Manna Monday- Bearing Each Other's Burdens

Recently, I prayed with a group of believers over their greatest burdens including my own. The idea was for each person in the group to share one burden on their heart. Then, another person in the group would volunteer to pray specifically for the burden mentioned. By the end of our time every burden had been prayed over. What made it a unique prayer time was that many of us had never prayed together over personal burdens. (Some of us had, but not everyone in the group.) You could tell at the beginning of our prayer time, everyone felt a little awkward getting started. Once the burdens began to be voiced, everyone had something to share. We could have kept sharing and praying but we were out of time. It was amazing by the end of our prayer time how much each person knew specifically how to pray for others in the group.

That's why its important to come together with other believers and bear their burdens through prayer. First, you find you are not alone with the burden you bear. And second, there's an intimacy that develops with your brothers and sisters in Christ when you pray together. But what happens many times in our churches is that we walk in on Sunday, do church, and then go home. The bible talks about "bearing" one anothers burdens. Bearing one anothers burdens is how we build up the body.

I was thinking over how amazing our prayer time was together and what I would have missed if I would have entertained these thoughts:

These thoughts are not biblical. They are selfish. They are excuses to not praying together with other believers. Yet, it is so easy to entertain these ideas and let them rule our actions and lead us to not pray with other believers. We miss a blessing when we don't pray with others. We miss being a part of building up God's kingdom through prayer when we opt out of sharing and praying with other believers.

I love what The Message says in Galatians 6:1-3:

"Live creatively, friends. It someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived."

What is the greatest burden you carry deep inside your heart today?

Pray over it right now. Give it to God. Don't push the burden aside and forget about it. Pray over it. Bring it to the burden bearer- Jesus. Don't let the burden steal the life from you, give it to the life-giver, Jesus. He can carry all of our burdens.

Better yet, be intentional. Ask another believer what they need prayer over. Commit to praying for them. The more you pray for other's burdens, you'll find that your burdens don't seem so heavy.