Liliane Gerenstein was only eleven years old when she wrote a little prayer to God. It was a sweet prayer with the flavor of maturity. She asked for the impossible. You see, it was 1944 and the orphanage that Liliane and her 13 year old brother Maurice were in turned out to be a nice place to hide from the Gestapo. Liliane didn't know it yet, but in 48 hours she would fly to rest in the arms of the one to whom she prayed.
Liliane wrote to God:
God? How good You are, how kind and if one had to count the number of goodnesses and kindnesses You have done, one would never finish.
God? It is You who command. It is You who are justice, it is You who reward the good and punish the evil.
God? It is thanks to You that I had a beautiful life before, that I was spoiled, that I had lovely things that others do not have.
God? After that, I ask You one thing only: Make my parents come back, my poor parents protect them (even more than You protect me) so that I can see them again as soon as possible.
Make them come back again. Ah! I had such a good mother and such a good father! I have such faith in You and I thank You in advance.
Amen
What sweet humility before God. This little Jewish girl hiding from the Gestapo in an orphanage without her parents still saw the goodness of God and though he was worthy of praise and glory. Was she naive? I don't think so.
What else could she pray for? God is good and kind beyond measurement. God is just. God rewards those who seek him. Liliane believed it. She could have prayed for fresh bread, or a nice blanket, or a new toy. But she didn't. Liliane instead declared to her maker that she was dependent on God to be true to his character and she thanked him in advance for the assurance that he would.
So, what should we pray for? What should we pray for when everything is going great and we are afraid to pinch ourselves to see if it is real. What should we pray for when we are at the end of our rope, we cannot hang on any longer, and our grip is weakening? What should we pray for when the pain will not go away?
Two answers.
First, according to the examples and commands in the word of God, we can safely say pray for everything, everybody, and literally all things.
The bible says to pray for:
| Success | Genesis 24:12-13 he prayed, grant me success today |
| Spiritual direction | Judges 13:8 Manoah prayed ... let the man of God ... teach us |
| Children | 1 Samuel 1:27-28 I prayed for this boy |
| Mercy | 1 Kings 8:33 and they pray and plead with You for mercy in this temple, |
| Confession | Ezra 10:1 While Ezra prayed and confessed |
| Help | Psalm 102:1 LORD, hear my prayer; let my cry for help come before You. |
| Against evil | Psalm 141:5 Even now my prayer is against the evil acts of the wicked. |
| Healing | Isaiah 19:22 [the LORD] will hear their prayers and heal them. |
| Thanks | Daniel 6:10-11 he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God |
| Christian workers | Matthew 9:38 pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers |
| Temptation | Mark 14:38 Stay awake and pray so that you won't enter into temptation. |
| Motives | Acts 8:22-23 pray to the Lord that the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. |
| Reunions | Romans 1:10 [Praying] that I may now at last succeed in coming to you. |
| Understanding | Ephesians 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened |
| Boldness | Ephesians 6:20 Pray that I might be bold enough in Him to speak as I should. |
| Open doors | Colossians 4:3 pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the message, |
| Everyone | 1 Timothy 2:1-2 I urge that ... prayers ... be made for everyone |
| Those in authority | 1 Timothy 2:2 prayers ... for kings and all those who are in authority, |
| Friends | Philemon 4-5 I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers, |
| Conduct | Hebrews 13:18-19 Pray for us ... to conduct ourselves honorably in everything. |
| Wisdom | James 1:5 if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God |
| Another's repentance | 1 John 5:16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin ... he should ask, and God will give life to him |
| Suffering | James 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. |
| Other believers | James 5:16 and pray for one another |
The Bible leaves no wiggle room. We should pray about all things.
Second, no prayer in the Bible actually includes everything. So the question might be, if I'm not going to pray for everything every time I pray, what things especially should I pray for?
Answer: Pray with specific emphasis on God's attributes, God's will, personal needs, confession, and help and protection. The disciples asked Jesus in Matthew 6:9-13 to teach them how to pray and he said pray like this:
Jesus modeled a prayer for the disciples wrapped in proclaiming the attributes, character, or nature of God. Six lines declare the greatness of God, one line desires God's will, one line asks for personal needs, one line confesses sin and seeks forgiveness, and one line asks for God's protection. What a great model! We should pray like this. Acknowledging the greatness of God and his attributes is the foundation for everything else we pray. It is only because God is who he says he is that we can take everything to the Lord in prayer. Declare back to God your understanding of and pleasure in who he is. This will honor God.
Does this square with the other prayers in the Bible? Nehemiah's prayer in Nehemiah 1:5-11 begins with "LORD God of heaven, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps His gracious covenant with those who love Him".2 Nehemiah repeatedly declares the greatness of God, confesses sin, and asks for God's help.
Daniel's prayer in Daniel 9:4-19 begins the same as Nehemiah's and includes confession, repentance, and request for God's help and protection.
In Acts 4:24-30 the apostles prayer for help and protection began "Master, You are the One who made the heaven, the earth, and the sea, and everything in them."
John 17 is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus and the greatness of God is woven throughout. One writer said the primary theme of this prayer is the glory of God which is the purpose of history.3
The whole earth is full of the glory of God (Isaiah 6:3). God "will not give [his glory] to another (Isaiah 43:7). We are to "give the Lord the glory due his name" (Psalm 29:2). We can certainly do this in our prayers.
Conclusion: Pray about everything, but weave and wrap your prayers with the beauty of God, laying a solid foundation under your prayers based on God's unchangeable character.
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Copyright © 2005 by Kevin Binkley