Praying for favor means praying for a particular endeavor to prosper or to go well. We all find ourselves praying and believing in God for favor from time to time. As our hearts’ meditation is acceptable in the eyes of God (Psalm 19:14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.), our minds renewed by the Scripture (Romans 12:2), and our hearts’ desires are based on delighting in God (Psalm 37:4), we present to God our prayer requests and believe Him. He is able to grant us the great things that we ask for, the favor for which we are praying.
Father in heaven, what is impossible for men is not impossible for You. I know that all things are possible in You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Pray That All May Go Well
At times, Christians are hesitant to pray for favor or provision to avoid leaning into the extreme of prosperity. We never want to treat God like a personal genie whom we use to grant our wishes. However, it’s important to know the Bible does not negate the concept of prosperity! In 3 John 1:2, John teaches us to pray not only for our health and our souls but for prosperity in all things. In other words, he’s teaching us to pray for favor—he even uses the word “prosperity.” We can rest assured that it’s fine to pray for prosperity and favor for our businesses, job applications, career endeavors, plans in life, good health, and many other things.
A Favor Prayer
A Favor Prayer
Our desire for favor or prosperity should always fit together with the Gospel. What exactly is the Gospel? The term refers to Christ’s selfless act of dying for our sins to give us eternal life and forgiveness if we repent, believe, and follow Him. The Christian life is a call to follow Christ and die to ourselves. In other words, we are given a new life in Christ and live that life for Him. That is why in Galatians 2:20, Paul said that he has been crucified with Christ; it is no longer he who lives but Christ in him. The life that he lives now is one he lives for Christ, who loved him and died for him. That is why Jesus said that if we want to follow Him, we are to deny ourselves (Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.).
A Favor Prayer
Is praying for prosperity contrary to denying ourselves? Not necessarily. We can still live a Christian life while praying for our businesses, careers, health, and other concerns and endeavors. As Christians, we are commanded to die to ourselves and live for God—everything in our lives should be about God and not us. That means when we pray for our businesses to prosper, we should do so not because we want to hoard wealth for ourselves—but because we want to grow wealth to use as a channel of God’s blessing to others. We desire a favorable outcome on a university application not so we can boast a good education but so we can learn well, be competent in our profession, and be a blessing to our future workplace. We pray for favor for our endeavors not for ourselves, but for God.
This desire becomes inherent for us when our hearts are changed as we become new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). As we saturate our minds with Scripture, we’re transformed by the renewing of our minds, as Romans 12:2 describes. This transformation only makes the desire grow stronger as we seek to honor God. Hence, by all means, pray for favor for whatever endeavor would serve the kingdom of God and glorify Him, which is our ultimate goal (1 Corinthians 10:31).
LORD, as I pray to You for favor for my endeavors, may I always ask for them from a heart that desires to honor and glorify You. I wish to serve You in everything I can, living a life of worship towards You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
A Favor Prayer
How Do We Pray and Ask God for Favor?
Praying for God’s favor in our endeavors for His glory is simple—all we have to do is ask. Matthew 7:7 teaches us that we can ask God and believe in Him for great things. A prayer for favor does not have to be long and complicated. It can be as simple as asking Him for favor to be accepted into a school that will build your competence in your future profession and glorify God along the way. By all means, simply ask God for favor.
It is also important to know there is nothing wrong with praying for favor for things you desire. For example, let’s say you wish to make an international move to improve your family’s quality of life. If you have made the decision prayerfully, guided by the Scripture, and following the counsel of wise people, by all means, pray for favor. But remember to be mindful: we must be careful not to make our desires our ultimate driving factor in life. That is why, as we pray for favor, we must first delight ourselves in the Lord and desire from the right kind of heart (Psalm 19:14).
Heavenly Father, I pray for favor in my endeavors and that all may go well with them. May those endeavors bring You glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
As you seek God’s favor for whatever desires you have, know that He is able to fulfill what you believe Him for. Our God is an almighty God who created the heavens and the earth with outstretched arms—nothing is too hard for Him (Jeremiah 32:17).
A Favor Prayer