Praying with Passion and Purpose
A daily guide for an effective prayer life
God promises that the “earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16 NLT), or as another paraphrase puts it, “When a believing person prays, great things happen” (NCV).
Are you ready for great things to happen? If you’re a follower of Christ, you undoubtedly want a more powerful and effective prayer life. Jesus spent more time teaching His disciples to pray than anything else He taught them. Obviously, knowing how to pray was strategically important.
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10 NLT).
What does it mean to keep on asking? Did Jesus intend that you and I make a long list of all our prayer concerns and the people we’re praying for, and then dutifully recite the same list every day? No. In a short time this becomes meaningless repetition—just saying the same words over and over—something Jesus was strongly opposed to (Matthew 6:7). To keep on asking, seeking, and knocking as Jesus taught is praying with desire, yearning, and persistence. How often is often? You may have such a heavy burden on your heart for someone or something that you cry out every day in prayer. You may also have a prayer request that you come back to once a week or once a month. As you continue asking, you are seeking wisdom and knocking on the door of possibilities.
Is prayer more than asking? Yes. While asking is an important part of prayer, it is only one dimension in a balanced prayer life. Prayer also includes thanksgiving, worship, listening, sometimes singing a song, and biblical meditation. Some of my prayer time is quietly reflecting on who God is and praising Him. If you spend a half hour talking with a close friend, you don’t talk non-stop for the entire 30 minutes asking them to do things for you. Prayer is a conversation of intimacy with the One who loves you.
How do I pray for all the needs? A number of years ago, I realized I had prayer concerns in many different areas . . . missions, family, church, etc. Since each area had many requests, I began to use the days of the week as a reminder to pray about a specific area. Gradually, a pattern developed as follows:
I don’t follow this pattern rigidly, and I certainly don’t wait until Friday to pray for an urgent family need. However, using this pattern has expanded my prayer life and keeps me from bogging down with the same thing every day. Each day gives me a new focus for prayer. For example, by Thursday in most weeks, my attitude needs an adjustment so I intentionally focus on thanking God for big as well as little things in my life. This is refreshing, renews my perspective, and allows me to go back to my work with a renewed attitude.
How do I pray with passion and purpose? It’s one thing to pray, “Lord, bless our neighbors Bill and Joan and their son James,” but it is quite another to pray, “Lord, give strength to Bill and Joan as they struggle with the rebellion of James. I ask that you bring James to the end of his drug use and turn his life around. Provide them with daily wisdom and patience, and keep them from discouragement.” This is praying with passion and purpose.
Rather than asking God to bless all the missionaries, pray for each one by name along with their specific needs. When you receive a newsletter from a missionary, pray for them as you read about their challenges and add their requests to your prayer notebook. To add further depth to your praying, insert their name as you pray for them in these areas:
What changes when I pray? It is thrilling to see prayer answered--lives changed, health restored, doors opened, finances provided, etc., but prayer changes something else. Prayer changes me. As I pray, I allow the Lord to deal with my lack of understanding, self-centeredness, or pessimism. Many times as I have prayed about a personal conflict, the Lord has shown me I’m the problem. Prayer is an act of surrender to the will of God--“not my will, but your will be done.” As you pray, ask the Lord to shape you, humble you, guide you, energize you, and use you. When you continue to pray about something, God often changes your attitude and allows you to see the situation from a new perspective or discover a unique solution to the problem. God’s plan for your prayer life is this: continue asking, seeking, and knocking.
Does God always answer prayer? Yes. You can be assured that God always answers prayer though sometimes not in the way you expect. There are at least four different ways God may answer our request:
Get ready for great things to happen . . . praying in the powerful name of Jesus.
Pastor Dave and Joanne Beckwith
Copyright 2014, Dave Beckwith
Monday Prayer Focus
Missions and Missionaries Worldwide
Pray with passion and purpose for a missionary or mission work by focusing on concerns like these. Rather than trying to include your entire list of missionaries, you may find it helpful to zero in on one or two missionaries on each Monday. Make notes below of more specific needs.
People to Pray for and Specific Prayer Requests
Tuesday Prayer Focus
Transformation and Personal Growth
Examine your life and personal growth. Here are some suggested areas to pray about.
People to Pray for and Specific Prayer Requests
Wednesday Prayer Focus
Work and Witness
Focus on your work and vocation along with your personal witness. Make a list of those you are praying for to come to Christ. You may want to walk in your neighborhood as you pray for each home and then look for opportunities to get to know your neighbors. Here are suggestions for how to pray regarding your work and witness:
People to Pray for and Specific Prayer Requests
Thursday Prayer Focus
Thanksgiving
One of the most important things in life is to keep a positive attitude. Taking time to give thanks for big as well as little things in your life is a great way to adjust your attitude. Here are some suggested areas of thanksgiving. Pray “Thank you, Lord, for . . .
