I have three friends who are going through trials right now and all three have made a prayer request of me of late. All three are undergoing some health related issues, and one also has some serious life choice issues to contend with. Serious life choices seem to come around often enough. They have often prayed for me. I have heard some of their prayers and there are others I just know they have offered up to God on my behalf without my being present. These things are very special to me.
That they would ask me to pray for them and sometimes with them, might say a couple of things about me. It might say that they know that I share a love for Jesus with them, that they know that I care about them and that they trust me with some small confidences enough to offer their situations in agreement with them up to God.
All in all, it really says very little about me. It does however say a great deal about their relationship of love and trust with Christ. They offer these trying occurrences in their lives up to Him because He is who they have allied themselves with. I know that because they pray when they are not going through trials. A friend said to me last night that, "Life is hard." I had to agree. But through the hardness of this life, it honors God when they ask someone to pray for them, to talk to Him and to bow their heads spiritually before Him and seek His peace with all of the things they go through in this life. It isn't just praying, la la la. Anybody can do that, but they come before Him in an attitude of subservience and gratefulness to Him, because of the relationship they have with Him. They ask that all things in their lives be conducted by and through His perfect will for their lives, even if it kills them. That honors God. That they ask me to pray for them and with them, doesn't honor me but for the gift of their friendship. It honors God, and He alone so richly deserves it.
Matt 11:28-3028 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."