Prayer In Times of Weakness
Christ’s Power Is Made Perfect in Weakness
One of the reasons biblical Christianity has to be so drastically distorted in order to sell it to mass markets is that the market wants power to escape weakness in leisure, but Christianity offers power to endure weakness in love.
Verse 9 just doesn’t sell: “Jesus said [in response to Paul’s prayer], ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
’” In weakness? What the market wants is escape from weakness, not power in weakness. But to meet that felt need in the market the message must be distorted — and often is.
But by distorting the message to make it more immediately appealing, two things are lost:
The truth of the message is lost.
The chance to meet the really deep need that we all have in the midst of adversity is lost.
So what I want to do — for the sake of God’s truth and for the sake of meeting your deepest need — is lay open this text with as little distortion as possible. You have it in front of you. You be the judge.
Three Questions About Christian Weakness
We are going to talk about the Christian experience of weakness. There are three questions to answer in the time we have:
“The grace and power of Jesus makes affliction livable.”
What are the weaknesses that Paul has in mind here when he says, “The power of Christ is made perfect in weakness”?
What is the source of such weaknesses? Do they come from Satan or from God? Or both?
What is the purpose of such weaknesses? Is there a goal or an aim for why the weaknesses come?
I ask these three questions not only because they are the ones answered in the text, but because knowing these things and being reminded of them in our hearts as God’s truth will give us the strength to live and endure and often even to thrive in the midst ofmany weaknesses.
Bringing the Questions Closer to Home
Just to bring it closer to home, on Wednesday we had a really good all church strategy meeting. One of the songs we sang has a chorus that goes this:
Since Jesus came into my heart, Floods of joy o’er my soul the sea billows roll
Since Jesus came into my heart.
As we sang it, I wondered how everyone in the chapel was processing that statement in the light of real life experience when sea billows of joy do not roll over the soul.
Here’s how I fit it in my own experience: Yes, since knowing Jesus, joy has rolled over me the waves of the sea, but not always. There are times when the tide goes out.
God is still God; joy is still joy; but I am baking in the seaweed on the beach waiting for the tide to come in.What makes days and months and years that livable is the grace and power of Jesus described in our text.
1. What Weaknesses?
What are the weaknesses Paul has in mind here when he quotes Jesus as saying in verse 9, “My power is made perfect in weakness”? And then says, “I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses”? And then again in verse 10 says, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses”?
Four Other Words to Fill Out the Meaning
I think the safest way to answer is to let the four other words in verse 10 fill out what he has in mind. What he summarizes as weaknesses in verse 9 he spells out in four other words in verse 10: insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.
Insults — when people think of clever ways of making your faith or your lifestyle or your words look stupid or weird or inconsistent. When we were giving out “Finding Your Field of Dreams” at the stadium, I heard one man say mockingly, “And the Lord said, Play ball.” And all his friends laughed.
Hardships — circumstances forced upon you, reversals of fortune against your will. This could refer to any situation where you feel trapped. You didn’t plan it or think it would be this way, but there you are, and it’s hard.
Persecutions — wounds or abuses or painful circumstances or acts of prejudice or exploitation from people because of your Christian faith or your Christian moral commitments. It’s when you are not treated fairly. You get a raw deal.
Calamities (or distresses or difficulties or troubles) — the idea is one of pressure or crushing or being weighed down; circumstances that tend to overcome you with stress and tension.
Not Sin or Imperfect Behaviors
So you can see that what Paul has in mind here is not sin. He is not talking about a kind of behavior — we might say he has a weakness for lust; or she has a weakness for overeating.
Paul is not talking about bad choices that we make. He is not saying the power of Christ is perfected in my bad choices. Or, I will all the more gladly boast of my bad choices.
Weaknesses here are not imperfect behaviors.
What These Weaknesses Are
They are circumstances and situations and experiences and wounds that make us look weak; things we would probably get rid of if we had the human strength.
If we were “strong,” we might return the insult with such an effective put down that the opponent would wither and everyone would admire our wit and cleverness.
