On Wednesdays, I will issue a call for any and all prayer requests that you might have, and I would love to pray for you for whatever it is that you need. I believe in the power of prayer, and as believers, we should pray for each other. I will pray over your request multiple times during the week, and look forward to praying for you. Your requests will be treated with respect and confidence, as it is truly my privilege to do this. You can feel free to send your requests here in the comments of any of my posts, you can email your requests at [email protected], or you can send us direct messages on our Instagram.

2 Corinthians 1:4-5 (MSG)

He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.

He wants us to pray for each other.

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What does the Bible say about prayer?

Jesus does give us a template for our prayer in the New Testament. In Luke 11:2-5 it says:

Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Give us each day our daily bread, And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.

In my church growing up, we recited The Lord’s Prayer like this:

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen.

While it’s a great template, The Lord’s Prayer is only a template for us. From the other things I’ve read and studied in the Bible, I don’t think The Lord’s Prayer is the exclusive way to pray, as we have the cries of Job to reference, the Psalms of David, requests of Abraham, and more from all of God’s chosen people throughout the text, so there’s not just one way to go about it. That said, we know we are definitely supposed to do it. We are called as Christians to pray to our Father for all things. And I believe through fervent prayer and time in the Word, that the Lord truly answers us and gives us blessings into our lives and provides a roadmap as to how to approach the world we live in.

Prayer is mentioned many times in the Bible. It’s a focus. In one form or another, according to the Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance, the word is used 375 times in the text of the New International Version.

Here are some them:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1 John 5:14 (NIV)

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Colossians 4:2 (NIV)

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Mark 11:24 (NIV)

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Ephesians 3:12 (ESV)

In Him and through faith we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

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What is prayer to me?

Prayer has taken on a new life to me in the past few months. I think when I was growing up, even though I grew up in church and came to know Jesus at a young age, that the entire concept of prayer was always really formal. I’m not even sure what brought that kind of feeling about: maybe it was hearing the prayers of my pastor and of church elders, maybe it was from hearing the passionate prayers of the pastors and congregants at my Great-Grandma Orchard’s lively Assembly of God church, I don’t know where I grabbed the concept that my prayers needed to be worded a certain way.

In fact, the Bible even speaks against being super fancy and formal with our prayers to the Father. Matthew 6:7 says,

And when you pray, do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

It’s not about being formal. It’s about bringing our authentic selves to our requests from our Maker. That’s a big deal. It’s genuinely for everyone. Really knowing that and realizing it in my heart changed my life, and it can truly change yours, too.

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I recently read a great book that I thoroughly enjoyed called She Prays that has been really revolutionary for me in terms of how I personally viewed prayer and our roles in it.

Debbie Lindell is a wise speaker whose church and Designed For Life Conference I have also been really blessed to attend, and this book is essentially a 30-day challenge (geared toward women) to draw nearer to God through prayer. It addresses our preconceived notions about it and calls us to be blunt, open, and honest with our Maker.

There’s no reason NOT to be totally open with Him. We aren’t hiding anything. He knows our minds. He knows our hearts.

Psalm 139:1-24 (ESV)

O Lord, You have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.

1 John 3:20 (ESV)

For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything.

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Matthew 9:4 (ESV)

But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?

Jeremiah 17:10 (ESV)

I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.

John 2:25 (ESV)

And needed no one to bear witness about man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

Luke 11:17 (ESV)

But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every Kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.

Luke 9:47 (ESV)

But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by His side.

Luke 6:8 (ESV)

But He knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here,” and he rose and stood there.

Isaiah 66:18 (ESV)

“For I know their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming together all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see My glory.”

...and that’s only a few examples!

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Let’s use Wednesday as a specific day to focus and reflect on the power of prayer, and to pray corporately as a group for each other and our needs. Bring those needs to the Lord, and bring them to each other and let other believers lift you up in prayer. I am already praying for you, and I look forward to the upcoming weeks of shared corporate prayer here on Steemit. God bless you all.
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