As followers of Christ, we are commanded to always pray to God. When we pray, we don’t pray to the mother, angels, or other Christians, but we pray directly to God through Christ, our mediator and high priest.
We don’t just pray because we are commanded; that is not the only reason for it. We pray to God because it is our act of worship to God whom we love and revere. When we pray, we pray to God with faith. Praying is an act of humility before God. We pray and depend on God, knowing that only God is capable of everything in the end. That is why we always pray to God for grace, mercy, and strength as we live our lives because it is God Who sustains and helps us, and Christ is the one Who holds all things together. That is why we don’t rely on our capabilities, but on God’s, by praying and presenting our supplications toward God concerning our worries and anxieties. The good thing is that as we pray to God about the concerns that we have, the peace of Christ that transcends all understanding shall guard our hearts and minds.
We are to follow the example of those in the early church who devoted themselves to prayer. We should also devote ourselves to prayer and always make sure to fight for our prayer time with God. Prayer is a means of grace that God has instituted along with reading His Word and being in fellowship with other believers. It is impossible to endure and persevere during tough times if we don’t pray, read our Bibles, and connect with fellow believers. Most of all, the reason we pray is not that we have needs. Indeed, we can pray to God for our needs and concerns, but we don’t pray to God only because we need something and then forget about Him if things are going well for us. Regardless of what season we are going through, we pray to God because He is our Father, with Whom we are in a relationship. Just like any other relationship, communication is essential. God communicates to us through His Word, and we communicate to Him through praying.
Psalm 111:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Matthew 6:6
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Luke 5:16
And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
Acts 2:42
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Philippians 4:6
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Father in heaven, give me the grace to always fight for my prayer time with You and that I would not let the business of life affect my time with You. Help me to follow the example of Christ, Who always makes time to spend with You in solitude, and may I never let a day start without relying on You for everything. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
A Disciples Prayer
What do I say to God in prayer?
As a disciple of Jesus Christ, there are essential things that you should always pray for. There is nothing wrong with praying for a job promotion, good health, or believing God will do something in your prayers.
3 John 1:2
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
However, we also have to understand that there are other, more important, things that we should pray for than good health, job promotion, and other things that concern only our temporary life here on earth. For example, praying for your sanctification and that the fruit of the Spirit will be more evident in your life is much more important than praying for good health. A short life in which you grew in sanctification and became more like Jesus in character and bearing of the fruit of the Spirit is way better than living a long life that’s no different than before you became a Christian. If that is the case, you may have had trouble understanding what the Gospel really is. In other words, what followers of Christ should pray for more than anything are things that have an eternal weight on them.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
With that, one of the things that you can pray for is your sanctification. You should always pray to God that His work in You will become more evident in your life and how you live your life, as well as that the fruit of the Spirit will become more evident in your life. The fruit of the Spirit in our lives is evidence that we indeed have the Holy Spirit, which is the proof that we are indeed saved in Christ. It does not speak about perfection but the direction of your life moving in the direction of holiness. The good thing is that for those in Christ, the Holy Spirit works in us to make us more Christlike as He sanctifies us, and that work shall be brought into completion in the future.
2 Thessalonians 2:13
But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
1 Thessalonians 4:3
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
1 Thessalonians 5:23
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Father in heaven, I thank You because in Christ I have the Holy Spirit, Who dwells in me and works in me to make me more and more like Your Son Jesus. I pray that the work of the Holy Spirit in my life shall become more evident by the way I live, always pursuing holiness in everything. I also pray that the fruit of the Spirit shall be seen in my life. Give me the grace to discard everything that is dishonorable in me. Thank You, Holy Spirit, because Your work shall be brought into completion in the greater future that is to come. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Another thing that you should always pray for as a disciple of Christ is that you shall always live for Christ alone. Everything that you do is for Christ. Like the apostle Paul said, it is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you. Therefore, as you live your life, everything you do is for Christ and the advancement of His kingdom. There is no room for yourself anymore. In fact, if we follow Christ, we are to die to ourselves.
