Most of us probably have some sort of prayer meeting. We probably have particular people we pray for regularly too. But do you ever tell them that you prayed for them?

I know some of us will think it best to simply pray, not letting our left hand know what our right is doing. I can understand that. We don’t want to practice our righteousness before others. And, of course, it’s not as though the Lord won’t work if nobody else knows we are praying. Ultimately, the only person who needs to know is the Lord.

But I am very conscious that none of us can achieve anything apart from Christ. None of us can do the mission he has given us to do without the help, support, encouragement and prayers of his people. The prayers of God’s people are very precious to us. They not only entreat God to work for his glory through his people, but they encourage his people to press on for his glory too.

Only, we aren’t encouraged by what we don’t know. Unless we know you are praying for us, though that still does us God inasmuch as the Lord knows and will work for us through those prayers, we are all the more encouraged when we know people are actively praying for us. It is so encouraging to know that people are praying for us and to hear specifically what they have been praying for us.

It is our prayer meeting tonight and it is always a genuine privilege to get in touch with those we will be praying for, to ask them specifically what they might like prayer for and to let them know not only that we will be praying, but specifically what we will be praying. I have been so encouraged by those who have done the same for us too. Not in a practising our righteousness before others kind of way, but in a we want to really encourage you to press on sort of way. We are only encouraged when we know!

So, do you tell them when you pray? Perhaps you should.