Love Someone Enough to Pray for Them

June 22, 2026

A young missionary named Herbert Jackson was given a car to help with his work in the field. The car was a wonderful blessing, but it had one major problem, it would not start without being pushed. For two years Jackson worked around the difficulty. Whenever he needed to leave home, he would go to a nearby school and ask some of the children to come out and help push the car to get it started. He learned to park on hills or leave the engine running for short stops. It was an ingenious system, but it was also exhausting.

When poor health forced the Jackson family to leave the mission field, a new missionary arrived. As Jackson explained the car, the young man inspected it for a moment, and said, “Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable.” He gave the cable a twist, pushed the switch, and the engine roared to life. For two years Jackson had used his own devices and endured needless trouble. The power to start the car had been there the whole time, it only needed to be connected.

This story reminds us of a deeper spiritual truth. The power of God is available to every believer, but too often we try to operate in our own strength. We push, we strain, and we grow weary when all we really need is to stay connected to the Holy Spirit.

Jesus promised His disciples, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). On the day of Pentecost, that promise began to be fulfilled. The Holy Spirit came with the sound of a violent wind and tongues of fire. The disciples were filled with power and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them (Acts 2:1-4). Ordinary people became bold witnesses. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead was now at work in them.

Paul understood this connection. In Romans 15:30 he urged the Roman Christians, “I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.” Prayer is how we stay connected to the power. It is how we invite the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us. When we pray for others, we are not just offering nice thoughts — we are releasing the power of God into their lives.

This is why prayer is one of the most loving things we can do for someone. When we love someone enough to pray for them, we are asking the God of the universe to move in their situation. We are saying, “Lord, I care about this person, and I know You are the only One who can truly help them.” Prayer is love in action.

Do you remember any stories of the power of prayer? I remember coming up on an auto accident. No one was hurt, but a woman whose car was hit was understandably shaken. She could barely talk she was in shock, and shaking uncontrollably. I asked her if I could pray for her. As I prayed I sensed the power of the Holy Spirit descend upon both of us, and watched peace come upon her as she stopped shaking.

The Holy Spirit is still at work today. We may not see tongues of fire, but we can sense His presence when we pray. One of the most effective times of prayer I have seen is to pray for people over the phone. I make a phone call just checking on people, and find out they are going through something difficult. I offer to pray at that very moment, and they are surprised because they have never thought about praying over the phone. They also always appreciate the immediacy of asking God’s power and presence in the moment.

Who is one person God is asking you to pray for more intentionally this week? In what area of your life have you been “pushing the car” instead of connecting to the Holy Spirit’s power? When have you seen prayer make a real difference in someone’s life? How can you make prayer a more consistent way of showing love to others?

This week, love someone enough to pray for them. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with His power so you can do the works Jesus did, and even greater things through the Spirit’s power. The power is available. All we have to do is stay connected, and Jesus will be glorified through our prayers. (To learn more about Al Earley or read previous articles, see www.lagrangepres.org. You can purchase my book, My Faith Journal, at Amazon.com, a compilation of 366 articles as a daily devotional. Check out my podcast on YouTube, called “My Faith Journey”).