If we were “strong,” we might take charge of our own fortune and turn back the emerging hardship and change circumstances so that they go the way we want them to and not force us into discomfort.
If we were “strong,” we might turn back the persecution so quickly and so decisively that no one would mess with us again.
If we were “strong,” we might use our resources to get the calamity or distress as fast as possible, or take charge of the situation and marshal our own resources so masterfully as to minimize its pressure.
“God does not delight in your suffering. Satan does, and he must be resisted.”
But in reality, we don’t usually have that kind of human strength, and even when we may have it, Christians don’t use it the way the world does. Jesus tells us not to return evil for evil (Matthew 5:38–42).
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:12–13, “When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we try to conciliate.” And then he added, “We have become the refuse of the world, the off-scouring of all things.
” In other words, this kind of lifestyle, this kind of response to abuse, looks weak and beggarly and feeble and anemic and inept — at least it looks that way to those who thrive on pride and equate power with the best come back.
So the answer to our first question is that weaknesses are not sins, but experiences and situations and circumstances and wounds that are hard to bear and that we can’t remove either because they are beyond our control or because love dictates that we not return evil for evil.
2. Where Do They Come From?
What is the source of such weaknesses? Do they come from Satan or from God? Or both?
Paul’s ‘Thorn in the Flesh’
Let’s take Paul’s thorn in the flesh as an example and see what his answer is. In verses 1–4, Paul describes what amazing revelations of God’s glory he had been given — he was caught up into paradise and heard things that cannot be told on earth.
How easy it would have been for Paul to think that he was already rising above the ordinary hardships and troubles of earthly life because he was given such a privilege.
But verse 7 shows what actually happened: “To keep me from being too elated [RSV; a bettertranslation would be: “to keep me from exalting myself,” NASB, or: “to keep me from becoming conceited,” NIV] by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from exalting myself.”Now this thorn in the flesh (whether it was some physical problem or some relentless enemies) is one of the weaknesses he is talking about. We know this because when he prays that God would take it away in verse 8 (“three times I besought the Lord”), the Lord answers in verse 9, “My power is made perfect in weakness.” So the thorn in the flesh is one of the weaknesses we are talking about.
A ‘Messenger of Satan’
And where did it come from? Paul calls it a “messenger of Satan” (v. 7) given to harass him. So one clear answer is that some weaknesses come from Satan. Satan afflicts the children of God through his angels or messengers. His aim is destruction and deathand misery.
But it is not that simple is it? Satan is not the only one at work here. God is at work. This thorn is not just the work of Satan to destroy. It is the work of God to save.
The Work of God to Save
We know this for two reasons. First, because Paul describes the purpose for the thorn in terms of preventing pride. But Satan’s whole design is to produce pride not prevent it. That’s how he kills: either with pride in what we have done, or despair over what we haven’t done.
Paul’s revelations in paradise made him vulnerable to pride and self-exaltation. So God uses the hostile intentions of Satan for Paul’s holiness. Satan wanted to make Paul miserable and turn him away from the faith and the ministry and the value of the visions he had seen. But God wanted to make Paul humble and turn him away from self-exaltation.
So God appointed the thorn of Satan for the work of salvation.
The other reason we know the thorn is God’s work and not just Satan’s is that when Paul prays in verse 8 that God would take the thorn away, the Lord says, “No, because my power is made perfect in this weakness.” In other words, I have a purpose in what is happening to you. This is not ultimately Satan’s destroying work. It is ultimately my saving, sanctifying work.
Just it was with Job — God permits Satan to afflict his righteous servant, and turns the affliction for his good purposes. (See also Luke 22:31–32.)
The Truth of God’s Sovereign Grace
So the answer to our second question is that the source of our weaknesses may sometimes be Satan and his destructive designs for us; but always our weaknesses are designed by God for our good.
This is why the truth of God’s sovereign grace is so precious in the midst of hardship and calamity. God is in control of Satan. Satan does nothing to God’s children that God does not design with infinite skill and love for our good.
This brings us to the final question, which we have already answered.
