Prayers for Others

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy” (Philippians 1:4)

Dear Friends and Members of IBC,

This Sunday we began a ten-part sermon series going through the book of Philippians. I mentioned how Paul prays with joy for others and how hard it can be for us to imitate this. We may even struggle to know what to pray for, much less with any delight. And so, a practical suggestion that could help us to begin to pray, is to use some of the great prayers in the Bible and in church history as a ‘launch pad’ for our own prayers. Here are a few prayers that we might want to begin with:

“And this is my prayer [for… insert name]: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”(Philippians 1:9-11)

[Heavenly Father, I pray a blessing upon…]:

“‘“The Lord bless you [add name]
    and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.”’ (Numbers 6:24-26)

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you [insert name] the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:17-21)

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you [insert name] with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19)

“May the Lord make your [insert name] love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13)

Lord, make me [and… insert name] an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen. (St. Francis of Assisi: Make me an instrument of your peace)

May the Lord bless our endeavours as we seek to faithfully and diligently pray for each other. And please know that I am praying for you!

God Bless
James