How To Pray for Others

In Colossians 1:9-14 through the superintending work of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul has given us the most comprehensive guide to prayer found anywhere in his epistles. May it be a faithful reminder of how we are to pray for God’s people and becoming people of prayer.

1. Fervent in Prayer-- ”For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you” (v.9a)


2. Filled with His Word -- “and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,” (v. 9b)

3. Faithful to Walk Worthy--“so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects,” (v. 10a)

a. fruit bearing--“bearing fruit in every good work” (v.10a)

b. fully increasing--“and increasing in the knowledge of God;” (v.10b)

c. fortified for longsuffering--“strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience;” (v.11a)

d. forever thankful to God--“joyously giving thanks to the Father,” (v.11b-12a)

4. Fit for the Inheritance--“who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.” (v.12b)

5. Free from the Penalty of Sin--“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,” (v. 13)

6. Forgiven of Sin--“in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (v.14)

Pray On !

How are to pray? We are to pray "without ceasing." I don't know about you, but prayer is one of the hardest things for me to do and too easily forsaken in my life.But we should never give up on praying; not even though Satan should tempt us that it is in vain for us to cry out to God for all of our needs no matter how small or great. Pray in his teeth - pray fervently!

-Pray on, though devils attack you;

-pray on, though trials overwhelm you and flood your soul;

-pray on, when the heavens seem as brass to you;



-pray on, when you think your prayers go unanswered and have been miscarried; continue on to draw near to God;

-pray on, though others you love may wound you, hurt you, gossip about you, and abandon you;

-pray on, though your heart be cold against spiritual things; pray until the Spirit of God warms it again;

-pray on when the philosopher tells you all in life is a matter of chance and natural law; do not be discouraged, for God has given you a wonderful opportunity to show grace to that one through prayer;

-pray on, when you are on the mountain top of blessing, the valley of suffering, or in the ease of worldly graces;

-pray on, when all is taken from you and you are stripped of this earth's possessions and comforts;

-pray on, though you only see a cloud in the shape of a tiny hand in the distance, pray until the clouds are full, black and pregnant; ready to burst their showers upon you;

-pray on when you think you are too busy to pray--for this too is a great mistake for prayer is a saving of time. Remember the words of Luther when he said, "I have so much to do today, that I shall never get through it with less than three hours of prayer;"

-and lastly, pray on, for no other reason than it brings glory and honor to God for us to be dependant upon Him and bow the knee in worship to Him in all things.

That's My King

From a powerful prayer delivered in 1976 by Dr. S. M. Lockridge (1913-2000) entitled "That's My King": Click on the link below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z15FlTONVo&feature=related

Seven Principles of Prayer

The first act in prayer is to establish relationship

Jesus told us that, when we pray, we should address God as Father. This is how he himself prayed. To address God as Father is to bring ourselves into a very personal relationship with God, who dwells in our hearts through his Spirit. We speak to him personally as a child to his father, who is responsible for and cares for his children, and so we approach him in love, knowing that he loves us.

True prayer is based on this intimate and close relationship. Straight away we will see that some forms of pseudo prayer are immediately excluded, such as transcendental meditation which is mindless repetition of words. It is not prayer at all because prayer is relationship and Christian prayer is relationship to God as Father. Nor is prayer which is addressed to the saints or to the blessed virgin Mary Christian prayer, because we are not related to the saints nor to the virgin Mary, but we are related to our heavenly Father through the Spirit. We do not have the spirit of the saints, or of the virgin Mary, but we do have the Spirit of the Father given to us in our heart and it is through this eternal Spirit that we offer our prayers. Relationship is the first principle of prayer.

The Valley of Vision Prayer

Lord, High and Holy, Meek and Lowly,

Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine;

Let me find thy light in my darkness, thy life in my death, thy joy in my sorrow, thy grace in my sin, thy riches in my poverty, thy glory in my valley.

The Lord's Prayer as Answers to the Lord's Questions

From J. I. Packer's Praying the Lord's Prayer:

We need to see that the Lord's Prayer is offering us model answers to the series of questions God puts to us to shape our conversation with him. Thus:

What do you take me for, and what am I to you?

Our Father in heaven.

That being so, what is it that you really want most?

The hallowing of your name; the coming of your kingdom; to see your will known and done.

So what are you asking for right now, as a means to that end?
Provision, pardon, protection.

How can you be so bold and confident in asking for these things?

Because we know you can do it, and when you do it, it will bring you glory!

By the way, Packer also writes:

Three venerable formulae together add up to Christianity: the Apostle's Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer, summarizing respectively the Christian way of believing, behaving, and communing with God.

Toward that end he's written three short studies: Affirming the Apostle's Creed, Keeping the Ten Commandments, and Praying the Lord's Prayer. I'd highly recommend all three. You can also find these studies in one volume: Growing in Christ.

A Prayer for Those Who Want to Want God

From A.W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God:

O God, I have tasted Your goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire.

O God, the Triune God, I want to want You; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Your glory, I pray,so I may know You indeed.Begin in mercy a new work of love within me…

Give me grace to rise and follow You up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus’ name. Amen.