3. For What Purpose?
What is the purpose of such weaknesses? Is there a goal or an aim for why the weaknesses come? Why insults, hardships, persecutions, calamities, troubles? Why can’t I find a job? Why am I trapped in this awful marriage? Why does my dad have cancer? Why can’t I have children? Why do I have no friends? Why is nothing working in my life?
“God appointed the thorn of Satan for the work of salvation.”
Paul gives three brief answers about his own experience and I think they are tremendously important for us to live by.
Satan’s Purpose to Buffet You
First, he says that Satan has the purpose to buffet you or harass you (v. 7). And so it is ok to pray for relief. That’s what Paul did until he got word from the Lord. Pain is not a good thing in itself. God does not delight in your suffering. Satan does, and he must be resisted.
God’s Purpose to Humble You
Second, God’s purpose over and through Satan’s harassment is our humility. Paul was in danger of pride and self-exaltation and God took steps to keep him humble. This is an utterly strange thing in our self-saturated age. God thinks humility is more important than comfort.
Humility is more important than freedom from pain. He will give us a mountaintop experience in paradise, and then bring us through anguish of soul lest we think that we have risen above the need for total reliance on his grace.
So his purpose is our humility and lowliness and reliance on him (2 Corinthians 1:9; 4:7).
God’s Purpose to Glorify Jesus
Finally, God’s purpose in our weaknesses is to glorify the grace and power of his Son. This is the main point of verses 9–10. Jesus says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
” God’s design is to make you a showcase for Jesus’s power. But not necessarily the way the market demands: not by getting rid of all our weaknesses; but by giving strength to endure and even rejoice in tribulation.
Let God be God here. If he wills to show the perfection of his Son’s power in our weakness instead of by our escape from weakness, then he knows best; trust him. Hebrews 11 is a good guide here.
It says that by faith some escaped the edge of the sword (Hebrews 11:34) and by faith some were killed by the sword (Hebrews 11:37). By faith some stopped the mouths of lions, and by faith others were sawn asunder.
By faith some were mighty in war, and by faith others suffered chains and imprisonment (see also Philippians 4:11–13).The ultimate purpose of God in our weakness is to glorify the kind of power that moved Christ to the cross and kept him there until the work of love was done. Paul said that Christ crucified was foolishness to the Greeks, a stumbling block to the Jews, but to those who are called it is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:23).
The deepest need that you and I have in weakness and adversity is not quick relief, but the well-grounded confidence that what is happening to us is part of the greatest purpose of God in the universe — the glorification of the grace and power of his Son — thegrace and power that bore him to the cross and kept him there until the work of love was done. That’s what God is building into our lives. That is the meaning of weakness, insults, hardships, persecution, and calamity.
Источник: //www.desiringgod.org/messages/christs-power-is-made-perfect-in-weakness
A Prayer for When You Battle Depression
If you're feeling depressed, remember that you're not alone. God is with you always. Don't be afraid to reach out to people in your family, your church, or your friend circles.
Ask them to pray with and for you, and continue to pray each day, asking God to draw you closer to Himself.
If you're feeling down today or if you've felt down for quite some time, pray this prayer today:
A Prayer for Battling Depression
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you that you never change, even when everything around me is changing and unpredictable. (Hebrews 13:8) Thank you that you are stable, even when I feel so very unstable. (Isaiah 33:6) It feels Satan has been whipping me around! Please sustain me, protect me, and enable me to stand. (1 John 4:4; Psalm 28:7)
I know that because sin entered the world, all of creation is under a curse–all creation groans. (Romans 8:22) Because of this, I struggle physically, emotionally and spiritually. Thank you for how my body is made, and that it sends me warning signals to tell me that I need help. Right now my brain and emotions are telling me that something isn’t right.
Help me to see if there is something physical that is causing my depression. Help me to sift through my circumstances to see if there is a need for change in some way. If I am experiencing depression as a result of a spiritual battle, please bring that to light and show me the best way to fight that battle.
Please lead me to the right source for help. Thank you for understanding what I am going through (Hebrews 4:15), and thank you that Your Word tells me that even Your Son went through hard times emotionally.
