Praying for Your Small Group

by: Tyler Quillet

Person 1: Shares a prayer request.

Person 2: Says they will be praying for person 1 this week.

Person 2: Doesn’t pray for person 1 this week.

I don’t think I’m the only person who has failed miserably at saying I’ll pray for someone and then forgetting to do so. Ashamed as I am of this, I hear from so many others that struggle with this same thing. As we do life alongside those in our groups, we must be faithful to pray for them.

This will be as simple a blog as you’ll read this week, but I want to do nothing more than get us praying for our group members. Colossians 1:9-14 has been a great model of prayer for me over the years, especially when I don’t know the specifics of what to pray for a person. I’ve simply added their name to this prayer. So, below, you’ll see Colossians 1:9-14, CSB. Beneath that, I’ll write this out as a more personalized prayer for the people in your group with blanks where you can say their name as you pray.

Instead of reading something that you’ll chew on throughout the day today, I pray that you’d be reminded and encouraged to pray for your group members. If you need a guide to do so, use this. If not, simply go to the Lord on their behalf. And, they’ll be incredibly blessed to receive a text from you today that simply says, “I’m praying for you today”.

Go and pray fervently for your group today.

9 For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

God, today I ask that you fill _______________ with the knowledge of Your will. Give _______________ wisdom and spiritual understanding today as they make decisions that would glorify Your Name. May _______________ walk worthy of You, fully pleasing you. Bear fruit in _______________ in every good work and grow _______________ in the knowledge of You, God. Strengthen _______________ with all of Your power, according to Your glorious might, so that _______________ would have great endurance and patience, and that _______________ would joyfully give thanks to You, Father. You have enabled _______________ to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. You have rescued _______________ from the domain of darkness and transferred _______________ into the kingdom of the Son you love. In You, _______________ has redemption and the forgiveness of sins. Thank you, Father, for my friend, _______________.

Tyler Quillet is the Discipleship Strategist for the Custom Bible Study team at Lifeway Christian Resources. He lives in the Nashville, TN area with his incredible wife, Cathie, and two boys, Cylas and Bowen. Tyler also speaks, writes, and coaches alongside Cathie as they pour into and love on the infertile community through Cathie’s “The Missing Peace Project”. Tyler previously spent 15 years as a pastor and is passionate about serving churches and pouring into church leaders in a variety of ways.