My Notes of What I am Thankful for
Friday Prayer Focus
Family and Friends
Think through those in your immediate family as well your extended family and friends. Do they know the Lord? If yes, are they walking with the Lord? Pray for the members of your small group. Here are a few ideas of how to pray specifically for each person.
People to Pray for and Specific Prayer Requests
Saturday Prayer Focus
State and National Concerns
The Scripture encourages us to, “Pray for rulers and for all who have authority so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to know the truth” (1 Timothy 2:2-4 NCV). Make a list below of your president, governor, mayor, state and national senators and congressmen. Pray for them by name. Here are some suggested ways to pray for them.
People to Pray for and Specific Prayer Requests
Sunday Prayer Focus
Sunday and Weekend Services
Church Staff and Ministries
“I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing” (1 Timothy 2:8 NIV).
People to Pray for and Specific Prayer Requests
Are you ready for great things to happen? If you’re a follower of Christ, you undoubtedly want a more powerful and effective prayer life. Jesus spent more time teaching His disciples to pray than anything else He taught them. Obviously, knowing how to pray was strategically important.
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10 NLT).
What does it mean to keep on asking? Did Jesus intend that you and I make a long list of all our prayer concerns and the people we’re praying for, and then dutifully recite the same list every day? No. In a short time this becomes meaningless repetition—just saying the same words over and over—something Jesus was strongly opposed to (Matthew 6:7). To keep on asking, seeking, and knocking as Jesus taught is praying with desire, yearning, and persistence. How often is often? You may have such a heavy burden on your heart for someone or something that you cry out every day in prayer. You may also have a prayer request that you come back to once a week or once a month. As you continue asking, you are seeking wisdom and knocking on the door of possibilities.
Is prayer more than asking? Yes. While asking is an important part of prayer, it is only one dimension in a balanced prayer life. Prayer also includes thanksgiving, worship, listening, sometimes singing a song, and biblical meditation. Some of my prayer time is quietly reflecting on who God is and praising Him. If you spend a half hour talking with a close friend, you don’t talk non-stop for the entire 30 minutes asking them to do things for you. Prayer is a conversation of intimacy with the One who loves you.
How do I pray for all the needs? A number of years ago, I realized I had prayer concerns in many different areas . . . missions, family, church, etc. Since each area had many requests, I began to use the days of the week as a reminder to pray about a specific area. Gradually, a pattern developed as follows:
- Monday: Missions and Missionaries
- Tuesday: Transformation and Personal Growth
- Wednesday: Work and Witness
- Thursday: Thanksgiving
- Friday: Family and Friends
- Saturday: State and National Concerns
- Sunday: Sunday & Weekend Services, Church Staff and Ministries
I don’t follow this pattern rigidly, and I certainly don’t wait until Friday to pray for an urgent family need. However, using this pattern has expanded my prayer life and keeps me from bogging down with the same thing every day. Each day gives me a new focus for prayer. For example, by Thursday in most weeks, my attitude needs an adjustment so I intentionally focus on thanking God for big as well as little things in my life. This is refreshing, renews my perspective, and allows me to go back to my work with a renewed attitude.
How do I pray with passion and purpose? It’s one thing to pray, “Lord, bless our neighbors Bill and Joan and their son James,” but it is quite another to pray, “Lord, give strength to Bill and Joan as they struggle with the rebellion of James. I ask that you bring James to the end of his drug use and turn his life around. Provide them with daily wisdom and patience, and keep them from discouragement.” This is praying with passion and purpose.
Rather than asking God to bless all the missionaries, pray for each one by name along with their specific needs. When you receive a newsletter from a missionary, pray for them as you read about their challenges and add their requests to your prayer notebook. To add further depth to your praying, insert their name as you pray for them in these areas:
- Encouragement and victory over discouragement and temptations
- Oneness and unity among believers
- Victory over spiritual attacks
- God’s provision for their financial, relational, and spiritual needs
- Open doors and boldness to share Christ
- Spiritual awakening and revival in the country where they are serving
What changes when I pray? It is thrilling to see prayer answered--lives changed, health restored, doors opened, finances provided, etc., but prayer changes something else. Prayer changes me. As I pray, I allow the Lord to deal with my lack of understanding, self-centeredness, or pessimism. Many times as I have prayed about a personal conflict, the Lord has shown me I’m the problem. Prayer is an act of surrender to the will of God--“not my will, but your will be done.” As you pray, ask the Lord to shape you, humble you, guide you, energize you, and use you. When you continue to pray about something, God often changes your attitude and allows you to see the situation from a new perspective or discover a unique solution to the problem. God’s plan for your prayer life is this: continue asking, seeking, and knocking.
Does God always answer prayer? Yes. You can be assured that God always answers prayer though sometimes not in the way you expect. There are at least four different ways God may answer our request:
- Desired Answer: “Yes, I will do it and thanks for asking.