Luke 9:23
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Romans 12:11
Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Heavenly Father, give me the grace to always be zealous for Christ; that I shall never be ashamed of Him but instead preach Him to those who don’t know Him, for it is He Who everyone ultimately needs. I pray that I shall always die to myself and that I shall never live my life for my ambition or wants. But I shall live my life for Christ because I am crucified in Christ, so it is no longer I who live, but Christ who died for me and gave Himself up for me. Let everything that I do be for Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
A Disciples Prayer
You can also pray that your heart’s delight shall always be in God and nothing else; that the desires of your heart shall always be desires that honor God and align with God’s will. This also means that you as a Christian should always pray for your heart and that you shall always guard your heart and make sure that only God alone is seated in the throne of your heart—no one else and nothing else. The heart is a very important part of our being; it is the core of us. It is from where our desires, thoughts, actions, emotions, and every fiber of our inner being stem. That is why we should guard it.
Proverbs 4:23
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Psalm 37:4
Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Matthew 6:10
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Heavenly Father, give me the grace to always be vigilant and always guard my heart. May Christ alone be enthroned in my heart and may it be only You that I will love above everything else with all of my heart, soul, and strength. May the desires of my heart always be those things that are righteous and within Your will. I also pray that my delight shall always be in You and in no one or nothing else. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
A Disciples Prayer
As mentioned before, reading your Bible is one of the means of grace God has instituted. We also call these means spiritual disciplines. So, as a Christian, you should pray that you shall always love the Word of God and that You shall always seek it, value it, and submit your life to what the Word of God says. God’s Word is likened to our spiritual food or milk. Just like an infant who can’t live without milk or a person who has to eat to survive, we also have to constantly dive into God’s Word because it sustains us. That is why if we are not doing our spiritual disciplines, it will hit us hard whenever we go through tough times because God’s Word sustains us.
Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Luke 11:28
But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Heavenly Father, give me the grace to always keep my spiritual disciplines, for it is where I grow more as a Christian and receive more of Your grace through Christ. Help me, Father, to always seek Your word just as I seek food every day, and I shall never let a day pass without reading Your Word. Give me the grace to read Your Word and meditate on them day and night to apply them in my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
A Disciples Prayer
Lastly, as Christians, we are commanded by Jesus to preach the Gospel to the lost because it is only through the Gospel that they can be saved and find eternal life in Christ. We preach the Gospel to the lost not only because we are commanded by Jesus but also because we have witnessed Christ and how He changed our lives and gave us eternal life. Because of that, we want to share Christ with those who don’t know Him. Also, as Christians, we are to be the salt and light to the world. We are to point them to the light, which is Christ.
Matthew 5:13-16
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Heavenly Father, give me the grace to always live an obedient life for You. Give me the boldness and courage to preach Christ to my friends, family, classmates, or workmates who do not know what Christ has done for them. Help me never be ashamed of the Gospel, for it is Your power of salvation to anyone who believes. Also, may the life that I live be a testimony of how Christ changes lives and turns them into a new creation. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
The things that we have prayed about here are all from the Bible. Therefore, the things that You would want and should pray for as a Christian can be found in the Bible. As you read God’s Word, desire to obey God and live out what He says. The prayers mentioned here are a few of the things you can pray for that have eternal weight. That is why praying alone is not enough; you should also read your Bible.
How do you pray for someone who is suffering?
Another thing to keep in mind is that we should not only pray for ourselves as Christians. We are to love one another as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Part of loving one another is praying for one another and weeping with those who weep as some of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ go through suffering.
Romans 1:9-10
9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.
Romans 12:15
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
1 Timothy 2:1
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
1 John 4:21
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
Here is a prayer you can pray if you know a fellow church member who is going through suffering:
Heavenly Father, I pray for church member that You would give him/her the grace to persevere and endure as he/she goes through a season of suffering. Thank You, Father, because you are the One who comforts him/her. You are the God of mercies and comfort Who relieves him/her in times of affliction. Give him/her the strength that he/she needs and may he/she continue to give You thanks even in the season of suffering. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
We have confidence that if we pray that which is biblical and is in God’s Word, we know that God will answer our prayer as long as our prayers are within His will. We should also not forget to always pray to God with our thanksgiving prayers. As Christians, our hearts should always be filled with gratitude, no matter what season we are going through, because of the grace and joy that we have in Christ.