My college English teacher set a precedent for me for how to pray for others. He showed me how to pray Scripture for others.

I was in Bible college studying to be a missionary that teaches English to speakers of other languages. He was my TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) professor. So, I had him almost every year as a teacher.

Select Scripture

And every year, at the beginning of the year, he would ask us: “What Scripture would you like me to pray for you this year?”

That wasn’t always easy for me. I remember one year I took a long time to think about it, and he kept coming back and asking me for it. He was serious about it. You see, he prayed regularly for us.

Why Scripture?

God makes an outrageous promise in 1 John 5:14-15. I wrote about it in Ask and It’s Yours. If we ask anything according to God’s will, we HAVE it.

1 John 5:14-15

¹⁴ And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

We HAVE What We Asked of Him

Did you catch that? If we ask His will, we will have it someday? NO! If we ask His will, He MAY give it to us? NO! If we ask His will, the promise is so secure we can be confident in it- we have it! His will is the absolute best that could ever be true of your life. Now, does He answer some requests over time- absolutely! Some things are a process and others we will see the answer to in the future. But we can be confident, nonetheless that He heard us and that we have it.

Knowing God’s Will

Seeking God’s will is complex, and I won’t dive deeply into that topic here, but we CAN know His will from effective study of His Word. As we study Scripture, we know God’s heart, and we can be certain, as we apply Scripture correctly, that it is His will for us.

Praying Scripture For Ourselves

As I have read His Word throughout the years since He gave me new life, He has impressed on me certain Scriptures during different seasons. Right now, it is Romans 15:13.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

For me right now in my life, I have noticed certain areas of my life in which I have to some degree been losing hope in.

My Need for Hope Restored

I have a strong (suffocatingly strong at times) sense of empathy for others. And my highest concern for those in my world is their spiritual state- their relationship with God. Some of those dear ones have had me deeply concerned. It is a very palpable concern for me.

I’ve seen God come through again and again for people I love in this area, but I’ve noticed in my soul a sense of despair or resignation creeping in in a few cases.

God helped me realize recently that I need my hope in Him restored in those cases. I need to be completely confident in Him for all things. After all, He cares far more about the spiritual condition of those in my world than I do.

I’ve seen Him do miracles.

Remembering His Miracles

It reminds me of a verse my kids recently memorized: Psalm 77:11

I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

I know as I pray Scripture for myself, God works in me. I know He will restore my confidence in Him in all areas as I seek Him.

Praying Scripture for Others

As you pray for others, consider praying specific Scripture for them. Think about all the different people you pray for:

• Your family
• Your friends
• Your students, patients, clients, customers
• Your political, spiritual, work/school related leaders
• Missionaries
• The worldwide Church
• Those suffering and those in prison for the Gospel
• The hurting in your community
• Those suffering injustice
• Those whose pride has veiled their eyes to the Gospel
• Etc, etc, etc.

Consider Verses you could pray for them. Ask them for specific Scripture to pray over them.

Encourage One Another Daily

Let them know you are praying for them. Sometimes letting them know the Scripture you are praying could be very encouraging.

We are called to encourage one another, and this is a great way to do it! Hebrews 3:13:

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

Encouraged by This?

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This blog is written with the hope that God will use it to inspire others to Engage Deeply, Embrace Wholly, Delight Lavishly! in all that matters most in life. You might be interested in these:

• Crazy Amazing Benefit of the Knowledge of God
• Ask and It’s Yours
• The Secret to Shrinking Problems
• How to Walk in: Coming Before the Throne of God