New Church Perspective on Praying for Other People

In the February newsletter of the Westville New Church Rev. Erik Buss gave a perspective on praying for other people that I'd never heard before.

When people are in trouble they will sometimes ask us to pray for them, and I know that many New Church people have wondered whether they should or if it will do any good. After all, we know that the Lord is looking after everyone with as much care as possible, and it can seem presumptuous that our request would make any difference to the care that the Lord would otherwise be giving. ...

[T]he Lord tells us to [pray for others]: “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matt 5:44). If we are to pray for those who have treated us badly, we should certainly pray for those who have done us no harm!

In its deeper meaning this passage means that we should wish good to everyone, even enemies, and praying for people means that we should “intercede” for them, meaning that we should seek to stand between them and the harm that is coming to them (Apocalypse Explained 644:23).

Another teaching makes the case very strongly in the negative: “There are those who think that heaven is to be merited or earned by supplications, yet they pray not for others, still less for everyone, but only for themselves, and thus their prayers are not heard, except, perhaps, in regard to earthly things” (Spiritual Experiences 1850). ...

When we say the Lord’s prayer, we begin with a very important word: “Our” Father, not “My” Father. And throughout the prayer we ask for things for everyone else in the room....