Ideas for Your Prayer Journal Part 2 of 2

5. Pray for Things Others are Struggling With

These things might be life situations like a new career or welcoming a new baby to the family or could be in relation to temptation and sinful things that someone is trying to separate from in their life. We can rely on our brethren to help pray for us and help us through times of great temptation and sin. 

For example James 5:16 reads:

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” 

We can also look at the account of Simon the Sorcerer, not for the purpose of learning about correcting an erring brother, but a godly heart’s answer to such rebuke: prayer.

After Simon is rebuked by Peter he tells Peter in verse 24 of Acts:

 “Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.” 

Consider also that we should pray for people that perhaps we often do not think of in times of prayer since we may not associate them with our scope of church family and friends:

•  classmates
• coworkers
• neighbors
• our enemies. 

Enemies seems like such a strong word, and remember we are also to love everyone, but we recognize that there are people in this world that are more difficult for us to get along with than others. Let us remember to pray for them and their hearts, as well as our own.

This can be a good time for us to also contemplate our feelings and actions about and toward these people and ask God to help us love them as Christ would.

 Matthew 5:44 

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”. 

And, for our enemies and those outside of our social circle in the church we should pray not just for things they are struggling with in this life but most importantly for their spiritual health – their relationship with God. 

An example of this is Paul writing in Romans 10:1 

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”

Can we not say we know people like this ourselves? We know others that know of God, but do not submit to his authority with their whole being.

6. Pray for the Things You are Struggling With

Prayer is personal time between you and God. You can openly bring to him all your cares and worries. He is our Father. Would you as a parent not want your children to bring you their worries and cares so that you could help them through them? 

The Psalmist David gives us such great examples of genuinely coming to God in prayer. He even writes in Psalm 32:5 

“I acknowledge my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.” 

David came in prayer with requests, worries and cares, and also all his sin. We should come to God with our sin and a repentant heart as well because as 1 John 1:9 reads

 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

Read through the psalms for examples of David’s prayers to God. We have already mentioned Hannah in a previous section and she is an example we can use here as well. She was greatly afflicted by being without child, so she came to God with this great burden of her heart, pleading for a child and her prayer was answered. Paul also asked God to take away his thorn in the flesh. This is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:8.

Is something you are struggling with forgiveness? 

Perhaps you need to take time in prayer to ask God to help you forgive as you ought and develop a forgiving heart. It is important for us to seek to forgive as God has done for us. 

In Mark 11:25-26 we read

 “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

7. Pray for the Church and Works of the Church

I think our first and greatest example here should be Jesus’ prayer in John 17 for unity. He was praying for the disciples that would become known as the apostles as well as other believers that would make up the body, the church, soon to be established after his death. Read this chapter and meditate upon the unity Christ is praying for that we should seek to have for ourselves as Christians, within our congregations, with our sister congregations, with the entire body which is the church of Christ, that Christ prayed and died for.

We also know that congregations of Christ’s church received letters to uplift them and sometimes rebuke them as well to seek to keep them motivated and in a right relationship with God. For example in Colossians 1:3 the church at Colosse is told

 “We [Paul and Timotheus] give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you.”

And in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 there are 7 churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos,Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia, receiving commendations, rebuke, or both. These writings can help us reflect on our own congregations. 

What attributes are we thankful our congregations possess? Pray God blesses us because of them, but also pray for areas where our congregations may be lacking that we may seek to grow and develop in a way well pleasing in God’s sight.

8. Praise God for Being Our Creator

We would be nothing and have nothing without God the Father, so take some time in prayer to simply come before Him with praise as the Almighty. Humble yourself before Him with the understanding that you are His creation and He is your Creator, who has planned and prepared all things. 

Praise Him because He:

• gave us life
•  created this earth with the ability to provide us with all necessary sustenance while living on this temporal planet we call home
• planned, from the beginning of the world, a way of salvation for us by the sacrifice of His only begotten son. 
• has created an eternal home for the obedient: heaven.

9. Bonus Section for Parents: Pray for Your Parents

For parents using this as a guide for their own prayers and to teach their children how to pray and what to pray for, this section is about teaching your child to pray for you.

Being a parent is not easy. 

You have to balance showing love and compassion with discipline. Using prayer time can be a way to open up with your children about the difficulty of parenting, not to burden your child with the difficulty of caring for them, but to help them understand why you make the choices you do sometimes as the parent. 

Perhaps begin with Ephesians 6:1 as the foundation.

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” 

This allows your child to see and understand that God wants them to listen to you as the parent, especially when you are directing them in what is pleasing and displeasing to God. Notice the verse reads, “obey your parents in the Lord,” so make sure your guidance is also godly, because children should not be following unrighteous guidance from a parent.

 An example of ungodly guidance may be skipping church on Sunday to go fishing with dad.

 Next, you may go to Proverbs 22:6

 “Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

 This can help you discuss and build an understanding with your child that you are wanting to raise him with good, godly values that when he or she grows up they will know how to make their own right choice that would make God happy. Lastly, you may discuss the correlation between love and discipline.

Hebrews 12 reads in verses 5-7, 

“My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, Nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, And scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?”

 And Proverbs 3:11-12

 “My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; Neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he corrected; Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” 

Notice that both of these examples use the analogy of a father and sons. This can help you teach your child that you discipline out of love like God disciplines out of love. It may also help your child understand if you use yourself as an example of one being under God’s authority and discipline. You may recount a time in your life that you made an unrighteous choice and the consequences you faced due to that choice. 

God may not have sent these consequences upon you, but unfortunately when we make ungodly decisions we sometimes face bad consequences in this life. However, though he may not strike us with consequences for our unrighteous actions we can find his rebuke in scriptures. But, just as you correct and rebuke your child for wrongful actions, we are corrected and rebuked by the Lord through His written word because He wants us to be right with Him so we can have hope of eternal life with Him in heaven. 

This comparison may help your child understand your own discipline in their lives.

Conclusion:

 “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”
James 5:16