I decided to make a few changes.
Here are 5 ways to remember to pray for someone:
Tell someone you lifted them up in prayer after you spent time on your knees for them.
Don’t you feel loved when someone shares with you that they thought about and prayed for you? Commit some time in prayer for someone and tell them afterwards.
Send a text or an email and let them know you’ve been praying for them and thinking about them. As you pray, ask the Lord if there’s a verse you could share with them.
If you tell someone you’re praying, then do it right away!
So what about those Facebook prayer requests? Of course, I want to support my friends through prayer and let them know right away. Sometimes I’ll pray right after I type the words “Praying!”
Wherever you are, just pray for them right then and there. Remember them throughout the day. Pray for them in your car or while you’re working out at the gym.
Write the prayer request down!
Maybe you’re talking to someone at church and they share a need with you. Write the request down in the note section of your phone. If you’re like me and you forget names easily, quickly jot down their name.
The next time you see the person, call them by their name and ask how they’re doing. Let them know you’ve been praying for them. Are you in a Bible Study where women share prayer requests, and you scramble to find a place to write them down?
I’ve included a free prayer request printable at the end of this post for you!
Write out a Scripture Prayer for Them
Find a verse and pray it back to God for someone. Insert their name in the verse and claim it for them in prayer. For example,
Isaiah 35:3 Strengthen the feeble hands steady the knees that give way; say to _______ with a fearful heart, Be strong _______, do not fear; your God will come!
Share the request with someone else!
If the prayer request isn’t private and it’s ok to share, then tell your prayer warrior friends who will commit to praying. Share with a small group or a prayer chain.
Pray for them out loud!
Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit prompting your heart to pray out loud for someone? We have a few women in our church who are bold and lay hands on the hurting and pray for people as the Spirit leads. It’s always a powerful thing to see.
Some women aren’t afraid to do this. But even if you are, it doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t. I’ve been trying to be obedient to the Lord when I feel Him pulling on my heart strings to pray for someone out loud.
Sometimes my heart begins to pound and I feel nervous, but I’ve never regretted it. Even when the words don’t flow eloquently, it’s the thought that counts.
I’ll never forget the moments when someone stopped what they were doing to lay hands on me in prayer.
A pastor prayed out loud for my husband and I when we were going through infertility and went forward for prayer at a marriage conference.
When my mother-in-law died, I had a newborn baby and wasn’t able to sleep at all for days. My pastor’s wife came to my house and prayed with me.
When my five-year-old was falling asleep on a city sidewalk after hitting her head, I was a nervous wreck because my husband needed to rush her to the ER and I had to stay behind to pick up my kids from school.
A stranger walking by sensed our panic and laid his hands on us and prayed.
As I waited in the ER for her cat scan, another mom came over and prayed over her bedside. Thank God, she was ok! I will never forget these times.
It’s as if God showed up to tell me He was right there.
Sometimes the hurting need immediate prayer. Share on X
Your prayers may forever touch lives and remind people of God’s love for them.
Do you remember a time when someone prayed for you? How do you pray for others?
I would love for you to share in the comment section below.
Subscribe to the newsletter here!
Get free access to a library of printables.
Hello there! I'm Valerie, a mom of four and wife of 27 years. My writing inspires others to cultivate courageous faith and find solace in trusting God, especially in moments of fear and uncertainty. Join me on this adventure as we explore the beauty of trusting God when we are afraid. 
Thank you for sharing. These ideas were great! There’s been many times I’m convicted because I put “praying for you” on someone’s request and I don’t do it right away. This will help me not to forget.
Praying immediately with the person has proven so helpful to me. They not only know that I’ve prayed, but I know that I did too and did not forget. Great tips! Thanks for sharing over at #DreamTogether!
Valeria,
Such great ideas. I often get texts from others asking for prayer and I’ve learned to immediately text back a prayer, using scripture, and whatever God places on my heart for them. It’s something they can read over and over and I know I’ve prayed. Thank you for encouraging us all in different ways to stop and pray when we say we will. Have a blessed day.
Valerie, these are excellent tips and a great challenge to do something that has far greater impact both here on earth and in heaven than we can ever imagine. So glad to have you on Fresh Market Friday!
These are awesome reminders how the Holy Spirit can use us to pray for others. Be bold, be confident and above all, listen to the pounding of your heart, the sweaty palms and the nervousness that comes because that to me is a sign we are to act. Right then, right there. I too have felt the power of prayer and it is spirit changing.
Yes! The nerves are a sign that God is stirring something inside our heart. So true, Michelle!
These are all great suggestions!
You bring up a good point that we should be open to God’s leading to pray even for a stranger who has an immediate need.
We all need each others’ prayers; there’s no shame in admitting that. It’s just the truth.
