Tag Archives: Pray

April 17, 2025 · 9:00 pm

Christ’s Prayer For Believers

In John 17, Jesus prays for His own. This passage is stirring and wonderful. What were Jesus “prayer requests” in this passage? Let us examine three of them.

**Jesus prays for the Believer’s Spiritual Protection

Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. 

John 17:11

**Jesus prays for the Believer’s Joy

But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 

John 17:13

**Jesus prays for His People’s Unity

And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

John 17:22-23

Let us be thankful for the prayers of our Savior.

Tony French

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March 31, 2025 · 9:00 am

Pray Like Jesus

41And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Luke 22:41-44

3 Lessons from Jesus’ Prayer Life

**Pray Fervently

**Pray Regularly

Luke 5:16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

**Pray Persistently

Luke 18:1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.

God bless you as you pray like Jesus this week!

Tony French

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September 19, 2024 · 9:00 pm

Godly Prayer

14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.

James 5:14-15

Praying in faith is a vital aspect of Christian living. Believers ought to pray and should lift up their requests believing that God is able to do miracles.

James instructs the sick to call for the elders of the church, be anointed with oil, and be prayed for by the leaders of the congregation. This practice is consistent with the biblical record. The elders do not have to be called in every situation. Yet, the option remains should the need arise among the flock.

The overarching lesson from verses 14-15 is the need for God’s people to pray in a believing spirit. Too often, the Church prays with little to no faith that God will actually do what they are praying for the Lord to accomplish. Every member of the church (no just the elders) should intercede on behalf of the sick and hurting. And when the Christian does pray for their fellow Believers, let them bring petitions with the full faith and confidence that God will hear them and will move on their behalf.

The Lord will not always answer our prayers exactly as hoped. But, He will hear us and grant us His will in all things. And that is what is best after all!

Tony French

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January 29, 2024 · 9:00 am

Prayer Thoughts

What should we do while praying? Consider the following

**Thank God

Pray without ceasing.

 1 Thessalonians 5:17

**Praise the Lord

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

Hebrews 13:15

**Confess Your Sins

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

**Make Requests

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

**Intercede for Others

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.

1 Timothy 2:1

**Meditate on God’s Word

Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 1:1-2

**Listen to the Holy Spirit

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 14:26

Tony French

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June 29, 2023 · 6:00 pm

Ask!

Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Matthew 7:9-11

Two main points emerge from these verses. The first is this—God is our provider. He gives us good things. James expounds on this thought by saying “every good and perfect gift comes from above.” (James 1:17)

When we pray, may we be reminded that God is our provider and sustainer. He is Jehovah Jireh, God our Provider. (Genesis 22:14) We can trust Him to meet our needs. 

Also, God knows what we need more fully than we do. God knows us better than we know ourselves and He knows how to give us what we need.

We ought to be thankful for this aspect of God’s provision. Often, we do not know what is best for us. And I’m glad that God withholds what we think we want in order to give us what is best.

Tony French

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June 22, 2023 · 9:00 am

Keep Praying

For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Matthew 7:8

Jesus’ teaching on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount is memorable and informative. Matthew 7:8 gives us hope that God will not abandon us in our prayers. The Lord hears and He will answer in His way and in His time.

As Christians, we should pray persistently. Let’s be honest. If we don’t hear from God almost immediately in prayer we tend to give up. Some things take time and patience and that is especially true as we pray.

Jesus promises us an answer in verse 8 of this chapter. Sometimes the answer will be no or wait. But, you can’t trust that He will answer when the time is right and when we are right.

Tony French

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June 15, 2023 · 9:00 pm

When You Pray

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Matthew 7:7

Most Christians truly desire to have a thriving, growing prayer life. We want to pray and we hope to pray well.

If were honest, though, most Christians also admit that while we want to pray well we often do not pray effectively at all. We are not experiencing true growth and power in our prayers. The desire is to pray is real, but, the practical growth is non-existent. What can we do?

Jesus instructs us in prayer in this verse once again. May we heed His words and apply them to our prayer times. Listen to these practical instructions and pray well my friend.

Jesus commands us to pray fervently. When we pray, may we pray with a sense of urgency. Too often our prayers lack urgency and strength. We say our prayers perfunctorily and half-heartedly. No wonder we do not have power in prayer.

As you pray, pray believing that God can. He might not do everything you want, but, continue praying knowing that “with God all things are possible.” (Luke 1:37)

Tony French

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February 16, 2023 · 6:00 pm

Pray Well

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Matthew 6:5-6

Prayer is an important emphasis in the Kingdom of Heaven. Living as Kingdom citizens allows us the privilege of prayer.  We can converse and commune with God.

The Lord’s message in v. 5 is “do not be a hypocrite when we pray.” Don’t pray publicly one way when you are a different person in private. God has a real problem with us pretending to be something we are not.

Simply put, we are not to pray for the audience around us. We are to pray to God and to God alone.

Those who pray for the ears of others have their reward. They are well-thought of in the moment, but, that’s it. No reward exists for hypocritical praying.

By contrast, our prayers are to be authentic and the same whether we pray privately or publicly. We are rewarded by the father when we seek Him sincerely each day. The Father is pleased with this type of praying.

Remember, Jesus is not condemning public prayer per se. He is condemning hypocritical public prayers that do not glorify God but glorify the one who prays.

Glorify Jesus in your prayer life, child of God. He is worthy!

Tony French

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