Praying Prayers Directly From God's Word

 Direct Prayers Recorded In The Bible

There are so many direct prayers in the Bible that we would do well to pray from our hearts.  We have much to learn from those who’ve gone before us who knew how to pray.

A number of years ago the prayer of Jabez was quite popular.  Books were written about it.  Plenty of posters and online pictures were posted.  You could find lots of things in bookstores related to it.  The bottom line of this prayer is that we can bring all that we are – both what’s well and what’s painful – to the Lord.  We need God’s blessing on our work, on the provision of all we need on a daily basis.  We need healing from pain and deliverance from trouble.  Jabez managed to get all that into just a few words. 

“Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request.

1 Chronicles 4:10

We can ask God to bless us and bring more of the goodness we already experience, not to mention helping us to be more useful in His service than we have ever been.

Who of us wouldn’t want to be kept from trouble and pain and it is God’s heart to meet us in those places and either take the trouble away or give us all we need to overcome it.  We can’t force God to operate in just the way we want but we can trust His good heart to grant us every request that is good for us.

We all need to be filled up with love and to grow up in knowledge and understanding.  We join the Apostle Paul in this prayer:

I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

Philippians 1:9-11

I can’t think of anything better to pray for and to expect God to do in our lives.  Let’s welcome that love, that knowledge, that understanding and be filled up with the character of Jesus.

And I can’t not have us finish with this most famous prayer of blessing.  There is something I find very precious about the Lord smiling on us and turning His face towards us.

The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26