Praying Scripture for the Church: A Biblical Approach
Scripture-based prayer for the Church is both powerful and purposeful because it reflects God's own intentions for His people
Intercession for the Church should be anchored in Scripture, using the very prayers Jesus and the Apostles prayed. When we pray biblical verses back to the Lord, we align our hearts with His revealed will and tap into promises He has already committed to fulfill.
The bottom line: Scripture-based prayer for the Church is both powerful and purposeful because it reflects God's own intentions for His people.
Start with Scripture-Based Prayers for the Church
Our intercessions should focus primarily on praying for the people of God using verses that Jesus and the Apostles themselves prayed. These biblical prayers have been preserved in writing specifically so we might pray them today, not just read about them historically. When we don't know what to pray for the Church, these verses serve as our anchor, placing us at the very heart of God's will for His people.
These prayers work because they align us with the Lord’s revealed intentions for the Church.
Pray Scripture Because It Reveals God's Will
Scripture shows us God's intention for His people, making biblical prayers incredibly powerful when interceding for the Church. Ephesians 3:19 reveals the Lord’s desire that we "may be filled with all the fullness of God" – and how can we pray anything better than this for the Church today? God's word is His covenant, a will and testament that cannot be broken, which means He wants to answer these prayers and is actively answering them.
When we pray Scripture, we're asking our Father to fulfill His own promises.
Apply Five Key Scriptures in Your Church Intercession
Use Acts 4:29-31 to pray for boldness in speaking God's word and being filled with the Holy Spirit. Pray Romans 15:5-7 for unity and like-mindedness that glorifies the Lord with one voice. Include Romans 15:13 asking Him to fill believers with joy, peace, and hope. Intercede using Ephesians 1:17-19 for wisdom, revelation, and understanding of the Lord’s calling and power. Finally, employ Colossians 4:12 to pray that the Church stands perfect and complete in His will.
These five scriptures provide a comprehensive framework for praying God's heart over His people.
It's like having a master key that unlocks every door in God's house – Scripture-based prayer gives us access to the very heart of what our Savior wants for His Bride.
Will you join us in praying these verses, and ask one person to join you?
Prayer and the Word of God
Where is your Bible when you pray? Do you Bible read, and then also pray? It is quite difficult to pray according to the will of God without having spent time learning of it from the book of God. Here we learn that prayer and the Bible are as one, and of the necessity of praying from the Word of God, from Edward M Bounds: