WOW! When I posted my Power of a Praying Friend blog in the wee hours of Friday morning, I had no idea that so many of you would join me. I hoped that 25-50 would commit to pray, but boy did God have bigger plans. As I write this post, there have been 335 comments with prayer requests and prayers for each other.
I LOVE praying for you and reading how you are praying for each other. It’s a beautiful thing to see women from all around the world gather in Jesus’ Name to encourage, support and carry each others’ burdens. My prayer is that your courageous renderings of your heart desires and personal needs will forge friendships despite miles that separate us because of God’s Spirit that connects us!
Today I wanted to share about the power of praying God’s Word. My prayers used to feel kind of flat. I didn’t really know what to say and I stumbled over my words a lot. I especially didn’t know what to pray when I was struggling or when friends were going through really hard times. I wanted my prayers to be filled with power, hope and faith to believe that the God I was talking to was big enough to accomplish the things I was asking for.
Soon after I became a Christian, a friend who was mentoring me taught me the power of praying God’s Word. She shared that when we pray God’s Word, we pray God’s will. I really liked that idea. It gave me a sense of confidence and God’s direction.
The Bible tells us that God’s Word is alive and active. When we pray in agreement with His Word, we pray in agreement with God’s will, expecting it to come alive in a specific situation and active in the person’s life that we’re praying for. Here are some verses that I like to pray for myself or for a friend:
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, give ___________the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that ____________may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of _____________’s heart may be enlightened in order that ____________may know the hope to which he has called her, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, Ephesians 1:17-20
May the God of hope fill __________ with all joy and peace as ___________trusts in him, so that _______________may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
So, what is a verse you could pray for your prayer partner? If you want to find a verse on a specific topic, go to this page on BibleGateway and click on Keyword in the left margin, then type in a keyword you want to search on. (For instance, if I had typed in hope, the two verses listed above would have come up.) When you type in your keyword and hit enter, several verses will come up and you can choose the one that best fits. Then come back and post the verse and/or a prayer with that verse in the comments area below for your prayer partner.
Remember, there is no certain way to do it. What we want to do is get into the Word, and get the Word into us, and into our prayers so we can experience the power of Praying God’s Word together.
According to Random Integer Generator (Timestamp: 2008-07-23 00:43:32), the winner of the bookDear Jesus is #231 comment(C-Mom)
c-mom said…- Please pray that my husband will find God-centered, gainful employment soon. He has been out of work since November and he is feeling quite defeated at this time.
Pray that our family’s faith will remain strong and that we continue to trust in Him each day to deliver us through this situation. We pray that my husband will find a job that he will glorify Him through.
C-mom, I don’t have your email. So I hope you find this. If not, I’ll have RIG choose another winner on Wednesday. We would love to hear how God is answering our prayers, so be sure to let us know if you have a praise to share.
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to Helen Martin (aka Bride of…)
I too am a parent with children going to camp this summer so I understand the anxiety. I read a psalm everyday. I have found them to be a wonderful and rich source of knowledge of God. The more I know God the more I trust him.
One of my favorites is Psalm 139 (it’s title in my Bible is “The All-knowing and Ever-present God”)
Psalm 139:5 “Behind and before you encircle me and rest your hand upon me.”
Psalm 139:13-14 “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew.” Remember these words apply to ourselves as well as our children. He loved our children before we even existed! His hand is “behind and before-encircling Kenny” even while he is away from you at camp.
I will end with a prayer for Kenny based on Ephesians 3:17-19
“…that Christ may dwell in Kenny’s heart through faith; that he be rooted and grounded in love. I pray that Kenny know with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge so that he may be filled with all the fullness of Christ.
