Prayer in every situation (7)

We have seen that prayer is a precious gift that we are to be constantly enjoying.

And Paul clearly does not want to limit us in what we pray for, when he says:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." - Philippians 4:6

Yet we all feel the difference between praying in order that the name of Christ would be glorified,
and praying in order that the desires of our flesh would be gratified;
we know that not all prayers are equal (see Jer. 7:16, Mat. 6:5, Jn. 9:31, Js. 5:16).

So what sort of things should fill the content of our stream of prayers?



Here are some representative examples of what the early church prayed for:


1. Thanksgiving to God

Thanking God for his Sovereignty (Acts 4:24-28).
Thanking God for the spread of the gospel (Rom. 1:8).
Thanking God for creation (Heb 1:10-12).
Thanking God for our inheritance (1 Pet. 1:3-4).


2. Spiritual blessings in Christ

For a spirit of wisdom and revelation (Eph. 1:15-20).
For a knowledge of Christ (Eph. 3:14-21).
For knowledge of the will of God (Col. 1:9-14).
For peace in all circumstances (2 Thess. 3:16).
For wisdom from God (Js. 1:5-8).
For grace and peace (2 Pet. 1:2).


3. The spread of the gospel

For God to enable his servants to speak with great boldness (Acts 4:29).
For new believers to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:15).
For missionaries being sent (Acts 13:3).
As a witness to those around them (Acts 16:25).
Before missionaries were sent (Acts 20:36, 21:5).
For Israel to be saved (Rom. 10:1, 11:26).


4. Church leadership

To decide who should replace Judas as the twelfth apostle (Acts 1:24).
For newly appointed caterers (Acts 6:6).
For new elders of the church (Acts 14:23).


5. Church family

For persecuted saints (Acts 12:5).

For the church to be united (Rom. 15:5).
For a return visit to happen (1 Thess. 3:9-1).
For saints to be counted worthy of a calling (2 Thess. 1:11).
For the success of a ministry (2 Tim. 1:2-7).
For being equipped by God (Heb. 13:20-21).


6. Signs and wonders

For God to heal and perform signs and wonders (Acts 4:30).
For the dead to be resurrected (Acts 9:40).
To heal the sick by the laying on of hands (Acts 28:8).


7. Spiritual warfare

For forgiveness from evil thoughts (Acts 8:22-24).
For Satan to be defeated (Rom. 16:20).
For God to remove 'a thorn in the flesh' (2 Cor. 12:7-10).
For protection from evil (2 Thess. 3:1-5).



In light of this, we must ask the question:
to what extent do our own prayer lives match up to those of the early church?

As was stressed earlier, we should not feel restricted by this list,
for countless prayers of the church are not recorded in Scripture.

But the prayers of the early church should certainly inform our prayers,
serving as a model not only for how we pray, but also for what we ask for.


To this end, here are five ways we can try to implement this in our lives:

1. Write down these seven headings somewhere in your room and pray from one each day
2.  Pick one of these categories and pray through each of the Scriptures below
3. Check your heart as you pray; are you praying for what your flesh wants, or what God wills?
4. Identify which of the seven categories is your weakest and practice praying from that one
5. Read relevant books, e.g. Let the nations be glad! - Piper; Prayer - Keller


May God lead you in praying in accordance with his will in every situation,
Jeff :)