Colossians 1:14-19 – a prayer of Paul

 

God, fill Your people

with the knowledge of Your will,

so we’ll have the spiritual wisdom

and understanding we need.

 

May we live lives worthy of You, Lord.

 

May we please You in every way:

bearing fruit in each good work,

growing in our knowledge of You,

being strengthened

through Your glorious might

with the power we need.

 

May we have the ability

to be patient and endure,

giving joyful thanks to You, Father,

for You have qualified us

to share in Your gifts

with all Your people

in Your kingdom of light,

for You have rescued us

from the clutches of darkness,

and You have brought us

into the kingdom of Your beloved Son

in Whom we have been redeemed –

in Whom we have been forgiven.

 

Mary Harwell Sayler

from the Book of Bible Prayers 

 

 

 

 

Praying for those who labor

 

Matthew 11:28-30 – Jesus promised, “Come to Me you who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

How often do we place unnecessary loads on our own shoulders, Lord, or struggle to do jobs that aren’t ours but Yours? How often do we let our ambitions and egos get in the way of Your Way?

Help us to be kindly taskmasters toward ourselves and other people over whom we have influence.
 

Help us to recognize and receive Your easy yoke without squirming or flinching or trying to shift the light weight we’re to carry onto someone else.

Thank You, Lord, for promising a reward of rest to Your followers. Help us to rest easy in You.

 

 

from Kneeling on the Promises of God 

Mary Harwell Sayler 

 

 

Praying for our Leaders – and theirs

As the pandemic continues to affect our country and almost every other country too, tensions increase and blame abounds, spreading the contagious dis-ease of bad attitudes and depressing outlooks. 

We can contribute to the general malaise, or, as Christians, we can take another tack. Here’s how the Apostle Paul prayed in troubling times.

1 Timothy 2:1-6  – a prayer of Paul

from the King James Version of the Bible

I exhort therefore, that, first of all,

supplications, prayers, intercessions,

and giving of thanks, be made for all…;

For kings, and for all that are in authority;

that we may lead a quiet and peaceable

life in all godliness and honesty.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight

of God our Saviour; Who will have

all to be saved, and to come

unto the knowledge of the truth.

For there is one God, and one mediator

between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Who gave himself a ransom for all,

to be testified in due time.

From the Book of KJV Prayers - actual prayers from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV) collected by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019 

1 Timothy 2:1-6  – a prayer of Paul

paraphrased into current language

Remind us, Lord,

to make our requests –

our prayers,

intercession,

and thanksgiving –

for everyone,

including our leaders

and all those in authority,

so we may live

peaceful,

quiet,

godly,

holy lives.

Surely this pleases You,

God our Savior,

for You want everyone

to be saved

and come to know

the truth in You.

You alone are God,

and we have One

mediator between You

and other people –

the One, Christ Jesus,

Who gave Himself

as a ransom for us

and everyone.

From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations and paraphrased into everyday English by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019

May this Bible prayer remind us to pray for our leaders, whether we like them or not, and also to pray for those in authority in other countries too, yes, including tyrants!

May this Bible prayer remind us to pray for everyone God puts on our minds.

Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2020

P.S. Even if I forget to say so, the Bible Gateway website has long eased and aided my search for Bible prayers and other biblical topics.

…

Praying for God to empower the church

Kneeling before the Father –
from Whom every family
in heaven and earth
has its true Family Name –
let's pray for God’s great glory
to give us the power to be
strengthened in our spirit
through the Holy Spirit.

Let's pray for Christ to quicken
our hearts with faith,
so our lives will be built
on unshakable love.

And pray for all of God’s people
to be fortified by Christ’s love,
so we can see how wide,
how long, how high, how deep
His Fortress of Love really is.

For Christ’s love is greater
than anything we can know!

And His love fills us with God.

Now to Him Who Is Able
to do far more than we
can ask or imagine,
let's let His power be at work in us,
the Body of Christ, and may we,
as one church, bring glory to God
for ever and ever.

Ephesians 3:14-21 prayer-a-phrased by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2017, using scripture from various translations on Bible Gateway.

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