What Should I Pray For?

Download Lesson Here

If you are asking yourself this question, there is one simple answer – everything! The truth is that you should be praying about anything and everything you can think of. The Apostle Paul wrote that we should pray without ceasing. If you are always praying, then it is likely that you will be praying about almost anything your brain can contemplate or anything your heart may desire.

However, God is not looking for you to continuously repeat the same prayer over and over again. We learned in our last lesson that God does not want us praying with idle words, repetitious phrases, or in some ritualistic manner. He wants us praying from the heart for things we truly long for Him to do.

So, what should you pray about?

Beyond the Lord’s Prayer

In our last lesson, we learned the Lord’s Prayer. We saw that this prayer included such things as honoring our Father, praying for our daily bread (the things we need), seeking to restore relationships, and also praying that the way that God moves in heaven would be the way that He moves here on earth. That gave us a model for how we should pray.

However, we want to take prayer a bit deeper. In this lesson, we want to focus on the areas where our prayers should be centered. This should help you to get closer to God and give you a more effective prayer life.

To Be More Like God

If you are asking God to provide your “daily bread,” this is not always about asking for things you need like food, water, a job, a better relationship, or some similar type of concern. It is also asking God to help you to be more like Him.

The Bible tells us that he who lacks wisdom should ask God (James 1:5). Wisdom is one of those things that God wants to freely give you which would help you to be more like Him. So, praying for more wisdom is another area related to your “daily bread.”

All of us need more wisdom. All of us need more patience, grace, compassion, humility, kindness, gentleness, meekness, and other fruit of the Holy Spirit. These things come from God and are things we should be asking for so that we can become more like Him.

You will often find that prayer requests like this sync with other types of requests. For example, if you are feeling a lot of animosity toward your brother or sister, beyond asking for reconciliation of that relationship, you can ask for such things as greater wisdom, peace, love, grace, mercy, and kindness in the way that you deal with your sibling. Ask God to grant you these kinds of things that will help to restore that relationship and bring your closer to being like Him.

Do Not Be Troubled

All of us are battling hard times that are creating anxiety and fear. No one is completely at peace, but you can have greater peace about every kind of situation. Asking God to give you the ability to endure through hard times and to find peace in those situations is one of the things you should be praying about.

To be honest, it is likely that God is not going to remove you from the situation. God wants to strengthen you and show you that you were able to battle through difficult circumstances, making you stronger spiritually, mentally, maybe even physically. Praying for God’s comfort and endurance during those difficult times, believing that He will deliver you through the circumstances should be part of your prayer life.

Nothing Is Too Small for God

One of the biggest misconceptions about prayer is that God is only concerned with the big things in your life. You may not even think that God is concerned about your problems at all. If that is the way you think, you could not be further from the truth.

Do you think that God cares about your problems and concerns?

God values everything going on in your life. Everything that matters to you, matters to Him as well. He loves you and wants to be a part of everything going on in your life, so sharing your concerns and desires, even those that may seem minimal or insignificant are things God wants to hear about as well.

This could mean you are praying about your performance at your job, the meeting or Bible study you’re going to, the conversation you will have with a friend or brother later, or even for safe passage while driving or riding in a car. Almost every moment of your life affects every other moment in your life. When you think about it from that perspective, it is clear that every moment does really matter, so there is nothing insignificant. All of it deserves prayer.

Don’t Get Mad, Get Prayerful!

You can almost guarantee that every day someone is going to do something that upsets you. It doesn’t matter how careful or kind you may be, situations like this will arise on a daily basis. It could be the person who says something rude to you at the grocery store, the friend who makes an off-color joke that offends you, or your mother asking you the same question that she has already asked you 19 times in the last month.

These situations can be upsetting, and often drive thoughts in our head that are anything but Christ-like. These are the kinds of situations where you should turn your anger off and turn to prayer.

What is a situation where someone has said or done something recently that has upset you? How did you respond to their offense?

In all honesty, it takes just as much time to pray for someone as it does to curse them. It is also far more effective to pray for them than it is to be mad. While being angry at the things that others have done provides some form of release, it does not help the situation. In fact, it often makes the situation far worse.

While it is okay to be angry about certain situations in life, the best way to restore that relationship and diffuse the situation is by praying about it. Stop yourself in your anger and pray for that person who has offended you. In fact, pray that the offense would be cleansed in heaven so that it would be that way on earth.

Do you find it difficult to pray for others who have offended you? What is the biggest challenge for you in this situation?

Everyone Needs Your Prayers

Truth be told, everyone needs your prayers. It is not just your friends, family members, coworkers, and other close associates. Every person you come across or can think of needs your prayers.

This can mean praying for the person you see down the street on a regular basis. It could be people you see on television. In fact, when you are watching the news is one of the best times to pray. Stories are always negative and horrific things are reported upon every night. Instead of shaking your head in anger or disbelief, pray for the stories you see.

