Surround Yourself With an Inner Circle to Lift You up in Prayer

Praying for our friends is one of the most important things we can do as Christians. It’s easy to get caught up in our own needs, but praying and interceding for others is just as important. The Bible speaks of the importance of friendship and being a good friend. We can trust in our true friends to help lift us up when we need support.
 
Many Christian adoptive couples may find it helpful to call upon their inner circle of friends to cover them in prayer during their adoption journey, as one of our hopeful adoptive mothers, Clarissa, shares in this beautiful devotion:
 
“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him.”
-Matthew 26:36-37a
 
Jesus had an inner circle that He called to experience certain things, intimate things that were reserved for them. These three disciples were Peter and brothers: John and James. There were three events mentioned in the Bible where this inner circle of friends was called to experience – the transfiguration, where Jesus showed His glory, the resurrection of Jairus’s daughter – where Jesus showed His power, and lastly, when Jesus prayed in Gethsemane before his trial and death. This inner circle experienced the highs and lows of our Lord Jesus.
 
We, too, need an inner circle of friends to cover us in prayer during our adoption journey. This inner circle of friends will be a witness to our highs and lows. They will be the ones we call to show the progress in our nursery, but also when we are down because another month passed without “the call.”
 
Just as they pray for and with us on every aspect of our adoption – birth mom, baby, Lifetime, legal matters – we should also lift them up in prayer. We should thank God for an inner circle of friends that points us back to Him, that reminds us that our hope is not in what we see, but the unseen, on God Himself.
 
So, who is your inner circle? Are you ready to call or text them when you get the call? Have you pictured in your mind the celebration once you have that child with your inner circle of friends?
 
I thank God for Jesus’ example that we should not attempt this journey on our own, but we are to surround ourselves with an inner circle that “stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24).
 
Who is your inner circle? Reach out to them today and thank them for the encouragement they have provided this far in your adoption journey, for writing that note on your profile, being a reference in your home study, and simply being there for one of the biggest adventures of your life.
 
Prayer: Lord, thank you for friends and brothers and sisters in the faith that point us back to You. Thank you for their encouragement in dark moments. Like Jesus, I want to share my life with them. Help us to experience your power together. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Idea: Get a frame with the saying “for this child we prayed” and have your inner circle of friends sign it. It will be a good reminder to your child later on in life of all the people that prayed for them.