prayerfully, Bonnie
Father, I thank you for bringing to Christine’s husband health and healing, that You will heal them; and You will reveal to Christine G. and her husand an abundance of peace and truth. (Jeremiah 33:6) Father, I also pray for Chris, Sharon Beasley’s nephew that his fear of God will be his confidence, And the integrity of his ways will be his hope. (Job 4:6). Let Chris know that his hope in You will not be disappointed and You will not allow him to be put to shame. (Psalm 25:3). TO YOU, O Lord, I lift up Chris; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let Chris be put to shame, nor let his enemies triumph over him. No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame,…Show Chris your ways, O Lord, teach Chris your paths; guide Chris in your truth and teach Chris, for you are God Chris’s Savior, and his hope is in you all day long. (Psalm 25:1-5). Father, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are Your ways higher than Chris’s ways and Your thoughts higher than Chris’s thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). Help him to feel Your presence in this situation. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
Gloria, you were the woman just ahead of my second request. You had seven parts to your request, and this is my prayer for you about each thing….
1) Oh, LORD You are Gloria’s strength and her shield; may her heart trust in You, and be helped. May her heart leap for joy and may she give thanks to You in song. (Psalm 28:7)
(2) May Gloria’s soul simply faint with longing for Your salvation, may she put her hope in Your word. (Psalm 119:81)
(3) May she continue to rejoice, and know that through her prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to her will turn out for her deliverance. (Philippians 1:19)
(4) May Gloria hear the sounds of joy and gladness. May she give thanks to You, the LORD Almighty, for You, LORD are good; Your love endures forever. For You have said “I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before.” So, please restore to her what the pain of this ended relationship has taken, and let her hear, in her heart, the voice of her Bridegroom, Jesus, saying that He loves her entirely. (Jeremiah 33:11)
(5) May Gloria purify herself by obeying the truth so that she may have sincere love for those in her life, loving them deeply, from her heart. (1 Peter 1:22)
(6) May she know that it is the Son of God who has come and has given her understanding, so that she may know Him who is true. And she is in Him who is true—even in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:20)
And though she has failed to remember the miracles you performed in her midst, You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore You do not desert her. (Nehemiah 9:17)
(7) May she be faithful in what she is doing for her sister, (as she is praying for her this week), even though that woman is a stranger to her. (3 John 1:5)
And let Gloria to consider how she may spur this sister on toward love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:24)
Oooooh, 41:13. Thank you Diane!
Ms Nina
To Shanda: I have been praying for you Shanda, I pray that you have clarity and wisdom in your writing and that the Lord gives you just the right words to give the impact to capture the love of Jesus and to give the reader the hunger to know him better. I pray the Holy Spirit will give you profound wisdom that only the Holy Spirit can give. I pray you are blessed beyond your comprehension for being obedient to him and furthering his kingdom. Rose from Bemidji, MN
The verse I found is Proverbs 2:10
For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
Renita, my prayer for you and your sons,
May Renita’s sons look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continue to do this, not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it…. (James 1:25)
May these men walk in the light, as You are in the light, and may they have fellowship with one another (and their beloved and faithful mother), and may the blood of Jesus, Your Son, purify them from all sin. (1 John 1:7)
Please turn their hearts to their own children, and the hearts of their children to them. (Malachi 4:6)
May they not embitter their children, nor discouraged them. (Colossians 3:21)
And may Renita know that she is blessed, even as she mourns and weeps and struggles in prayer for her sons, and that she will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)
This prayer is for Loretta from Phoenix…
Lord Jesus I pray for Your good, pleasing and perfect will for Loretta and her family’s lives. I pray for Your blessings and favor to be upon them and I pray that they will be at the center of your will for their lives. Lord Jesus I pray for Loretta’s husband to be blessed at his job and I pray for him to make good relationships with those he works with. Fill Loretta and her family with perfect peace as they trust in You. According to your glorious riches in Christ Jesus I pray for all Loretta’s family needs to be met. Fill them with faith and hope by the power of the Holy Spirit so that they trust in your provision. Lord I surrender Loretta and her family to you this day. In the mighty and powerful name of Jesus I pray, amen.
Father, I ask for peace for my sister, Danielle. Would you help her to not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, to present her requests to You? You’ve promised that Your peace, which transcends all understanding, will guard her heart and her mind in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)Thank You, Father!
