Are You a Friend?
Luke 11:5
"And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;"
One of the signs of a person maturing in Christ is whether their focus is upon themselves or on others. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, you will notice that He spent more time showing them how to pray for others than He did in showing them how to pray for themselves. Jesus talked about a man whose friend came to him late at night and was hungry. This man was so concerned about feeding his friend, that he went to a neighbor and asked for bread so that he could feed his friend. This man wasn't concerned with the lateness of the hour, because he was concerned about the need of a friend. Because this man wouldn't stop asking, his neighbor gave him bread so that he would leave him alone.
A true friend is one who learns to pray for others. There are many people who have no problem praying for themselves, but if you were to look at their prayer life it is a very selfish one. Just like your life will not realize satisfaction until you start living for others, likewise your prayer life will seem unfulfilled until you begin to pray for others. The greatest prayer life that you could have is a prayer life for others.
Let me ask you, are you a true friend in your prayers? Look at your prayer life and see how often you pray for others. I believe your prayer life will often reveal how good of a Christian you are. You may be able to put on a facade in front of others to impress them, but the true test of your Christianity is found in the prayer closet and how much you pray for others. It is rare to find people who even have a prayer life, but it is even more rare to find people who truly pray for others. The degree that you pray for others is the degree of your friendship to others.
You will notice in this verse that this man prayed for the needs of his friend in a greater degree than he prayed for his own needs. Let me explain by using myself as an illustration. I am not one who finds it easy to ask others to help me with my needs. I've had people tell me it's too much pride, and I don't know if that is true, but I know I have a hard time asking for myself. However, I have no problem asking for others. If I see that someone has a need I can't meet, I will do my best to find someone who can and ask them. I believe God wants you to be more concerned with the needs of others than your own needs. God has already promised to meet your needs, so most of your prayer life should be for the needs of others.
Furthermore, your prayers for others should be as passionate if not more passionate than your prayers for yourself. The man in this story asked late at night, and wouldn't stop asking until he got the answer for which he was looking. Do you stay up late or rise early to pray for others? Are you as fervent about the needs of others as you are for your own needs? Do you continue to pray passionately for the needs of others until their need is met? Your answer to all of these questions should be "Yes." A true friend is one who will pray until the needs of their friend are answered.
So, let me ask you, are you a true friend? Can others truly depend on you praying for their needs? There are many times when you are asked to pray for others. Do you follow through on those requests? Christian, don't just promise someone you will pray for them, but truly pray for them. If you give your word that you will pray for others, then keep your promise. There is nothing wrong with praying for your needs, but let your prayer life become one that is filled more with prayers for others than with your own needs. Make your prayer life a selfless one. Become that person who prays more for others than for yourself.