PRAYING FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD Devotion 1 of 32 How does the Holy Spirit lead someone to pray for the people of God for the churches? Here is an aspect of "praying in the Holy Spirit" (Jude 1:20) that is particularly significant. In some circles, "praying in the Holy Spirit" refers to strictly personal prayers. Others see it as praying in a language that is unknown to one who is praying. THE LORD'S PRAYER I am particularly referring to the prayer of our Lord just prior to His betrayal in the garden. A cursory overview of that prayer will suffice to us a feel for the content of effective prayers. This prayer is the seventh chapter of John. -- Tomorrow:
"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, KJV)
There is no need for a lot of idle speculation in this area. The Spirit has provided us with prayers that reflect the mind of the Lord and no prayer that does not reflect His mind can possibly be one that is "in the Holy Spirit."
1. Jesus asked the Father to glorify Him so He could glorify the Father (17:1).
2. He acknowledged the purpose for which the Father gave Him power over all flesh (17:2).
3. He stated the meaning of "eternal life" (17:3).
4. He confessed He had glorified the Father on the earth and completed the work He was given to do (17:4).
5. He asked for the Father to glorify Him with the glory He had with the Father before the world was (17:5).
6. He confessed He had made the Father known to the men He had given Him out of the world (17:6a).
7. He declares His followers had kept His word, and knew that what Jesus gave them was from God (17:6b-7).
8. He affirms He had given the disciples the words the Father gave Him, and that they had believed He came out from God, and that God sent Him (17:8).
9. He states He is not praying for the world, but for those God had given to Him, for they belonged to God (17:9).
10. He confesses that all who were His were also God's, and that all who belonged to God also belonged to Him, and that He was glorified in them (17:10).
11. He asks the Father to keep His disciples through His own name, that they might be one, even as the Father and the Son are one (17:11).
12. He confesses that none of His disciples had been lost, except Judas, that the Scripture might be fulfilled (17:12).
13. He expresses His desire for His joy to be fulfilled in His followers (17:14).
14. He asks the Father to keep His followers while they were in the world (17:15).
15. He asks the Father to sanctify His disciples through the truth, and defined what He meant by "truth" (17:17-19).
16. He prays for those who will believe on Him through His disciples words, that they all may be one as He and the Father are one.
17. He asks that He, the Father, and His followers may all be made one, that the world may believe God has sent Him (17:21-23).
18. He states that He wants His followers to be with Him, and behold the glory God had given to Him (17:24).
19. He summarizes the relationship of the world, Himself, and His disciples to the Father (17:25-26).
To give you a little flavor as to the emphasis of this prayer, there are 49 references to the Father, 52 to the Son, and 41 to Christ's disciples. If you will take time to note how He prayed for His disciples, and those who would believe on Him through their word, you will get a feel as to how prayer is to be made for the people of God.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, teach me to pray for Your people.