Also, Lord, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—please help Danielle to think about such things (Philippians 4:8)& to remember to look at the birds of the air; how they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet You feed them. Remind Danielle that she is much more valuable than they & that by worrying she can not add a single hour to her life (Matthew6:26-27). Father, I pray that Danielle will seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness. I ask You to help her to not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself (Matthew 6:33-34).
For Danielle’s Fiancé, I ask that he will rejoice in Danielle, the wife of his youth & that he will ever be captivated by Danielle’s love (Proverbs 5:18-19).
Thank You, Lord, for what You will do in this couple’s life for Your Name’s sake! In Your sweet, faithful Name I pray, AMEN!
Renee-praying God’s word became a part of my life when I found myself broken and in a pit. Beth Moore’s book title” Praying God’s Word” guided me in this. For years I had extra copies and would hand them out to people in need. Most mornings in my journaling I will pray back a peice of scripture to God from my reading. IT IS a beautiful way to develop your faith and walk with God.
The person who posted before my post is Karen who was widowed from her husband 10 years ago and maybe lost a new friend in Kevin..my prayer for Karen is…
For this reason, since the day [I] heard about [Karen], [I] have not stopped praying for [Karen] and asking God to fill [Karen] with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And [I] pray this in order that [Karen] may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that [Karen] may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified [Karen] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued [Karen] from the dominion of darkness and brought [Karen] into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom [Karen] have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Col. 1:9-14.
I too cherish everyones prayers as I posted Sunday evening on my blog. Thank you!
Blessings!!
In His Graces~Pamela
I have been praying for Kim from Holly, NC and Kate. While Kim was above me on the list, I was looking through some of the others and Kate's jumped out at me as well. Both were requesting prayer for their husband's.
Kim I've been praying for the peace that passes all understanding to come into your husband's heart and mind. That depression would flee in the name of Jesus and that the stress level at work would diminish in his eyes. I pray that his focus would be on God and that he would rely on His strength to help him each step of the way. I pray also that the Lord would show you ways to be supportive (even when he's down and speaking negatively) and that He would give you words of encouragement to speak to him.
And Kate, I join with you in prayer for your husband and I add mine as well. Ladies, sometimes it's easy for us to get frustrated with our husbands and loose sight of what first drew us to them in the first place (I speak to myself as well). Lord, I ask that you would help us to love our husbands as You have loved us. Help us to be true help-mates and to be supportive and loving wives. Remind us again of the good we saw in them at the beginning. Help us to love our husbands with Your love and to see them with Your eyes.
I pray that God would give us creative ways to honor our husbands and to show them the love & respect they need from us. Help us to be completely humble and gentle. Help us to be patient and to bear with our husbands in love. Help us to make every effort to live in unity with our husbands and bind our hearts together with Your Spirit of peace.
In Jesus Name. Amen
Love,
Bonnelle
I am praying for poeteangel, who was before my name, and diane who was after:
Isaiah 58:11
The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.
Poeteangel, may you find the mentor you seek and may God grant you wisdom beyond your young years. May you be strengthened for the support you are giving others.
Diane, may the Lord God move mightily in your husband’s heart and refresh your spirit, satisfying all your needs. May your frame not only be strengthened but rested! 🙂
Onward, Lisa
I know this works praying for one another. I absolutley love it! I am the one that said my jewelry business was not doing good. Well, God showed me His goodness by blessing me with abudance this weekend. He is so good! Praise His Holy name. Thank-you Jesus!
I am aware of praying not for only myself, but my fellow brothers and sisters. jewelry gal
For anonymous who was post 189 or 190 this weekend…
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on anonymous, because the LORD has anointed anonymous to preach good news to the poor. He has sent anonymous to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives (her children) and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:1-3
By his wounds anonymous is healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
Create in anonymous a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within anonymous. Restore to anonymous the joy of your salvation and grant anonymous a willing spirit, to sustain anonymous. (Psalm 51:10 and 12)
Thank you, Father God! We give you praise, honor and glory for what you are doing in anonymous’ life. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Rebecca
Pam for her marriage and their lovely little 4 yr. old girl Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all Pam asks or imagines, according to His power that is at work within Pam.