There were times that He was distressed, grieved, faced loneliness, experienced deep sorrow, and after the death of John He went into isolation (Matthew 14:13). He cried in prayer (Hebrews 5:7-9), and at times he was overwhelmingly sad (Isaiah 53:3).
There was even a time that he was afraid his body would not survive the anguish he felt. (Matthew 26:38)
I pray that You would send someone to help bear my burden.
(Galatians 6:2) Thank you for again reminding me of how weak I am, and for the body of Christ that you have provided to help bear burdens when we grow too weary to bear them alone.
I need someone to come along side me, take my arms, wrap them around their neck, and help me walk until I am strong enough to walk on my own. (Ecclesiastes 4:9)
Thank you for the grace that you have provided. (Hebrews 4:16) I pray You will use this difficult time to cause me to go deeper in my relationship with You, and that You would get the glory for anything that is produced in me. (James 1)Thank you for how you are going to use this time in my life and for all you are doing through this depression. Thank you that You have allowed my weakness to manifest itself in the form of depression, so that You can work more of Your image into my life. (Galatians 2:20; Galatians 4:19)
Thank you that I am not defined by this weakness. Since I am Your child, I am defined by what You accomplished on the cross. Because of Christ’s death on the cross, I can wake up every morning and live life knowing that no matter what I do, think, say, or feel–the cross covers it.
Because You offered up Your own beloved Son, I can have peace with You and can face each day with fresh hope and grace. Help me to focus on what is true, and not focus on how I feel.
As I sit before the cross, help me to gain a new appreciation for what it actually means for me on a daily basis.
Help me to embrace my weakness as a gift. Remind me that my weakness allows You to work through me even when I am so very weak and feel as though I can do nothing. (2 Corinthians 12:9) Through this time, I pray that you would enlarged my heart that I might love and obey You, and love others more deeply. (Psalm 119:32; Galatians 6:2; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
Amen
A Prayer Against Depression
“Heavenly Father, please strengthen our hearts, and remind us to encourage one another when the troubles of life start to overwhelm us. Please guard our hearts from depression. Give us the strength up to rise up each day and fight against the struggles which seek to weigh us down. Amen.” ~ John Barnett
A Prayer For Escaping the Pit of Depression
“Lord, it seems as if my world has collapsed, hurling me into a deep, dark pit. I come to you in complete surrender. I am desperate for you, helpless and afraid. Please lift me this pit and show me the way, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen” ~ Mary Southerland
Discover what the Bible says about depression and how to fight it. Find Scripture that will encourage us to find peace and joy in the midst of depressing circumstances and feelings. – Bible Verses for Fighting Depression
This article originally appeared on GinalSmith.com. Used with permission.
Gina Smith is the author of Grace Gifts: Celebrating Your Children Every Day, and writes at her personal blog GinalSmith.
com She has also been featured on HSLDA'S Homeschool Heartbeat Radio. She has been married to her husband Brian for 29 years and they have 2 adult children.
You can follow her on Instagramand .
This article is part of our larger Prayers resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.
Prayer for Healing
Prayer for Strength
Prayer for Protection
Morning Prayers
Good Night Prayers
Image courtesy: Unsplash.com
Источник: //www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/a-prayer-for-when-you-battle-depression.html
A Prayer For Those Who Are Waiting On Healing
When our mobility is threatened and we’re waiting on healing, the world seems to stop. Suddenly everything becomes painful, nerves fry, and our prayers become urgent.
Crying in a heap on my floor, I laid my collegiate athletic self to rest… I thought for good. Or, for as far forward as I could see.
Whether His response to our agony is miraculous or deferred, we can trust He is healing us through seasons of pain.
Credit: ThinkStock
“Pray about everything.” (Phil 4:6)
The things that we cannot do pale in comparison to Who we are talking to. Keep talking to God after the shock of the news. Revelation has many stages, and our eyes will open to a little more relief each day.
2. Allow sadness… and joy.
“Be joyful always.” (1 Thes. 5:16)
Search for the joy in your current circumstances. Pain is inevitable in this life, but God longs to show us each day's happiness.
