Carrying Others in Prayer
When we say to people, “I will pray for you,” we make a very important commitment. The sad thing is that this remark often remains nothing but a well-meant expression of concern. But when we learn to descend with our mind into our heart, then all those who have become part of our lives are led into the healing presence of God and touched by him in the center of our being.
We are speaking here about a mystery for which words are inadequate. It is the mystery that the heart, which is the center of our being, is transformed by God into his own heart, a heart large enough to embrace the entire universe.
Through prayer we can carry in our heart all human pain and sorrow, all conflicts and agonies, all torture and war, all hunger, loneliness, and misery, not because of some great psychological or emotional capacity, but because God’s heart has become one with ours.
—Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Spiritual Life
When we say, “I’ll pray for you,” we often mean it with kindness—but Henri Nouwen challenges us to go deeper. Real prayer isn’t just words we speak—it’s people we carry into the presence of God with our whole hearts. When we pray from that deep, quiet place within, we’re not just offering good intentions—we’re becoming a vessel of God’s healing love for those we hold in prayer.
This is the mystery of prayer: that our small hearts can become spacious enough to carry the pain of the world—not by our own strength, but because God’s heart beats within us. In recovery, this kind of prayer reminds us we’re never alone. Even when we feel weak, we can intercede for others. And even when we need prayer ourselves, we can rest knowing someone is holding us in that same sacred space—where God is already at work, healing, comforting, and transforming. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics