Hands down, the best way to pray for anyone is to pray God’s Word.
Here’s why:
- You’ll pray more God-centered prayers.
- You’ll pray more Biblically accurate prayers.
- You’ll enjoy a more focused prayer life.
- You’ll be freed from the monotony of saying the same things.
- You’ll discover that prayer is a real conversation with God.
How do you do pray the scriptures?
We’ll use Psalm 23:1 as an example.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Pray specifically. That means pray the words. It also means pray for the person specifically. You can do that by changing the “my” to he/she/them/[specific name].
Pray reflectively. That means really think about the words. Thank God for the times He has, in this case, led you or whoever you’re praying for beside still waters. Pray that He would do so again. Thank Him for being a caring God.
For example, pray: “Lord, you are his shepherd; he shall not want. You make him lie down in green pastures. Thank You for Your care. You lead him beside the still waters. Please let him be refreshed.”
Remember to…
Pray for our leaders regularly.
Pray that God’s good pleasure would be fulfilled in their lives.
Pray that their lives would bring glory to Jesus Christ.
An excellent teaching on the subject can be found here:
Credit: Pastor Jonathan Blankenship, Laurel Baptist Church, Charlotte NC