How And For What Should We Pray?

How And For What Should We Pray?
A List of Paul’s Prayer Requests/Circumstances In the New Testament

I pray 🙂 that this list below of what Paul prayed for and what he asked others to pray for will serve to buttress and focus our prayer life as we follow in the footsteps of Paul who followed in the footsteps of Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 4:14-17).

1. Acts 13:3 and 14:23: Prayer to commission/commit to the LORD missionaries and elders that had been chosen to serve in local churches.

2. Acts 16:25: Prayer as a way to worship God while he and Silas were unjustly in prison.

3. Acts 20:36: Prayer at a time of sadness over his upcoming departure. Also as a means of committing those he had trained/discipled to the care of God because Paul would no longer be able to personally lead these particular people on earth.

4. Acts 22:17: General/unspecified personal prayer while at the Temple.

5. Acts 26:27-29: Prayed that God would help non-believers to say “yes” to Jesus and become bold and faithful sharers/proclaimers of the Gospel like Paul himself.

6. Acts 28:8: Prayed for the physical healing of a man suffering from dysentery and a fever.

7. Romans 1:9-11: Prayed consistently for other Christians (as a way to remember them when he was away on his missionary travels) and specifically that God would allow Paul to visit the believers in Rome so that Paul could strengthen them with spiritual gifts.

8. Romans 10:1: Prayed that his fellow Jews would be saved, would surrender to Jesus as Messiah & Lord.

9. Romans 15:30: Praying for other Christians as a way to join them in their struggle.

10. Romans 15:31: Paul requested prayer for two specific struggles he was facing: physical danger at the hands of some unbelievers and also that his service/ministry would be helpful/supportive to the believers in Jerusalem.

11. 1 Corinthians 14:13: Prayer as a way to interpret for others what is spoken in a heavenly or other earthly language.

12. 2 Corinthians 1:10-12: Prayer as a way to support other Christians. Also as a way to produce thanksgiving to God as a response to God answering our prayers for support.

13. 2 Corinthians 9:13-15: Prayer as a way to praise God for the obedience/witness/generosity of other Christians.

14. 2 Corinthians 13:7: Prayer for the faithfulness/obedience/integrity of other Christians to God.

15. 2 Corinthians 13:9: Prayer for other Christians to reach full maturity in their friendship with God.

16. Ephesians 1:15-16: Prayer as a way to remember (fellowship with) from a distance other Christians, and also as a way to give thanks to God for the great faith and love that He is growing in other believers.

17. Ephesians 1:17-20: Prayer for other Christians that God will A. give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to help them know God better and B. open the eyes of their hearts to more deeply experience His hope, the abundance of His inheritance, and His power.

18. Ephesians 3:13-19: Prayer for other Christians A. to not be discouraged by Paul’s suffering, B. to be strengthened with power by God’s Spirit so Jesus can dwell in their hearts by their faith, C. to have power by being rooted in the love of Jesus, D. to know/experience more deeply the love Jesus, and E. to each be filled with the fullness of God’s love/Spirit/presence.

19. Ephesians 6:18: Constant prayer for all kinds of reasons/requests, from the mundane to the miraculous.

20. Ephesians 6:19-20: Prayer that God would give Paul words to constantly, fearlessly and accurately share the Gospel of Jesus wherever Paul is.

21. Philippians 1:3: Prayer as a way for Paul to thank God for Paul’s friendship with other believers.

22. Philippians 1:4-5: General prayer for other Christians for all kinds of reasons, especially as a way to display confidence that God will finish the work of sanctification (spiritual maturation) that He started in the lives of other Christians.

23. Philippians 1:9-11: Prayer that God will strengthen the love of other Christians to grow in knowledge/depth of insight so that other Christians will make wise decisions and will someday have an inner character/personality that accurately reflects Jesus.

24. Philippians 1:19: Prayer that God will bring good out of the bad things that have happened to Paul, and prayer that God will use even the selfish intentions of others to spread God’s fame around the world.

25. Philippians 4:6: Prayer as a way to deal with/respond to/overcome anxiety, prayer as a channel/i.v. for the peace of God through Christ to soothe and protect our anxious hearts and minds.

26. Colossians 1:3: Prayer as a way to thank God for the work He is doing through other Christians, especially for the active faith and love that other Christians are displaying for God and others in their everyday lives.

27. Colossians 1:9-12: Praying for other Christians, specifically asking God A. to help them understand God’s will, B. to help them live a life that brings fame/honor to God, C. to help them live in a way that brings a smile to God’s face, D. to help their character become more like Jesus as they do all kinds of good deeds throughout the day, E. to help them grow closer to God as His friends and children, F. to strengthen them with His power so they can patiently endure the hard times of life and give thanks to God joyfully even when they are suffering.

28. Colossians 4:2: Prayer as a way to be devoted to Jesus, as a way to be alert/focused and thankful.

29. Colossians 4:3: Prayer for other Christians that God would A. give them opportunities to share His love/grace/truth with non-believers and B. enable them to share the Gospel clearly and accurately.

30. Colossians 4:12: Intense/wrestling prayer for other Christians that during hard times God would help them to A. stay committed to Jesus, B. act like mature Christians and C. have a strong trust in Who God is, what He has done, and what He promises to do for His people.

31. 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3: Prayer of thanks to God for His work through other Christians, specifically regarding their A. acts/deeds of faith, B. acts/deeds of love, and C. dedication to Jesus through trials.

32. 1 Thessalonians 3:10: Constant prayer—literally night and day—to see/visit with other Christians and to strengthen their faith in Jesus.

33. 1 Thessalonians 5:17: Instruction to pray as much as possible throughout the day for all reasons.

34. 1 Thessalonians 5:25: General request for prayer for an entire group of Christians.

35. 2 Thessalonians 1:11: Constant prayer for other Christians that God will use His power to
bless/bring to completion every good purpose/plan they have that is inspired by their faith in Jesus.

36. 2 Thessalonians 1:12: Constant prayer for other Christians that their faithful lives will cause Jesus’ fame around the world will grow and that He will receive all the recognition/spotlight.

37. 2 Thessalonians 3:1: Prayer request to other Christians that God will cause His message (Gospel) of grace to spread rapidly and honorably through the lives of Paul and his fellow missionaries.

38. 2 Thessalonians 3:2: Prayer request to other Christians that God will protect Paul and his fellow missionaries from the harmful plans of anyone looking to stop them from sharing Jesus with others.

39. 1 Timothy 2:1: Prayer for everyone (even strangers), and especially prayer for those in positions of authority throughout the world so that God would bless His people to live lives of peace/quiet on earth as they fulfill the Great Commission.

40. 1 Timothy 2:8: Command for men specifically to pray on a regular basis.

41. 1 Timothy 4:4-5: Prayer as a way to consecrate/bless food and associate food w/the sacred.

42. 1 Timothy 5:5: Constant prayer—literally night and day—to God for help, needs, etc. as a way to show that our hope/trust is truly in God.

43. 2 Timothy 1:3: Constant prayer—literally night and day—as a way of thanking God and
remembering friendships with other Christians.

44. Philemon 1:4-5: Constant prayer as a way of thanking God for the strong faith in Jesus of other Christians as well as their active love for other believers.

45. Philemon 1:6: Prayer that other Christians will be active in sharing their faith in Jesus with others (because such evangelism helps Christians to more fully understand/realize the blessings of God available to believers in Christ).

46. Philemon 1:22: Prayers that Christians separated by geographical distance would be brought back together again and blessed to visit each other.