What to Pray for One Another

At Mountain Lake Independent Baptist Church, we strongly emphasize the importance of setting aside a daily time for Bible reading and prayer, both individually and as a family. Our personal daily devotions are crucial for our spiritual growth and well-being. The "Family Altar" is essential for the spiritual development and health of our children and marriages.

One very important ingredient of our devotional time with the Lord is our prayers for fellow church members and our brothers and sisters in Christ. However, often we do not know any specific needs or situations they are dealing with. The Apostle Paul mentions a number of things he prayed for his fellow believers.

Here is a summary list of things the Bible mentions that Paul prayed for his fellow believers:

• He prayed that God would help them get along, glorify God in their thoughts and words, and be filled with joy, peace, and hope.

  “Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 15:5-6,13).

  
  

• He prayed that God would help them be wise and understand God's word, God's will and God's power in their lives.

  “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.” (Ephesians 1:17–19)

  
  

• He prayed that the Holy Spirit would make them strong spiritually and that they would know how much God loves them.
  

  “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16–19).

  
  

• He prayed that God would give them abounding and discerning love, that they would be pure in their heart and lives, and be fruitful in righteousness.
  

  “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9–11)

  
  

• He prayed that God would help them know and do His will and be strong.

  “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;” (Colossians 1:9-11)

  
  

• He prayed that God would help them be loving, holy, healthy and that they would remain steadfast in their faith (not drift away or quit).

  “And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12–13)

  “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

  “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16–17)

  
  

There are many other passages that we could reference and this list could go on, But these may help us to get an idea of how Paul prayed and what his requests were. I want to encourage all of us to examine how the Bible says God's people prayed for one another and then follow their example. I simplified this list and put it into my daily prayer list.