How to Pray for Other Christians

When I began using a prayer calendar, I quickly realized that if I didn’t have specific prayer requests next to the name of a person for whom I was praying, I didn’t have much to pray about. My prayers were generic “Bless this person and his family. Meet their needs. Protect them.” etc.

 

In order to develop a vocabulary of prayer for other Christians, I began to survey the things that Paul prayed for as he prayed for Christians in another place.  I made some observations from the letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians

 

Now, Imagine I were praying for you. This is how I would do it following Paul’s example.
As I pray, I would:

• thank God for you.
• ask the Father to give that you wisdom.
• ask the Father to reveal himself to you, so that you know Him more
• ask that your eyes be enlightened to see all God offers his holy ones, the hope, the rich inheritance, and his mighty power.
• ask that you will really understand how God's same mighty power that resurrected Jesus works in your own life.

Ephesians 1:15-20

 

• thank God for you
• ask that your love grow, both in knowledge and discernment so that you can see what really matters and be pure.
• ask God for your righteousness to reproduce in others.
• trust God to supply all your needs according to His wealth and glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 

 

• ask that you will know God's will, have wisdom, and spiritual discernment.
• ask for God to help you live your life in a way that honors and pleases the Lord.
• pray for you to do good and produce fruit.
• pray for you come to know God better.
• ask for God to strengthen you with his power.
• pray for you to be patient and have the endurance you need.
• Pray for you be filled with joy, and that you would be thankful to God  because he has rescued us through his son Jesus.

Colossians 1

 

• thank God for you and remember before Him the things you have shown in your faith
• recount your works of faith.
• remember your works of love.
• recall the ways your hope in Jesus has given you preserverance.
• thank God that when you heard the word of God, you believed, and remember what it cost you.
• remember your faith and faithfulness in your persecution for encouragement in my own.
• thank God for the joy I have because of you
• ask the Lord to open the way for us to meet again
• ask that God would strengthen your heart so that you will be blameless and holiness before the Father when Jesus returns.
• ask that God himself would preserve you as holy in your thoughts, in your body and in your soul.
• thank God that he is faithful to do it.

1 Thessalonians

 

This is a good exercise and a great way to pray for new Christians and for those you have led to the Lord or are discipling. I encourage you to take note, as you read the Bible, especially in the New Testament letters, what kinds of supplications are recorded. They are great examples of prayer.   If you have found other good examples, please post them in the comments section.