3. Let go of control.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20)
Trust that God will reveal solutions in perfect time. Hope for miraculous healing, because it happens everyday. It happened to me.
4. Keep moving forward.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”(Ecclesiastes 3:1)
The flow of life is a mystery to everyone but God. Surrendering ourselves to His will allows us to navigate unspeakable, and seemingly endless, pain.
RELATED: A powerful prayer for healing
Prayer for those waiting on healing:
Father, we praise You, for You love us perfectly. You set the stars in the sky and the oceans' borders in place. Everything moves under Your omnipotent hand. To heal us gives You joy. We don't understand pain.
You tell us that sin has consequences in this life, yet we struggle to draft together a lofty purpose and reasoning for the when, why, where, and who it befalls. Father, You are grace and love and hold us in perfect justice and fairness.
You grow us through every season, painful and not.
When we are in pain, the world seems to stop for us. Every move becomes more poignant, and dependent on Strength above our own. Thank You for lending us Your power in times of weakness and sickness. Thank You for gluing us together when we are emotionally coming unwound.
Thank You for holding our tongues when the daggers of insult threaten to wage war in our hearts.Thank You for loving us completely and perfectly, providing the care and companionship through medicine, family, friends, and church families that pray for us and unite for our cause.
Forgive us, Lord, when we are too quiet and scared to reach out.
Whether it be to speak of our pain under a blanket of prayer, or sh our miracles to Your glorious Name. Forgive our silence, and quicken us to share our grief and our miracles with You and others as a testimony of hope.
Father, you can heal us in a heartbeat. We pray for Your miraculous healing today. From depression, life-long disease, sudden failures, addictions and massive handicaps. We pray for miraculous healing because we know you are as capable of fixing our physicalities as you are to hold the oceans in place as the earth spins around.
Through Your Son's death on the cross, we have the opportunity to be healed spiritually. By believing in Jesus we are connected straight to You in prayer and presence. Bless our hearts to believe in You beyond our heart's capacity.
Strengthen our faith where it is weak and strengthen our resolve to linger in Your presence a little longer each day.
Take our pain away, according to Your will, in Your time. We're not promised a painless life on this earth, but You do want us to live a happy one.
Send Your Spirit to help us see past our circumstances and onto Your calling on our lives. Sickness and injury can't stop God-placed dreams.
Fill our hearts with hope as we wait on You to move in our lives and flow out from our hearts. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Megs is a stay-at-home mom and blogger at //sunnyand80.org, where she writes about everyday life within the love of Christ.
Credit: Crosswalk
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Источник: //www.godupdates.com/prayer-waiting-on-healing/
6 Keys for Breakthrough Prayer in Times of Need
Breakthrough! It speaks of overcoming an obstacle that is in our way—or of prevailing over a need, a restriction or an opposing enemy. Breakthrough can also mean an achievement or discovery that leads to significant progress. [1]
1. Seek God’s Agenda First
‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.’ (1 John 5:14-15)
Daniel was a godly man who read the scriptures—including the prophecies of Jeremiah. He recognised that Jeremiah prophesied about the times that Daniel was now living in and began to seek God for the answers. He knew it was time to birth that prophecy in prayer.
We need to know that we are praying God’s purpose for our lives. This means firstly praying according to God’s revealed will in the Scripture. Upon that foundation, we can also seek an intimate relationship with Father God in which we can hear His purpose for our lives and situation—and pray that. [2]
2. Don’t Settle for Second Best
Hannah was childless, and it grieved her. Wanting to reassure her, Hannah’s husband offered his love and personal gifts, thinking these could please her. But Hannah would only be satisfied with one thing—a baby. As a result of Hannah’s prayer, a future prophet and priest was born. Samuel would bring the nation back to God. (1 Sam 1)
When God has placed something on our hearts, then Hannah we will be tempted to settle for the ‘status quo’ or second best. But that is the very time to passionately press in to God for the answer.