Another great example of this is when a name suddenly pops into your head. Maybe you haven’t thought of that person for years, maybe even decades, but suddenly their name is on your mind. That is God inspiring you to pray for that person. He or she needs prayer at that moment, and God knows that you are the right person to be praying for them, even if you have no idea why He is asking you to pray for him or her.

Everyone needs your prayers. They really do. Taking the time to pray for those, especially those you don’t like, is a great way to change the spiritual world.

You Need Your Prayers

Some are given the idea that to pray for yourself is selfish. Depending upon what you are praying for that may be true. For example, it is not great for you to be praying to win the lottery every time you buy a ticket. It doesn’t matter if you keep telling God that you will use the winnings to change your community for the good, God knows your heart. He may know that you have other reasons for all that money.

However, there is nothing wrong for asking God for things for yourself. One of those things should be to forgive your sins and help you to seek the holiness of God. The Christian wants to be more like Jesus and praying for that should be an essential part of your prayer life. That means to confess your sins, removing all barriers that stand between you and God. It also means talking about your fears, lack of faith, or any other area where you want God to help you make changes to your character and relationship with Him.

What are some things you want from God?

Thank God for Who He Is

The Bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people. Part of your prayer life should be to thank God for all that He is doing in your life. If God has helped you overcome struggles, changed your way of thinking, or led you through a tough time, thank Him for it. Just as you would thank and show your love for your friend who sat with you and helped carry you through your personal battles, show that same kind of thankfulness to your Father in heaven.

As mentioned to you in the last lesson on prayer, your prayers do not need to be really detailed and should not be said simply to use a lot of words. Many of us have been around people who start their prayers with words like, “Oh Heavenly and Gracious Father, Ruler of all things, the One who saves and does great things. You are truly holy and beyond words. I am so thankful to have a God who loves and cares for me with great mercy and grace.” You get the picture.

You should talk to your Father in heaven the same way a son talks to his dad on earth. It is not with fluffy words and repetitious praises. It is from the heart, with words that have real meaning. This is how you praise and thank your Father.

Two Additional Notes

There are two things we want you to keep in mind for your prayer life. The first is to be specific. A lot of people pray for things like “I just want to be happy” or “I need more peace.” Those prayers really mean nothing. What does being “more happy” look like? What does it mean to have more peace? Maybe you smile one more time per day or you sleep one more minute per night. Does that really give you more peace or more happiness?

God wants more for you than the bare minimum of improvement for your life and He also wants to give you good gifts (Matthew 7:11). Being specific encourages a more intimate relationship where you trust God more because you are willing to talk to Him from your heart.

If your car broke down and you need it replaced to be able to get to work, you don’t need to ask for whatever beat up wreck God can find. Instead, it is perfectly acceptable to pray for a car that gets good gas mileage, one you can use to take your four kids to school, that will be dependable for years to come.

Being specific with your prayers is perfectly acceptable. There is a sense of false pride in just asking for anything that God will deliver. We have an amazing Father who wants to give us good gifts (Matthew 7:11), so He is not looking to give you the least valuable item that He can provide.

Do you find yourself praying in generalities, never asking for specific things from God? If so, why do you think you do that?

This kind of specificity is perfect when you are praying for very important things in your life. You shouldn’t just want any wife. You should want a wife who enjoys the same kind of things as you, who has the same kind of aspirations, is someone you can talk to, and has many qualities that you find appealing. The prayer for the future spouse for your children should be a specific one as well.

Is God going to give you exactly what you asked for? He might, but He may even give you someone that’s much better. Since God is the one who provides good gifts, we should seek Him to find the right person or thing.

What is something you really want in life? How are you praying for it?

Be careful with this, however. Don’t let your fleshly desires rule what you are asking from God. Asking for the most beautiful woman on earth as your wife is probably not good for you to be honest. The jealousy of that situation would likely be too overwhelming for you, so having your ultimate “trophy wife” may not be the best option for you.

In addition, your prayers should also be related to things you want in the future. If you want to be a counselor, you should be praying about God directing you to the right school, setting up the right internship for you, and bringing the right clients to your clinical practice. None of those things may be occurring at this moment, but it is good to start praying about them now.

Turn to God in your prayer and talk with him about all the things you want for your future. Be candid with your Father, who only wants the best for you. Keep in mind that God already knows your future, so He is the perfect person to pray to. This may mean that all you need to do is ask Him about the best options for you. Rely on the wisdom and omnipotence of God to help guide you.

What is a goal you want for yourself for the future? How are you praying about it?

Time to Pray

You have been given a lot of information about prayer. You have some good ideas about how to pray and what to pray about.

This is a great time to start praying to God, asking Him to reveal to you what He has in store for your life. So, let’s pray!

 

Bible Passages for the Week:

Monday – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

 

Tuesday – Matthew 26:41

 

Wednesday – Romans 8:26

 

Thursday – 2 Chronicles 7:14

 

Friday – 2 Chronicles 6:21

 

Saturday – Pick a passage from Scripture that teaches about what you should pray for.

Download Lesson Here

© 2024 Dr. Robert Pannier, Hope CDA, All Rights Reserved