Learning to Pray
30 Days in Philippians - day 5
Philippians 1:9-11
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve of the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
I know people who know how to pray. When they pray, they really pray. I wish I was more that way, but I struggle.
Too often my prayers drift into the same well-worn phrases. “Lord, be with them. Bless them. Help them.” Those things are not wrong but they can become routine, almost thoughtless. I find myself saying the same things over and over without much depth behind them.
One thing that has helped me is learning to pray the way people in the Bible pray.
Paul helps us here in Philippians chapter one. He tells us specifically what and how he is praying for the people of the church in Philippi:
That their love would abound more and more.
That knowledge and discernment would characterize their love.
That they would approve of that which is excellent.
That they would be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ.
That they would be filled with the fruits of righteousness.
That these things would all be an outcome of their relationship with Jesus.
That all of this would be to the glory of God and would lead to Him being praised.
If you are struggling with what to pray, this gives you something solid to hold onto.
Take a passage like this and make it your own. Turn it into prayer for someone specific. For example:
“Lord, cause John’s love to grow—make it wise, make it discerning, and shape it by Your truth.”
You might even take the time to memorize these verses. Once they are firmly fixed in your mind, they will begin to shape the way you pray without you even realizing it.
The Bible is the inspired Word of God. When you pray its words, you are learning to want what God wants.
If you don’t know what to say when you pray, start here. Stay here. Let passages like this shape not just your words, but your desires.
