Chris’ Considerations

I know I need lots of help praying and knowing what to pray for. Amazingly, undeservedly and graciously as believers in the Lord Jesus:

… the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

… Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Romans 8:26, 34, (ESV)

Wow. I don’t think about that enough. Notice also the attitude of the early Church to praying:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:42, (ESV)

As I hope you know already, there are loads of great resources over at Desiring God. Here are what I hope are a few good ideas of things to pray for from the DG website and elsewhere. I hope these all provide some brief, simple and Biblical ideas of what we could be praying for. Now I just need to remember them and apply them!

1. John Piper’s I.O.U.S. (Incline, Open, Unite, Satisfy.)

Taken from: John Piper, How to Pray for the Pastoral Staff, (16th March 2005)

Ask God to give us an inclination to his Word and not to money or fame or power (Psalm 119:36), and to open our eyes to see wonderful things when we read his Word (Psalm 119:18), and to have hearts united in the fear of God rather than fragmented over a dozen concerns (Psalm 86:11), and to be satisfied in his steadfast love (Psalm 90:14). (This is the IOUS acronym I use almost every day in praying for those I love.)

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

2. Jon Bloom’s Five Helpful Prayers

Taken from the Desiring God Blog: Jon Bloom, Five Helpful Prayers, (13th December 2007)

• Delight (Psalm 37:4)
• Desire (Psalm 37:4)
• Discernment (Hebrews 5:14)
• Discipline (Ephesians 5:15-16)
• Diligence (Deuteronomy 6:5)

3. John Piper on how to listen to sermons.

John Pipers suggests we should listen to sermons praying, in particular that we should be praying “God do this text in me”. Recommended by Abraham Piper on the Desiring God Blog, (29th October 2007) Click here for MP3 - only 1 minute and 3 seconds!

4. John Piper on the importance of the Bible and prayer.

Admittedly this one is longer but if you have a few minutes (7 minutes 27 seconds to be precise) here are some good thoughts on the Bible and prayer. John Piper answers the question: Why do you emphasize Bible reading and prayer so much? (10th December 2007). Click here for the MP3.

5. Other prayer-related acronyms that might be helpful include:

• ACTS: Adoration (Psalm 146:1-2), Confession (1 John 1:9), Thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:20), Supplication (Philippians 4:6)
• T-SPoon: Thank-You (Psalm 146:1-2, Ephesians 5:20), Sorry (1 John 1:9), Please (Philippians 4:6)

6. “Lord teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1)

Finally, what better way to finish a piece on things to pray for than with the prayer that our Lord taught His disciples: Matthew 6:7-13. Amen.