When we say “word out,” we are referring to the “writing out” of prayer requests. That means we put it into words or writing to let other people know our prayer requests. But why do we share our prayer requests with others? It is because we are a church community. The Christian journey is never meant to be walked alone. We have fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who are there to correct and rebuke us and to encourage and pray for us no matter what we may be going through.
Heavenly Father, I thank You because You never meant for me to walk alone. You have provided me with a church community so I can share my life and we can do life together. Remind me never to isolate myself but always fight to have time for fellowship with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as to edify one another in the faith. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
How to Word a Prayer Request
Why do we word or write out our prayer requests?
As mentioned above, we word out or write out our prayer requests so that we can share them with others. In this present age, there are many ways we can share our prayer requests, whether that is through writing it with pen and paper or messaging it on social media. Some even do this through email. We do it because we are a church community, and we are there for one another.
Why do we pray for one another’s prayer requests as a church community? We do it because as followers of Jesus Christ, we are to love one another. In John 13:34-35, Jesus gave us the commandment that we are to love one another. The interesting thing about what Jesus said in that verse is that people will know that we are His disciples by how we treat one another, which should be with love. In fact, loving others is the inevitable fruit of loving God. In Matthew 22:34-40, the entire law was summarized by Jesus into just two—loving God, which then results in loving others as we love ourselves. We cannot claim to love God if we don’t love others.
In 1 John 4:7-12, the apostle John exhorts that we are to love another. Those who are born of God and know God love because they know God. Those who do not love, perhaps, have not known God. By the end of the passage, the apostle John exhorts that when God sent His Son Jesus as the propitiation for our sins, this was the greatest display of His love. If God loved us, we should also love others, especially our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
But why are we talking about love here? It is because it is out of love that we pray for one another, or at least it should be the motivation. One of the ways we show love or put it into action is by praying the prayer requests of others. It takes selflessness and effort to pray continually, not just for yourself but in the interest of others. It doesn’t have to be because it is the job of the church community to pray for one another or because it is something that they are obliged to do, but it is something that God has called us to do—love one another.
As a matter of fact, we are called to love one another and carry each other’s burdens. In Galatians 6:2, it is written that we are to carry each other’s burden so we fulfill the law of Christ. What was the law that we mentioned earlier above? It was to love one another. Therefore, if we carry or bear the burden of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, we also love them and fulfill the law that Christ gave us.
While carrying each other’s burdens is indeed being there for each other and helping each other in any way we can, carrying and bearing their burdens with them also includes praying for them. That means if we are going through a tough season and need prayers, our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ ought to pray our prayer request as if it is their burden as well. The same applies when you bear someone’s burden and pray according to their prayer requests. It is not just other people’s problems but yours; therefore, you pray and intercede for them while bearing those burdens.
That is what the church community is for. We have brothers and sisters in Christ who will be with us and pray for us in times of adversity. In Proverbs 17:17, it is written that a friend loves at all times and that a brother is born for adversity.
How to Word a Prayer Request
This is also something that the early church practiced. In Acts 2:42, it is written that they devoted themselves to gathering and having fellowship and prayer.
How to Word a Prayer Request
That is the reason we word or write out our prayer requests. It is because we are in a church community in which we ought to love and pray for one another.
Heavenly Father, in times of trouble, remind me not to go through this alone but to talk this out with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Help me be humble and rely upon You for help, and let my fellow brothers and sisters know my prayer requests so that they may pray and intercede for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
How to Word a Prayer Request
How do we word out our prayer requests?
We word or write out prayer requests by simply putting them into writing. There are two ways that you can do that. First, you could list your prayer requests in bullet points as below:
- Grace and strength to persevere through challenges in work
- More growth in the knowledge of God
- Fruitfulness in my ministry
- Financial provision and peace upon my heart as I worry about my finances
You can also write out your prayer request in a verbatim or letter-like manner, as in the example below:
Hello there!
I am currently going through tough times right now emotionally. Kindly pray for grace and strength as I persevere through life and still obey God’s will in this tough season. Kindly pray for healing also upon my broken heart. Please also pray for the Holy Spirit to open my eyes to Whom God is and what He is like so that even though I go through this tough season of my life, I will fall in love more deeply with God. Thank you so much!
[Your name]
Whether you use the bullet point or the letter-like style is up to you. However, there are several considerations that you can think of as you write out your prayer requests. For instance, through what means are you sending your prayer requests? Is it through the mail? Online chat? Email? How you send it will affect how you write it. For instance, is the spacing good for a letter-like style if it is written with pen and paper? Perhaps a bullet point list would use space more efficiently.
Another thing that you can think about is smoothly articulating your prayer requests. You are doing this for the people who will be praying for your prayer requests. You want to convey your request clearly so that the people who will be praying with you and for you will know your situation well or will at least understand the things that you would like them to pray for. The more specific, the better. Imagine reading “financial provision.” With only this information, you won’t specifically know what to pray for the person. But, if you read “Financial provision for the tuition fee for my kids,” you will have a better idea and will know what you ought to pray for.
As one body of Christ, we must love and pray for one another. A good example is the apostle Paul when he speaks in Romans 1:8-10 of his unceasing prayers for the church in Rome. We ought to do the same. Sometimes, we are especially fired up when it comes to praying for ourselves. While there is nothing wrong with that, we also ought to do the same for others. Christ is the greatest example we have. Though He was God, He came not to serve His interests but the interests of others. He didn’t count Himself equal to God. He came not to be served but to serve. We ought to do the same when we pray, for in this way we can best share our prayer requests with others.