- Delayed Answer: “Yes, it’s coming, but be patient. The answer will take a while.”
- Different Answer: “No, but I have something far better for you.”
- Denied Answer: “No, you’ll have to trust me in this. I love you and want the very best for you. I am at work, though not in the way you anticipated.”
Get ready for great things to happen . . . praying in the powerful name of Jesus.
Pastor Dave and Joanne Beckwith
Copyright 2014, Dave Beckwith
Monday Prayer Focus
Missions and Missionaries Worldwide
Pray with passion and purpose for a missionary or mission work by focusing on concerns like these. Rather than trying to include your entire list of missionaries, you may find it helpful to zero in on one or two missionaries on each Monday. Make notes below of more specific needs.
- Encouragement and victory over discouragement and temptations
- Oneness and unity among believers
- God’s provision for their financial, relational, and spiritual needs
- Open doors and boldness to share Christ
- Victory over spiritual attacks
- Spiritual awakening and revival in the country where they are serving
- Strength and courage for Christians suffering persecution and imprisonment
People to Pray for and Specific Prayer Requests
Tuesday Prayer Focus
Transformation and Personal Growth
Examine your life and personal growth. Here are some suggested areas to pray about.
- Balance in my life: spiritually, mentally, emotionally, socially, and physically
- Personal victory over trials and temptations
- Personal time management
- Personal challenge or obstacle in your life at this time
- Guard and guide my thoughts and keep them pure
- Control what I see, what I do, and where I go
- Examine me, revive me, stretch me, purify me, and use me
- Fill me with the Holy Spirit and the fruits of the Spirit
- Release my resentments and forgive those who have wronged me
- Release my regrets and agree with God’s complete forgiveness
People to Pray for and Specific Prayer Requests
Wednesday Prayer Focus
Work and Witness
Focus on your work and vocation along with your personal witness. Make a list of those you are praying for to come to Christ. You may want to walk in your neighborhood as you pray for each home and then look for opportunities to get to know your neighbors. Here are suggestions for how to pray regarding your work and witness:
- Your work performance
- Challenges or conflicts in the work place
- Consistent lifestyle that displays Christ in words and actions
- Alertness to opportunities to share Christ
- Renewed burden for neighbors, work associates, friends & family
- Open doors to share the gospel
- Opportunities to do deeds of love & kindness
- Effective listening in caring for people
People to Pray for and Specific Prayer Requests
Thursday Prayer Focus
Thanksgiving
One of the most important things in life is to keep a positive attitude. Taking time to give thanks for big as well as little things in your life is a great way to adjust your attitude. Here are some suggested areas of thanksgiving. Pray “Thank you, Lord, for . . .
- Who I am in Christ—loved, accepted, and declared blameless
- The Word of God and freedom to worship
- My church and pastors
- Each hour and day you allow me to live
- My friends and family
- My home and possessions
- The power, love, and presence of the Holy Spirit in my life
- The eternal riches of being in Christ
My Notes of What I am Thankful for
Friday Prayer Focus
Family and Friends
Think through those in your immediate family as well your extended family and friends. Do they know the Lord? If yes, are they walking with the Lord? Pray for the members of your small group. Here are a few ideas of how to pray specifically for each person.
- Oneness in marriage relationships
- Love, respect, and purity in each marriage
- Personal salvation of family members and friends
- Purity of life and victory over temptation
- Firm love and discipline of children by parents
- Children with hearts to follow God and be obedient
- Healing of fractured relationships
- Forgiveness and letting go of bitterness
- Healing of rebellion and abusive situations
People to Pray for and Specific Prayer Requests
Saturday Prayer Focus
State and National Concerns
The Scripture encourages us to, “Pray for rulers and for all who have authority so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to know the truth” (1 Timothy 2:2-4 NCV). Make a list below of your president, governor, mayor, state and national senators and congressmen. Pray for them by name. Here are some suggested ways to pray for them.
- Honesty, integrity, and justice
- Wisdom and compassion to help the needy
- Protection of freedom to worship and teach the Word of God
- Protection of the unborn
- Freedom of speech and proclamation of the faith
- Spiritual awakening and revival
- Protection for the traditional marriage and family
People to Pray for and Specific Prayer Requests
Sunday Prayer Focus
Sunday and Weekend Services
Church Staff and Ministries
“I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing” (1 Timothy 2:8 NIV).
- God’s Word will stir revival
- The Gospel of Jesus Christ will be clearly proclaimed
- Worship, singing, and preaching will be powerful and contagious
- Christ will be the Head of the church in every area
- Surrender of control and ownership of the church to Christ
- Satan will be defeated from hindering attendance, disrupting families, and creating conflict
- Lives will be changed, unbelievers will sense God’s presence and respond to salvation, relationships will be restored
- Not one person will leave without feeling affirmed, loved, and valued
People to Pray for and Specific Prayer Requests