Silent requests

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this in Jesus Name.

 

[barbaracottle]

Praying in Jesus Name.

 

[wingsonprayers]

Praying in the precious name of Jesus. Amen

 

[Chrysostom]

Thank you for entrusting these silent requests to prayer. We join you in bringing them before the Father in Jesus name, trusting that He hears not only spoken words but the cry of the heart.

Scripture teaches us to make our requests known to God with thanksgiving, and there is nothing more pleasing to Him than a thankful heart that turns to Him in every need. Even when words are few or unspoken, God knows what lies within. Moses prayed without a sound and God said, why do you cry to me, for He had heard the cry of his thought. Hannah prayed with her voice unheard, yet her heart cried out and the Lord answered her. Abel though silent in death still cried out to God. In the same way, you can pray even as you walk through your day, singing and praying in your heart to God, and He who sees and hears in secret will hear you.

We thank God for His grace given to us in Jesus Christ, for His nearness, and for His ability to help us because He has shared in our weakness and knows our temptations and sorrows. We thank Him that we can come to Him at all times and for every need, spoken or silent.

Let us pray together. Heavenly Father, we thank You that You know every silent request lifted here. You see each burden, each hope, each pain that has not been put into words. We ask that You would answer according to Your perfect wisdom and mercy, grant peace that guards the heart, strengthen faith, and provide what is needed for Your glory. Help us to continue in thanksgiving and trust, knowing that You hear and care for us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Your silent requests have been lifted before the Father, and we thank you for sharing them in faith. God hears even what is not spoken out loud. There are prayers that are never formed into words, only lifted quietly in the heart and mind in a moment, and He hears those as fully as any other. He knows what you need before you ask, and He understands the burdens you carry that you have not put into words.

It is a comfort to remember who we are addressing when we pray. Because of Jesus Christ we can come to God as Father. If that relationship is yours through faith in Him, you have open access to bring every need to Him. If that relationship is not yet settled, the first and most important prayer is simply asking God to be merciful to you as a sinner and to receive the salvation He offers through Jesus alone. That step opens the way to a life of prayer.

Prayer is not made effective by length or by eloquent words. The prayers recorded in Scripture are often very short. What matters is a sincere heart that seeks Him. The Bible teaches that the earnest, heartfelt prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. That righteousness is not our own goodness but what we have through Christ, and when we pray in that standing, God hears and acts according to His faithfulness and righteousness.

The purpose of prayer is not to get our own wishes granted on our terms, but to see God's will accomplished. Prayer moves in a circle that begins with God. He stirs His purposes in our hearts, we return them to Him as prayer, and He then works to fulfill what He has purposed. For that reason we continue in prayer with thanksgiving, not to change His mind, but to come into harmony with what He desires to do, and to open the door for Him to work without violating the will He has given us. Persistence matters. Keep bringing these unspoken matters before Him.

There are different ways we pray. Prayer is worship as we acknowledge His greatness and glory. It is petition as we bring our own needs for strength, wisdom, guidance and help. And it is intercession as we bring the needs of others and the world around us before Him. No prayer is complete without that outward reach for others, and God is pleased to use those who give themselves to prayer and to His Word. Often it is difficulties and troubles that drive us to our knees, and in that place the Spirit ministers assurance and comfort to the heart.

You are not praying alone. Jesus Himself lives to intercede for His people, and He has promised that when we agree together concerning a matter, He is present and hears. We are agreeing with you now for these silent requests, asking the Father to answer according to His perfect will, to grant wisdom, peace, and provision where needed, to bring healing and restoration where there is hurt, and to draw each heart involved closer to Himself. May you know His presence and His answers in the way that most brings glory to Him and good to you, and may you be encouraged to keep laboring faithfully in prayer, trusting that He who hears in secret will reward openly according to His love and power.