Begin with Prayer: The First Step to Blessing Others

Have you ever asked yourself, "What am I doing here?" Whether in a moment of frustration or wonder, this question reveals our deep search for purpose. The good news is that God has a purpose for you, and it's the same as it's always been: to be a blessing to the world around us.

God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others. This has been His plan from the beginning. When God created everything, He saw it was good and created mankind to steward His creation. Even after sin entered the world, God told Abraham, "I will bless you and all nations on earth will be blessed through you."

What Does It Mean to Be Blessed to Be a Blessing?

The blessing was never meant to stop with one family. God's heart has always been for His people, and He has always chosen to work through them. The greatest blessing of all came through Jesus, who extends the opportunity to be part of God's family to all people.

If you've said yes to Jesus, you haven't just said yes to being saved—you've said yes to being sent. You are part of God's mission. You are blessed to be a blessing.

Why Don't We Share Our Faith More Often?

Studies show that 96% of Jesus followers understand that sharing their faith is part of following Him, but only 17% are familiar with a methodology for doing so. The actual percentage of believers actively blessing the world and inviting others to know Jesus is likely even smaller.

Most of us want to live with purpose and be a light, but we don't always know how. That's where the BLESS practices come in—a rhythm based on how Jesus lived and loved those around Him.

The BLESS Practices: A Framework for Blessing Others

B - Begin with prayer: Pray for those who don't know Jesus
L - Listen: Ask simple questions like "How are you?" and genuinely listen
E - Eat: Spend time at the table with others, showing they have worth
S - Serve: Look for opportunities to serve those around you
S - Share your story: Tell others who you were before Jesus, how you met Him, and who you are now

The beauty of these practices is that you can start doing them right now. You don't need to be a Bible scholar or a "super Christian." If you've been following Jesus for even one day, you can begin.

Why Begin with Prayer? The Good Samaritan Story

In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan in response to the question, "Who is my neighbor?" The story features a man who was attacked by robbers and left half-dead. A priest and a Levite pass by without helping, but a Samaritan—someone the Jews hated—stops, feels compassion, and cares for the injured man.

Jesus concludes by saying, "Go and do likewise." The message is clear: we are to love our neighbors, not just those who are easy to love or those who align with us, but everyone we encounter.

How Does This Connect to Prayer?

Before we can bless our neighbors, we must examine our hearts—and that requires prayer. The Samaritan saw the man for who he was, felt compassion, and acted. Loving your neighbor begins with seeing them, and seeing them begins with prayer.

Prayer is where compassion begins. If we want to grow in our ability to care for others, we start by praying. You cannot genuinely pray for someone and still feel indifferent toward them.

What Prayer Does for Us When We Pray for Others

Prayer softens your heart: It prevents bitterness from creeping in, especially toward difficult neighbors
Prayer opens your eyes: It helps you see what's really going on in their life—what God sees, not just what they're trying to project
Prayer fills you with compassion: When we see others as God sees them, we feel love because God loves them

Jesus modeled this approach. Before launching His ministry, He prayed for 40 days in the wilderness. Before calling His disciples, He prayed all night. Before going to the cross, He prayed in the garden. Prayer was His first response to every situation.

How Do I Start Praying for Those Around Me?

The biggest gap between what we believe and what we do is often busyness. Life happens, and we get distracted. Before we know it, weeks, months, or even years have passed without doing what we know we should be doing.

Here's a practical step to start: Make a list of five people in your life who don't know Jesus, who are hurting, struggling, searching for answers, or drifting away. These could be family members, neighbors, coworkers, or acquaintances—anyone you regularly encounter.

A Simple Prayer Pattern You Can Use

Once you have your list, here's a simple prayer you can pray:

"God, please bless [name]."
"Draw them to You, just as You've drawn me with Your love and unfailing kindness."
"Open a door for me to love and serve them, even if it's small."
"Give me courage and compassion."
"Use me however You desire."

Write this prayer down and put it somewhere you'll see it daily—on your mirror, steering wheel, or refrigerator. Commit to praying for these five people consistently, even if it's just for 30 seconds a day.

You're Not Alone in This Journey

You don't have to figure this out by yourself. One reason we talk about these practices as a church is so we can encourage each other. Share your five names with someone at church, pray with your spouse or a friend, make a list with your children, and form accountability relationships.

Prayer is not only powerful; it's contagious. When we join together in prayer, we're encouraged knowing others are in it with us.

Life Application

Today, I challenge you to:

Write down five names of people in your life who don't know Jesus
Commit to praying for them consistently
Be observant and watch how God begins to move

You might be the only person in the entire world praying for the people on your list. You might not feel ready—and that's okay. No one ever feels completely ready. But start anyway.

As you begin this journey of blessing others through prayer, ask yourself:

Who has God placed in my life that needs to know His love?
What barriers in my heart need to be softened through prayer?
How might God be calling me to be part of His work in someone else's life?
What would change if I consistently prayed for the five people on my list?

Remember, we're in this together. As we commit to beginning with prayer, we trust that God will do the rest. This simple practice can make all the difference in someone's life—and in yours.

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