How to Pray for Others

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12 (NIV)

Many people know the Golden Rule, but they may not realize it's connected to prayer: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12 NIV).

That may not sound like it has anything to do with prayer—but it does. When someone asks me to pray for them, and I think, What exactly do I pray? I don’t even know where to start!

Here’s what I can do: Pray for other people the same way you’d like them to pray for me. Would I like to have safety and security and success in my life? Of course. Then pray for safety, security, and success in other people's lives. Would I like God’s financial blessing? Yes. Then pray for the financial blessing of God in other people's lives. Would I like to have a healthy body? Sure. Then pray for other people’s health. Would I like to make better use of my time? We all would! Then pray for others to use their time wisely.

God is my loving Father. The way he treats me as his beloved child is the way he expects me to treat everyone else. Whatever I want God to do for me, pray that same thing for other people.

Learning to pray like this makes me more like Jesus because it makes me more unselfish.

Job 42:10 says, "After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before" (NIV).

Job was one of the wealthiest men in the world, and one day, he literally lost it all. His children were killed. His business collapsed. His crops were burned. He lost his home. He got a terrible disease. He was miserable. 

The book of Job doesn't say, "When Job prayed for himself, God heard him." Instead, God says that Job is ready for his blessing when Job begins to pray for his friends.

God is looking for me to be unselfish. When I begin to pray for other people's breakthrough, I'm going to see God provide for my breakthrough, as well.

In summary:

The Golden Rule not only guides how we treat others but also how we pray for them. When I’m unsure what to pray, I can simply pray for others the very things I would want for myself—health, provision, protection, wisdom, or success. This unselfish approach reflects God’s heart and helps me grow to be more like Jesus. Job’s story reminds me that his restoration didn’t come when he prayed for himself but when he prayed for his friends. In the same way, God blesses me as I shift my prayers from self-focused to others-focused. When I pray for their breakthrough, I open the door for God to bring about my own

Bottom line:

Prayer isn’t just about asking for myself—it’s about practicing the Golden Rule by praying for others the way I'd want them to pray for me. When I focus on others’ needs in prayer, God not only grows my heart to be more like Jesus but also positions me for my own breakthrough.

My Next Wisest step:

Begin weaving this principle into both my personal walk and my working and interacting with others. Practically, I could:

Personally: Start a simple daily rhythm of praying for others’ breakthroughs in the areas I also desire (growth, health, provision, purpose).

Publicly/Professionally: Share this lesson as a model of servant leadership, showing others how focusing on others first unlocks growth for themselves.