Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer reflects a deep love for the Lord, for His Word, and for His people, and it is a joy to join with you in bringing these requests before the Father.
Thank you for lifting up those who lead and teach. Scripture lays a weighty charge on them to preach the Word faithfully and to watch over their own lives and doctrine closely, so that both they and those who hear them will be helped toward salvation. That work cannot be done in human strength. It is wrought through prayer. Those who truly accomplish something for the glory of God are those who have learned to be people of prayer, and God blesses and uses that kind of seeking. It is encouraging to hear you ask that pastors and teachers would be drawn into daily devotion, into earnest prayer and careful study of the Word, into intercession for their congregations and into visiting and caring for families and individuals. Continue to ask the Lord to raise up that kind of faithfulness.
You are right to pray for salvation, even for those who stand in pulpits but may not yet truly know Christ. Salvation is not a reward for service or sincerity. It is a gift of God by His grace through faith in Jesus Christ, who was crucified for our sins. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. That is why the faithful preaching and teaching of Scripture matters so much, and why we pray that the Holy Spirit would anoint that preaching, convict hearts, convert the lost, and open minds to understand the Scriptures. Flesh and blood does not reveal who Jesus is, but the Father in heaven does, and the Spirit is the one who teaches us all things and guides us into truth. Pray that families and visitors would receive the implanted Word with humility, which is able to save the soul, and that they would worship in spirit and truth.
Your desire for hunger for the Word is biblical. Like newborn infants longing for pure milk, we are to crave the Word so we may grow. Ask the Father to give a spirit of wisdom and revelation, to give vision and understanding, and to grant faith not only to hear but to pray and receive. God desires that none should perish but that all should come to repentance, that all should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. He seeks and saves the lost, and He draws people to His Son. He hears us when we ask according to His will, and that gives us confidence to keep asking.
You also prayed for protection and safety, and for warning in times of danger. The Lord is our ever present help, and He has promised to give His angels charge over His people and to deliver those who trust Him. As He once warned His people of the plans of their enemies, He still watches over His own and is able to keep them from the evil one. It is right to pray that the Lord would keep His people from distraction, deception, temptation, false teaching, and fear, and that He would guard them from evil people and from the lies of the enemy. Pray too that believers would not neglect meeting together, as some have fallen into the habit of doing, but would gather often to hear the Word, to break bread, and to encourage one another, not out of mere duty but out of love for Christ and for His body.
A few things to remember as you keep praying. The purpose of prayer is not to get our will done, but to see God's will done on earth as it is in heaven. Prayer begins with God, with His purposes made known to our hearts, which we then offer back to Him, trusting Him to accomplish what He desires. For that reason prayer changes us more than it changes God. It teaches us submission and patience, especially when the answer does not come at once or does not come as we expected. God often allows a time of testing between the prayer and the answer to strengthen our faith.
Length is not what makes prayer effective. The prayers recorded in Scripture are often very short. What matters is the heart. The fervent, heartfelt prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. The Lord gave us a model for prayer that begins with relationship, Our Father in heaven, and that relationship is opened only through mercy toward sinners in Christ. Once we are His children, we have this open door to speak with Him. Much prayer may be quiet and unspoken, simply lifted in the heart for guidance, and in that communion the Spirit brings assurance and comfort.
Prayer also takes the form of worship, an awareness of the greatness and glory of God, and it should move toward thanksgiving and praise. The prayers of faith in the Psalms so often end with praise, with confidence that God has heard and will answer. So continue in prayer and watch with thanksgiving. Agree together with others when you can, for the Lord has promised to hear when His people agree on earth concerning what they ask. And remember that prayer opens the door for God to do what He has long desired to do, without violating the will He has given us.
May the Lord answer your cry for His manifest presence, for faith, repentance, and the knowledge of forgiveness and new life in Christ. May He increase hunger for His Word, protect His people across the world, strengthen pastors to war against prayerlessness in their own lives, and draw whole households to Himself.
We join you in praying: Father, be merciful and draw many to Jesus. Pour out Your Spirit to convict, to teach, and to give understanding. Raise up faithful men who will preach Your Word, shepherd with sound teaching, and live lives that reflect Your holiness. Give Your people love for Your house and for one another, freedom to worship, and protection from every form of evil and deception. Guard them, keep them from the evil one, and fill them with Your peace that passes understanding. We ask this in the name of Jesus, trusting that what we ask according to Your will, You hear. Amen.
