HOW TO PRAY EFFECTIVELY FOR THOSE YOU LOVE

December 23, 2022

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the Great Shepherd of the sheep though the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen (Hebrews 13:20-21)

If you want to know how to pray for your family, for those you love, and for fellow disciples of Jesus Christ, here it is.

As Paul often did, in one glorious closing sentence, He prays this benediction over all who would read His words … which now includes YOU.

THE AGENT WE NEED

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the Great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal Jesus our Lord (vs. 20)

Someone greater than ourselves must be the agent of our equipping. We cannot accomplish this alone. We must aggressively cooperate with Him, but we need the agency of the Father. And look at the description of this One.

• The God of Peace ... He is the One who brings peace and is peace. He is the source of all the peace you will ever need. He can give peace that passes all human understanding. He can equip you to have peace with Him and others.
• The all-powerful One ... He is the One who brought up from the dead our great Shepherd. If He can do this, He can do what you need. He resurrects dead things. He brings life where there is no life. There is nothing you need that is beyond His ability.
• The Faithful One ... He keeps the eternal covenant. He is faithful to all of His promises to us! Not one promise that He has made has failed or will fail as you trust Him.
• The 3-in-1 ... It is not only the Father who works on our behalf but "even Jesus our Lord." The triune God can work on your behalf and for those you love as you cry out to Him in prayer.

THE EQUIPPING WE NEED

What should we pray the Lord will do in us and others for whom we pray? What is the great prayer we can pray that accomplishes much?

• Equip us in every good thing ... Pray that God will train us for every circumstance and moment of our lives. And what he gives—even the discipline He speaks of in the previous chapter—are good things. The best things. The things we need for life and godliness. The things that will prepare us to do every good thing we need to do.
• To do His will ... He does not equip us for idleness, but to accomplish precisely what we need in this life and the next. His will is "good, acceptable, and perfect" (Romans 12:2). It is all we need to do and the very best we can do. He can equip us to accomplish His wonderful desire.
• Working in us that which is pleasing in His sight ... He is the One at work within us, and if we cooperate with him, these results will be pleasing to the Lord!
• Through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen! ... This only happens through Christ, so He is the only One who receives the glory! This is our greatest prayer … that all that is done in us and through us will result in giving honor to the One to whom alone it is due! That our lives will give the world a right opinion about our great God.

What a benediction! What a prayer to pray for ourselves, our families, and all those we love! Take a moment right now and pray this prayer over your family. Memorize this prayer and use it often, realizing that prayer works and no prayers are more powerful or effective than that found in Scripture.

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