Fellowship Voices

What to Pray...When You Don't Know What to Pray
by Wade Arnold

I have a lot of people on my prayer list for whom I frequently don’t know how
to pray. They are mature Christians. They are doing God’s will. They are
in good health. Their relationships are in order. Their children and relatives are well. They are employed. They have not requested prayer from me.
And, they don’t have any obvious sin to mention. I look at their names on my prayer list and I’m stumped. Well, I used to be until I came across this little prayer secret.

In Paul’s pastoral letters he always expressed thanksgiving and/or prayers for those to whom he was writing. Ephesians 1:15-19 is an example of one such
prayer. Paul mentions three things he prays for the Ephesians that we can also pray for our friends. We might also benefit from adding these to our prayer list for ourselves. He mentions: wisdom, greater knowledge of Jesus Christ, and enlightenment (or understanding). He prays that we will be enlightened as to our hope in Jesus, our value to God, and God’s great power. We can pray these things for everyone we know from the newest Christian to the most godly saint because no matter where we are along the road of faith, we can all use a little bit more wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Begin including these items in your prayers for those on your prayer list and you’ll never be stumped again.

Dr. Wade Arnold is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches.

If you would like to read more about the prayers of Paul in the coming weeks and join in a discussion of Paul’s prayers, visit Wade’s blog at: www.wadearnold.wordpress.com