Thank you for lifting up those who lead and teach. Scripture lays a weighty charge on them to preach the Word faithfully and to watch over their own lives and doctrine closely, so that both they and those who hear them will be helped toward salvation. That work cannot be done in human strength. It is wrought through prayer. Those who truly accomplish something for the glory of God are those who have learned to be people of prayer, and God blesses and uses that kind of seeking. It is encouraging to hear you ask that pastors and teachers would be drawn into daily devotion, into earnest prayer and careful study of the Word, into intercession for their congregations and into visiting and caring for families and individuals. Continue to ask the Lord to raise up that kind of faithfulness.
You are right to pray for salvation, even for those who stand in pulpits but may not yet truly know Christ. Salvation is not a reward for service or sincerity. It is a gift of God by His grace through faith in Jesus Christ, who was crucified for our sins. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. That is why the faithful preaching and teaching of Scripture matters so much, and why we pray that the Holy Spirit would anoint that preaching, convict hearts, convert the lost, and open minds to understand the Scriptures. Flesh and blood does not reveal who Jesus is, but the Father in heaven does, and the Spirit is the one who teaches us all things and guides us into truth. Pray that families and visitors would receive the implanted Word with humility, which is able to save the soul, and that they would worship in spirit and truth.
Your desire for hunger for the Word is biblical. Like newborn infants longing for pure milk, we are to crave the Word so we may grow. Ask the Father to give a spirit of wisdom and revelation, to give vision and understanding, and to grant faith not only to hear but to pray and receive. God desires that none should perish but that all should come to repentance, that all should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. He seeks and saves the lost, and He draws people to His Son. He hears us when we ask according to His will, and that gives us confidence to keep asking.
You also prayed for protection and safety, and for warning in times of danger. The Lord is our ever present help, and He has promised to give His angels charge over His people and to deliver those who trust Him. As He once warned His people of the plans of their enemies, He still watches over His own and is able to keep them from the evil one. It is right to pray that the Lord would keep His people from distraction, deception, temptation, false teaching, and fear, and that He would guard them from evil people and from the lies of the enemy. Pray too that believers would not neglect meeting together, as some have fallen into the habit of doing, but would gather often to hear the Word, to break bread, and to encourage one another, not out of mere duty but out of love for Christ and for His body.
A few things to remember as you keep praying. The purpose of prayer is not to get our will done, but to see God's will done on earth as it is in heaven. Prayer begins with God, with His purposes made known to our hearts, which we then offer back to Him, trusting Him to accomplish what He desires. For that reason prayer changes us more than it changes God. It teaches us submission and patience, especially when the answer does not come at once or does not come as we expected. God often allows a time of testing between the prayer and the answer to strengthen our faith.
Length is not what makes prayer effective. The prayers recorded in Scripture are often very short. What matters is the heart. The fervent, heartfelt prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. The Lord gave us a model for prayer that begins with relationship, Our Father in heaven, and that relationship is opened only through mercy toward sinners in Christ. Once we are His children, we have this open door to speak with Him. Much prayer may be quiet and unspoken, simply lifted in the heart for guidance, and in that communion the Spirit brings assurance and comfort.
Prayer also takes the form of worship, an awareness of the greatness and glory of God, and it should move toward thanksgiving and praise. The prayers of faith in the Psalms so often end with praise, with confidence that God has heard and will answer. So continue in prayer and watch with thanksgiving. Agree together with others when you can, for the Lord has promised to hear when His people agree on earth concerning what they ask. And remember that prayer opens the door for God to do what He has long desired to do, without violating the will He has given us.
May the Lord answer your cry for His manifest presence, for faith, repentance, and the knowledge of forgiveness and new life in Christ. May He increase hunger for His Word, protect His people across the world, strengthen pastors to war against prayerlessness in their own lives, and draw whole households to Himself.
We join you in praying: Father, be merciful and draw many to Jesus. Pour out Your Spirit to convict, to teach, and to give understanding. Raise up faithful men who will preach Your Word, shepherd with sound teaching, and live lives that reflect Your holiness. Give Your people love for Your house and for one another, freedom to worship, and protection from every form of evil and deception. Guard them, keep them from the evil one, and fill them with Your peace that passes understanding. We ask this in the name of Jesus, trusting that what we ask according to Your will, You hear. Amen.