3. Pray from the Heart
Hannah cried a wordless prayer of deep groaning—and God answered it. (1 Sam 1:12-16, Rom 8:26-27)) Nehemiah shot up a prayer whilst he was going about his daily occupation. (Neh 2:1-5) These seemingly simple prayers, carried from the heart, changed nations.
There are no right and wrong ways to pray. Just real prayers.
It’s time to put aside formulas, and not to be intimidated by someone else’s style and eloquence. The prayers that God answers are real prayers from the heart, regardless of time, place or technique.
4. Pray with Praise and Thanksgiving
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Phil 4:6)
Paul and Silas were in a difficult situation. God called them to evangelise a city, but they were stuck in a dungeon, held in stocks. As they prayed in the night and offered up hymns of praise, God sent an earthquake to open the prison doors. (Acts 16:22-29)
When used in addition to prayer, praise is a powerful cutting-edge weapon for breakthrough. (Ps 149:6-9)
5. Don’t Give Up
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. (Luke 18:1)
Daniel prayed and fasted for 21 days before an answer came. An angel appeared who had been battling in the heavenlies for the entire time Daniel had been in prayer. Daniel’s persistent prayers provided fuel for what God was doing on his behalf. (Dan 10)
6. Find Others who will Agree with You
Jesus said, “…if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matt 18:19-20)
Esther is known as a woman whose courage saved a nation. However, prior to approaching the King, Esther called on Mordecai, all the Jews of the city, and her own attendants, to fast before God for 3 days. Esther knew that the real power lay in God answering the prayer of those who had joined her in the fast. (Esther 4:16)
When in need of a breakthrough, find others who will join you in prayer, because there is multiplied power in agreement.
Notes:
[1] //www.thefreedictionary.com/breakthrough [2] For issues of guidance, see Personal Guidance for the Important Decisions of LifeRelated Posts:
Is it Time to Birth your Prophetic Word in Prayer?
Need a Breakthrough? Uncover the Mysteries of Heaven
Release the Resources of Heaven Through Prayer
Your Prophetic Word and Spiritual Warfare
© Helen Calder Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching
On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church
Did you receive this from a friend? Read more from Enliven Blog or sign to receive our weekly prophetic teaching updates at //www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog
Источник: //www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2013/03/05/6-keys-for-breakthrough-prayer/
31 Bible Verses to Strengthen Your Prayer Life
Looking for verses to inspire you toward a deeper life of prayer? That’s what today’s article is all about.
As we’ve journeyed so far into the Inner Life of Powerful Prayer, we’ve talked about asking the Spirit of God to be our Teacher and How to Pray When You Don’t Know Where to Start.
Now it’s time to take a closer look at what God Himself says about prayer, some examples of prayers from the Bible, and verses that inspire us in our prayer lives.
How to use these verses
- Print out this article and post it somewhere you can read a quick verse throughout the day to remind you to pray.
- Study one passage every day for a month (using the SOAP method) to strengthen your prayer life.
- Pick your favorite verses and write them on index cards to memorize and renew your perspective on prayer.
- Share this post with someone who needs encouragement to keep praying when they don’t see immediate answers to prayer.
- Pray for a friend who’s on your heart, and then write them a note with one of these verses to encourage him or her.
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Mark 11:24
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
James 5:16
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.1 John 5:14-15
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:7
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
1 Timothy 2:5
And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
Matthew 21:21-22
Pray then this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Matthew 6:9-13
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
James 1:5
And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Luke 11:9
And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Matthew 6:7
And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.
’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”
Luke 18:1-8
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
Jeremiah 33:3
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
Psalm 91:1-4
wise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Romans 8:26
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”
Luke 11:1
Psalm 141:2
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
James 5:13-14
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
James 4:3
The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.
Revelation 8:4
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Elijah was a man with a nature ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.
Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
James 5:16-18
Hebrews 4:16
Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
Psalm 51:1-4
And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.
Psalm 50:15
Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.
Matthew 18:19-20
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Matthew 26:41
What’s your favorite Bible verse about prayer? Which verse inspires you to a deeper life of prayer?
Источник: //onethingalone.com/31-bible-verses-to-strengthen-your-prayer-life/
