Praying with Paul

Philippians 4:5​

Dear Father, victorious deliverer,
Everything points to the fact that we live in the last days, so let me not waste time sleeping.
Salvation is nearer now than when I first believed. The night is far gone. The day is at hand.
Help me cast off all the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Let me conduct myself as becomes one of your people, not in reveling or drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling or jealousy.
Rather let...

 

Philippians 4:8-9​

Dear Father, praiseworthy God,
Help me set my mind only on things that are true, that are noble, right, pure and lovely, things that are worthy of admiration.
If there is anything excellent or praiseworthy, O God, let me think only about such things!
Whatever I have learned or received or heard through your apostles and your word, help me to put into practice.
O God of peace, be with me in everything! I believe you will, for you have promised it.
I lovingly...

 

Philippians 4:4-7​

Dear Father, forbearing God,
Let me rejoice in the Lord always! Again I ask this from you: Let me rejoice always!
Let me be gentle, open to reason, slow to make negative judgments.
Let this forbearing spirit be apparent to everyone.
I know the Lord Jesus is near, so I have no reason to be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let me present my requests to you.
I believe in you, Father, a God who transcends all...

 

Philippians 4:1​

Dear Father,
Help me to stand firm in the Lord, not only for my own sake but because I am someone's joy and crown, the object of their love and longing.
May I reach out to others to call them to follow the example Christ. Let them become my joy and crown, the objects of my love and longing.
Especially, Father, let me influence my family - spouse, children, in-laws, grandchildren - to walk in your way and to long for your day.
I love them dearly and long for...

 

Philippians 3:16-21​

Dear Father,
I want to join all your holy people in imitating the example of your apostle Paul, and I want to take notice of people in my own time who live by the same example.
Thank you, my God, that my citizenship is in heaven, from which I wait the return of my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you, Father, that he will come to change my lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him to subject all things to himself.
In the...

 

Philippians 3:15​

Father,
May the motivations of my life come from the future you have appointed for me rather than from the past I have lived.
Let every one of my fellow Christians be mature in this matter too, along with me.
If I, or they, are lacking in any way, please disclose this to us, and change us!
Help us hold true to what we have already attained. Don't let us throw this away!
In the name of our Lord Jesus I ask these things and pray that you will grant us a spirit of...

 

Philippians 3:10-14​

Father,
I want to do this because I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, and be allowed even to share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Dear Father, I know that I have not made this my own yet, but one thing let me do: Let me forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead. Help me to keep pressing forward toward the goal so that I may win the prize...

 

Philippians 3:8​

Dear Father, Keeper of all your promises,
You have promised: "Be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life." Thank you for such a precious promise! You are so gracious to me!
Help me to count everything as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord. For his sake I would gladly suffer the loss of all things - at least I hope I would - and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
Father, you...

 

Philippians 2:19-3:7​

Dear Father,
Help me to be a Timothy, one who genuinely cares for the welfare of others.
Help me look out not just for my own interests, but for Christ's.
Help me to be an Epaphroditus, a true fellow worker and fellow soldier to all others who serve you, risking my life for you.
Help me to be one of the true circumcision, who worship you in spirit, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh.
Help me turn my back on all earthly gain...

 

Philippians 2:14-18​

Dear Father,
Help me do what is needed without complaining or arguing, so that I may be blameless and pure.
Let me be your child without fault, a child of God, in a crooked and perverse generation.
Let me shine like a brilliant star in the night skies of your universe, as I hold out the word of life.
Make me a source of pride to those who led me to the Lord, so that they may know that their efforts were not in vain.
Let me rejoice together with all your...