Intercessory prayer is the purifying bath into which the individual
and the community must enter every day.
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
and the community must enter every day.
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
Before You Ask
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:7-8)
Many people think their prayers won’t work if they don’t utter them clearly enough, or fail to explain to God exactly what they mean, or don’t speak loudly enough to him with sufficient earnestness. But when this happens, prayer becomes so exaggerated that our Savior even forbids it.
Obviously Jesus does not want to discourage us from praying. His point is that when we pray we must have a sense of proportion. Once we have prayed, we must be quiet. We need to be like the farmer who has sown his seed. Help will come only when you are quiet in faith. Also in your sickness or with other needs, learn to be still and look to the Kingdom of God.
We can share our needs with the Father in a few words, without making a fuss, and rest assured that God already knows what we need and what he will do to help us. We don’t have to explain our requests in great detail to God, or try and make quite sure that he knows our needs. God knows about even the smallest matters and takes them straight into his heart. We can turn to him by glancing Heavenward, with no words at all. We can do this even when we pray about something concrete and tangible, or about something that specifically troubles us. We may realize that what we thought we needed is actually not necessary and that we can find a way right in the midst of how things are now.
This doesn’t mean that we just let things happen – as if everything will come of its own accord without our longing for it. Nor should we just cast a brief and hurried request at God’s feet. When this happens, we too easily lose sight of God, assume that everything comes to us without his help, and we forget to thank him. Then we cease to have a believing heart and are consequently not true children of God.
Jesus said, “Before you ask him.” Therefore we do need to make our requests known to him, otherwise many things will not be given that could have been given. It never displeases God when we come to him with our heartfelt requests. A real child asks for everything, knowing God has an ear for him. We should bring all our burdens and needs to him, for at the very least this helps to make us ever more aware that in all things God is the giver.
God always has our interest in mind. He carries our various needs with fatherly concern, eagerly waiting for us to come to him. He has not forgotten us. And when we feel tempted to think so, then all the more we should remember that he knows it all and cares for us. In fact, he knows much more about us and our needs than we do. Simple, childlike prayer is enough to move his heart, give you something out of the fullness of his compassion, and save you from all sorts of fear and trouble.
(Johann Christoph Blumhardt)
(The God Who Heals, Words of Hope for a Time of Sickness)
Request a prayer and pray for others
To request a prayer, click on the blue button below that reads, Share Your Prayer Request.
To pray for others, look below the form to see what prayers have been requested.
Julia
Prolife Prayers for Each Day of the Week
Rescue the Preborn: Sunday
O God of Beginnings, you are the Creator of all life. As we begin this week, be near us as we unite with our preborn brothers and sisters who are scheduled for death. May you by your Holy Ghost and by the voice of your church lead your people to rescue from death the innocent children and bring those who participate in their death to true repentance that they may taste of your goodness and mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Spiritual Warfare: Monday
Almighty and Powerful God, drive all evil spirits away from the innocent preborn children and from the killing centers where their destruction is planned. Overcome evil with good in the hearts of those who reject your truth and who have believed the lies of the evil one who would say that good is evil and evil is good. Rebuke the enemy for the sake of innocent children and for your sake, Oh Lord; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Kingdom Prayer: Tuesday
Oh Great King of Kings, let your kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven for the sanctity of all human life. You have said that your kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Where there is unrighteousness let righteousness come to bear, where there is hostility, cause your peace to reign supreme, where there is sorrow, bring joy in the hearts of people. Lead us into your unshakable and everlasting kingdom in which you reign forever and ever that truly the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Forgiveness: Wednesday
Oh God of mercy and grace, as you hung on the hard wooden cross, you asked that those who were putting you to death might be forgiven. Please, oh Lord, help us to offer that same forgiveness to those who participate in abortion, euthanasia, the destruction of embryonic life, and who by other means violate the sanctity of human life, that in all things the world would know the height, the depth, the breadth, and width of your love, your mercy and your grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Restoration of the Holiness and Protection of the Womb: Thursday
Oh Holy God, our rock and our fortress, you used the womb of Mary to be a tabernacle for the dwelling of the Incarnation, where the Holy Son of God was to be nurtured and protected. You created the womb of woman that the miracle of human life might be nurtured and protected. Many women have been deceived to believe that their womb is not a place of holy protection for a human life, but that it is simply another appendage of their body. Renew and restore your purpose and will concerning the womb of all women throughout the Earth, that you may be glorified; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Governments: Friday
Oh Ruler of the Nations, many of the kings of the Earth have set themselves against you; they rebel against your rule. Yet you have set your king on your holy hill of Zion so that in every local, state, provincial, and national government you would rule in the midst of your enemies. We pray that you would strengthen and uphold those rulers that, by your grace, are following your ways and purpose. Make your enemies a footstool for your feet, that all people in all nations would kiss the Son, so they may know that happy are those who take refuge in you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, forever and ever. Amen.
For an End to Abortion: Saturday
Oh God, who is the Beginning and the End, hear our prayers as we cry out to you to end the merciless shedding of innocent blood in our nation and throughout the world. Through death you have conquered death and through your life we experience eternal and everlasting life. Cause life to spring forth in the hearts of all people and bring forth a love and respect for life that will dominate our culture. May your kingdom and church apprehend and overtake the culture of death that has prevailed through deceit and selfishness; may the seed of the woman crush the head of the serpent through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Priests for Life)