By Becky A.Do you find it hard to pray for others? Do you find yourself using the same phrases over and over again? Does your prayer life seem boring and mundane? Do you struggle to stay focused?
Prayer is hard work. It takes so much concentration and investment to stay engaged. So how can we refresh our times of prayer for others? How can we find new ways to ask the Lord to bless and be with them?
One of the greatest tools to use in praying for others is Scripture itself, in my humble opinion. There are no greater prayers than the ones you will read in God's Word. I find myself drawn to Paul's prayers often, finding them very relevant to anyone's given situation. One of my favorites to pray for others is Ephesians 3:14-21. Go read it. I think you will find yourself wishing someone would pray this for you daily.
Today I found myself reading in John 14-17. We are often told to model our prayers after the official "Lord's Prayer" found in the gospels (Matt 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). However, I found it so refreshing to read how Jesus Christ Himself prayed for those He was leaving behind! And I found myself praying these things for my family.
Let me share just a few with you:
John 17:3 - That they might KNOW the only true God and Jesus Christ
John 17:8 - That they would receive the Word and understand
John 17:11 - God would keep them
John 17:13 - They may have the joy of Christ FULL in themselves
John 17:15 - God would keep them from the evil one
And that is just a taste. Go check it out for yourself!
Want to pray effectively for your family and others? Pray what Christ prayed. Read and pray through His words to the disciples and to His heavenly Father before He died (John 14-17).
This post originally posted on Becky's blog, A Mission and Ministry at Home.