You might be interested in a post I wrote a couple of weeks ago:
https://plantedbylivingwater.wordpress.com/2016/08/30/please-pray-for-me/
I’m so glad you stopped by. I can’t wait to read your post on prayer!
Excellent ideas! I especially appreciate the suggestion to pray aloud on the spot. When people humble themselves to ask for prayer, it’s important to do it now, while they can agree in prayer and also be encouraged.
Yes, I agree. I think the Holy Spirit will prompt us to do it, we just have to listen and not be afraid. I love when people pray for me outloud!
Hi Valerie, I’m stopping over from Women with Intention Wednesdays. Sometimes it seems like we get so used to saying “I’ll pray for you” that it becomes as common as “How are you doing?” It is more of a courtesy than a genuine question or statement. We don’t mean for it to be that way, but sometimes it just is. Thank you for these great reminders of how we can be intentional about praying for others, especially when we have told them we will do so.
I know what you mean. We say it sometimes as a courtesy and truly mean to pray for them and want to, but sometimes we forget. It’s helped me to be intentional before I tell someone though. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment here, Tina!
Valerie, I love this list! I’ll be pinning and sharing!
Thank you for sharing, Donna!
This is so needed, Valerie! We all forget and these are great suggestions. I especially love your suggestion to write out a prayer for the person. That shows extra throughfulness. Your quote at the top about needing to pray first also spoke to me. I plan on sharing this post with my C2K readers in the weekly email Sunday, because our focus this week is praying for others! Love it!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing with the C2K readers! You bless me!
Thank you for this post!
I have been having issues with this. I say “I will pray” and I forget. I want to be intentional, and was looking for better ways and here I saw your post!
Great suggestions! I’m going to try them!
Your #IntentionalTuesday neighbor,
Julie
I’m so glad you found some helpful ways to remember to pray by stopping by. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day!
These are all terrific ideas. I have been experimenting lately with an app called “Echo”. I can enter the names of people I want to pray for and a brief note about their request. When it’s time to pray, I just scroll through my list. I can even set reminders on my phone! It’s helping me to be more consistent about praying for people.
Wow! I’m going to have to look into that ap too. I love that it can set reminders as well. Thank you SO much for mentioning it here!
Wonderful tips, Val! I love when we can just stop wherever we are and in the middle of whatever is going on and pray with someone! God has met me in prayer in some pretty unusual places! 🙂
Hugs,
Lori
Amen! I love that too, Lori! I love how when you meet someone who loves the Lord you have an immediate connection as sisters and brothers in Christ.
Love that quote by AJ Gordon. Prayer should be our first response to everything! Thanks for the reminder.
Yes, I’m so glad we can bring our requests before God. It’s a much better solution than worry, for sure!
Love all your points – especially the one where when you say “praying” on Facebook to go ahead and pray right then. So many times I meant to and forgot; so now I always pray immediately.
I know what you mean Jerralea! Thank you so much for stopping by.
This was so good! I almost always pray before telling someone I’ll be praying to make sure I pray for them at least once, but I can still improve a lot on this! I especially love your suggestions to pray out loud for them, to share the prayer request with someone else (when appropriate and permitted), and to write out Scripture for them. Excellent post!
Thank you for your kind comment, Julie!
I love this list. It has really been frustrating to me how often I say I am going to pray for someone and then forget. Lately, when I have been writing, I have been writing that I am praying for them as I write and I make sure to do that. I also love your idea of starting to share with people when I have already prayed for them. There are some people in my church who have done that for me, and it is a huge encouragement.
Hi Meredith, There are SO many needs and hurts that I see needing prayers. It breaks my heart. It’s nice to have praying friends to support us. Thank you so much for visiting!
Love this, Valerie!
What a practical and helpful piece!
I’m going to start praying out loud when people ask me to pray – even if they are not with me! (My children may think I’m losing it!)
Sure do appreciate you~
Thank you, Melanie! It’s always such a blessing when someone prays out loud for the person in need. Love you, friend!
Such wonderful encouragement, Valerie. I have been learning to be diligent in praying for someone immediately after I have said I would. I try to remember them throughout the day, but at least my words and promises aren’t hollow if I forget later.
That’s a great way to remember, Sarah. Have a great weekend!
Great tips, Valerie. I’ve been stopping to pray as soon as I see someone who needs prayer on social media. It’s too easy to keep scrolling and forget. Thanks for sharing the experiences that blessed you and your family. I loved reading about them. God’s blessings!
Thank you, Deb!
I love these! I also like to light a candle as a prayer. Then throughout the night I remember to keep on praying. Thanks so much for this post. Lost of blessings to you!
I love that idea! I love candles and light them in my house all the time. I never thought about lighting them as reminders to pray for someone! Love!