What Do You Pray For? – Desiring God Community Church

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:

health for ourselves and those we know and love
guidance and direction in school, careers, and love life
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.

Examples of Biblical Prayers

Moses: Deuteronomy 9:26-29
Hannah: 1 Samuel 2:1-10
Solomon: 1 Kings 8:22-53
Elijah: 1 Kings 18:36-37
Hezekiah: 2 Kings 19:15-19
David: 1 Chronicles 17:16-27 (and, of course, many psalms)
Jehoshaphat: 2 Chronicles 20:5-12
Nehemiah 1:4-11
Jeremiah 32:16-25
Daniel 9:1-19
Jonah 2:1-9 (Treat this prayer carefully, as it includes considerable irony. Compare this prayer to the prophet’s improper prayer in Jonah 4:1-3)
Habakkuk 1:2-4, Habakkuk 1:12-17, Habakkuk 3:1-19
The Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4
Jesus in Gethsemane: Matthew 26:39-42
Jesus’ longest recorded prayer: John 17:1-26
Mary: Luke 1:46-55
Zechariah: Luke 1:67-79
The Apostles: Acts 4:24-30
Paul (These are especially powerful to pray for other believers) Ephesians 1:15-23, Ephesians 3:14-21, Philippians 1:9-11, Colossians 1:9-12, 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Themes of Biblical Prayers

Healing: Genesis 20:7
Conception: Genesis 25:21
For a plague or judgment to end: Exodus 8:30, Numbers 11:2
That others might know that the LORD is God: 1 Kings 18:36-37
To see God’s powerful armies: 2 Kings 6:17
To blind the enemies of God’s people: 2 Kings 6:18
For the welfare of the city in which the persons praying are exiled: Jeremiah 29:7
In mourning: Lamentations (entire book)
For the ability to interpret dreams: Daniel 2:16-18
Praise and thanksgiving: Daniel 2:20-23
For those who persecute you: Matthew 5:44
For laborers for evangelism and missions: Matthew 9:38
Against temptation: Matthew 26:41
For forgiveness: Luke 18:10-14
For alertness and strength against the forces of evil: Luke 21:36
For enduring faith: Luke 22:32
To receive the Holy Spirit: Acts 8:15
For missionaries going to the field: for protection, open doors, boldness and clarity in declaration: Acts 13:2-3, 2 Corinthians 1:11, Colossians 4:3-4
To be able to visit others so as to build them up in the faith: Romans 1:9-11
For salvation of kin: Romans 10:1
That others may prove to be in the faith: 2 Corinthians 13:5-9
Thanking God for other believers: Philippians 1:3-4
That other believers would stand mature and fully assured: Colossians 4:12
That the word of God would run or spread and be glorified: 2 Thessalonians 3:1
For political leaders and civil peace: 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Other Aspects of Biblical Prayers

Some are brief and silent: Nehemiah 2:4
Consistent with activity on our part: Nehemiah 4:9
Not offered for recognition from men: Matthew 6:5
Prayed privately: Matthew 6:6
Prayed privately, but in the midst of others: Luke 9:18
Early in the morning: Mark 1:35
Late at night: Mark 6:46-47
All night: Luke 6:12
In a special place that one goes to in order to pray: Luke 9:28
In prison: Acts 16:25
Unceasingly: 1 Thessalonians 5:17