Prayer

Last week, we considered the crazy idea of fasting in 2009, looking at John Piper's summary of some topics to pray for while fasting. This week, consider more generally what topics we should pray for. What do you normally pray for? What topics do you focus on more than others? For many of us, the bulk of our prayers concern three topics:

1. health for ourselves and those we know and love
2. guidance and direction in school, careers, and love life
3. wisdom in dealing with problems in our families, our workplaces, our schools, and our churches.

Now, we should pray for these topics. There are numerous biblical examples of prayers on these themes (see, for example, Genesis 20:7, James 1:5, James 5:13-16, and Jeremiah 42:1-3). Indeed, we should pray for anything that is potentially worrying (Philippians 4:6-7). But while these three themes are biblical, they constitute only a tiny portion of the prayers offered in the Bible. I encourage you to look at some of the great prayers in the Bible, and then use some of that language as your own as you pray. Then look at some of the themes prayed about at various other points in Scripture, and include those themes in your prayers this week. To help you in that regard, I list below some of the important Biblical prayers, followed by a list of themes. Neither list is nearly comprehensive; in particular, nearly every psalm is a prayer, and I haven't referred to that book at all. But if you spend some time contemplating these themes and prayers, you will enrich your prayers - and you will be that much more effective and productive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and your joy in Him will grow, to His glory. So pray on these themes - and let others know the impact on you.