DAY 28 – ASK SOMEONE: “HOW CAN I PRAY FOR YOU?”

THEME: PRAYER AS PRESENCE

FOCUS: COMPASSION, INTERCESSION, AND SPIRITUAL COMPANIONSHIP

PRACTICE:

Today, ask someone—friend, family member, or even a coworker—this simple but powerful question: “How can I pray for you?”

This isn’t about knowing the right words to say. It’s about creating space for vulnerability and reminding someone they are not alone. Listen deeply to their response, and don’t rush to fix, explain, or even pray immediately—unless they want that. Just receive their answer as sacred.

Later today, carry that request into your quiet time. Hold them before God. Speak their name. Or simply whisper, “Lord, You know. Be near.”

REFLECTION:

Asking someone how you can pray for them is more than a religious gesture—it’s an invitation to connection. It communicates, “I see you. I care. I’m willing to walk with you into God’s presence.”

Too often, we say “I’ll pray for you” as a closing line—but today, make it an opening one. You may be surprised by what someone shares, or by how much that one question matters.

Prayer is one of the deepest expressions of love we can offer—not because it changes everything instantly, but because it says: You matter to me, and to God.

Did anyone open up to you in a way you didn’t expect? Did the act of listening feel like a kind of prayer in itself?

SCRIPTURE:

“Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

— Galatians 6:2 (NRSV)

When we pray for each other, we shoulder the weight of life together. Prayer becomes a way to practice empathy and embody Christ’s love.

Even when we don’t have the answers, our presence in prayer says, “You are not alone.”

PRAYER:

God who listens,

Make me a safe place for others.

Help me hold their stories with care,

And bring them to You not to fix, but to offer in love.

Teach me to pray with compassion, and to trust that You are already at work.

Amen.