Myths of Ministering, Myth 9: “It doesn’t make any difference if I pray for my sisters, or for my companion, or for the sisters who minister to me.”
This is a myth that can undermine us personally as well as undermining our service as ministering sisters. By praying for each sister to whom we are assigned, we increase the opportunities for the Lord to inspire us about her needs and love her as He loves her. By praying for our companion, we open our hearts to her needs, as well, and express hope that we can become a powerful and effective team in the Lord’s service. By praying for the sisters who minister to us, we may add to the promptings they receive to contact and serve us faithfully; we may grow in our appreciation of them. At times when it seems there is nothing else we can do for a sister, we can always pray for her, and for the Lord’s guidance in our callings as ministering sisters. We can ask the Lord daily to bless each sister, by name, to help her with specific trials she is facing, and to bless our relationship with and appreciation of each other. We may express gratitude for our ministering sisters, for each of our sisters, and for our callings as ministering sisters—and then we may sense those feelings of gratitude grow as the Spirit touches our hearts. Imagine the networks of love and sisterhood that could be created by the faithful prayers of each sister in the ward as she prays for her sisters, her companion, and the sisters who minister to her. To paraphrase James 5:16, “… pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous woman availeth much.”
Praying for others not only invokes Heavenly Father’s blessings upon them but also helps us know how we can bless them, too.
–“Pray for Each Sister By Name,” March 2018 Visiting Teaching Principle, https://www.lds.org/ensign/2018/03/pray-for-each-sister-by-name?lang=eng
Edited and revised 4 August 2018.
Sisterly Kindness 