I am praying for you and your husband to become closer. If possible pray together. My husband would not do it at first, but when he found out how much it meant to me. I said let us do it on a trial basis and he agreed after much crying and pleading that praying is so very important to me and God will bless our marriage. I know He will yours too. God Blessing upon you and your marriage. jewelry gal
Pam for her marriage and their lovely little 4 yr. old girl Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all Pam asks or imagines, according to His power that is at work within Pam.
I am praying for you and your husband to become closer. If possible pray together. My husband would not do it at first, but when he found out how much it meant to me. I said let us do it on a trial basis and he agreed after much crying and pleading that praying is so very important to me and God will bless our marriage. I know He will yours too. God Blessing upon you and your marriage. jewelry gal
Lucy,
We know that it is the Lord’s will for you to have a mate. In the beginning when God created Adam, God Himself made this statement:
“… It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him” (Genesis 2:18 KJV).
The Lord wants to bring a mate to you. Have patience and wait for His choice, the one he would have as your mate. Look to Jesus and seek to please Him, rather than being concerned about a mate, soon you will find the right one crossing your path. Ask the Lord to fill you with His love and peace. Being single is an important time for you to prepare for marriage. It can also be a time to experience a closer communion with God. As you seek God to cleanse you of the world and help you become the kind of wife that would bless someone, you will soon find that you are not lonely. First, the Lord will begin using you to bless others; then you will find you are content in Him. Eventually, in God’s plan and timing, He will bless you with a wonderful mate so that both lives can be a witness for Him. Remember that if a marriage cannot glorify the Lord, then it would be better to remain alone. There are worse things than being alone. One of these is to be out of God’s will by compromising and marrying someone who does not feel the same way you do about the Lord.
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14).”
The Lord wants to bless marriage unions and see His plans fulfilled in both mates’ lives. What a glorious plan He had from the beginning for both male and female. You can trust Him in this important decision. If you will totally commit to do His will you will never be disappointed in the one He sends into your life.
I have been and will continue to pray for you knowing that God has already planned this part of your life and he is waiting for us to join together in seeking His will in your life.
Your prayer friend,
Tammie
Renee, this tool is wonderful! I’m about to fall asleep in front of the computer right now, so I am going to research my keyword search in the morning for my prayer partner. Thanks so much!!
Blessings,
Susan
For my sister Kathy and her family, I am praying Matthew 6:19-21. Father, I pray that this family will not store up treasures for themselves on earth where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But that her husband and family will store up treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. Lord, where her husband’s heart is, there will also be his treasure. May his treasure be in You and his family and not things of this world and may he be the provider and support his family needs at this time.
In Christ’s name I pray this for you.
Your praying sister in Christ,
Brandee
For my prayer friend Trudy I am praying:
I have not stopped praying for you, Trudy since I first heard about you. I ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives, yours and your husbands, will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. I also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power Trudy, so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.
(Colossians 1:9-12) Lord, put a hedge around Trudy and her household and everything she has. (Job 1:10)
Sweet blessings friend,
Love & prayers,
Joy
Isaiah 41:13-
For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
You said that this prayer was in you hand today during your MRI. This is the prayer I have for you tonight as well. God is saying “I will not let you go, trust me”. Don’t be afraid because I am here and will not leave you.
The prayer tonight is also a testament to his precious love and affections he has for each of us. Lisa he was there with you today holding your other hand. How awesome was that? Then when you left the MRI you were able to have put your fears to rest and even help another sister in need. I stand in awe of His mighty attention to detail in our meek little lives. I rejoice in the success of the day with you. I will continue to pray for the results. As Renee said, I too believe in praying God’s will. My prayers will be for swift answers to a long problem. May your heart find peace in the wait.
Lisa,my prayer sister, went to an MRI today and was very uptight on handling the whole thing. By caring this scripture in her hand she made it through. It was awesome she was also able to give it to another sister in need.
God is Amazing,
Diane