Ravi Zacharias, writes, ‘over the years I have found that praying for people can sometimes do more for them than preaching to them. ‘     Similarly it is no use preaching the Good News to people unless you are praying for them. Unless we are asking for God’s Spirit to work in people, we cannot expect to see them respond.

However, more than this, praying for people acknowledges that we cannot change people, but only God can.   Praying for people acknowledges God’s grace and God’s power is the single most important factor in changed lives.  Our motto at St. James is Following Jesus, loving people: changed lives.  Following Jesus means praying for people because that is what Jesus did.  Loving people means praying for them because love is about wanting the best for others.  And that will lead to changed lives.