How to pray, that has been a question on the minds of believers for at least 2,000 years. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray and He responded with a very familiar outline for prayer. We can learn more about how to pray from the way the Apostle Paul and others in the Bible prayed.

How do you pray for those in your life? How do you pray for yourself? Do you use any of those examples and could there be some you have not thought about?

Welcome to Soul Survival. One of my goals here is to show how practical the Bible really is, what I like to call “the Bible for real life.” I do that by reading through the Bible each year and commenting on some of those passages in my daily posts, “The Bible Day by Day.”

In this newsletter space, I like to share a short devotional along with a round-up of recent posts.

Over the last week or so, my daily posts have covered everything from superheroes, parenting, and emotions to what it really means to be a Christian and when we might not be a genuine believer. If you haven’t already read them, I hope you’ll check out a few using the links below. But now … how to pray for the soul.

How to Pray for the Soul

If you have never read any of John Piper’s devotional books, this season of quarantines might be a good time to purchase one. They are thought and faith-producing gems. One of his best known is Taste and See.

It contains 140 short, two or three-page devotions. You can read them in order or sample at will. One of them taught me a lot about how to pray and has impacted my prayer life for many years. The title is “How to Pray for the Soul (Yours or Another’s)” and the subtitle is “Praying in Sync with the Way God Works.”

That sounds like a tall order. But Piper delivers in two-and-a-half pages because he draws his truths straight from Scripture. He lists eight verses that he calls the meat and potatoes of his prayer life.

If you have never prayed God’s Word back to Him and you would like to know more about it, you might check out this post, “Praying Paul’s Prayers & Praying God’s Will.”

But here are the verses Piper includes in his list. I have added a couple of others to my list and you may find others, as well.

John Piper’s List: How to Pray for the Soul

1. Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain (Psalm 119:36 ESV).

Piper explains that the first thing we need is an inclination toward God, an inclination that only God Himself can give us. When I pray this and the following verses, I personalize each one and add the names of my loved ones, friends, church leaders, and others.

2. Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law (Psalm 119:18 ESV).

Piper says, “Next I need to have the eyes of my heart opened so when my inclination leads me to the Word, I see what is really there and not just my own ideas.”

3. [H]aving the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints (Ephesians 1:18 ESV).

I pray it this way, “Open the eyes of my/our hearts that we may know and understand the hope to which we have been called and the riches of our inheritance in You.”

4. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name (Psalm 86:11 ESV).

It’s easy for us to grow and have our hearts enlightened in some areas while others remain in darkness. We need to pray that God would enlighten our whole heart.

5. Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days (Psalm 90:14 ESV).

The things of this world can easily tug on our devotion to God. We need to pray to be satisfied in Him.

6. [T]hat according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being (Ephesians 3:16 ESV).

I know I need the strength only He can give so I pray, “Strengthen us with power through Your Spirit in our inner man.”

7. [Cause us] to walk in a manner worthy of [You] Lord, fully pleasing to [You], bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10 ESV).

As believers, we want to bear fruit, to love God and others well and to make a good representation of God to those around us. So we can pray Colossians 1.10 for ourselves and others.

8. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name (Matt. 6.9).

I follow Piper’s example by praying, “Lord, cause Your name to be known and feared and loved and cherished and admired and praised and trusted because of my life and my ministry, Mike’s life and ministry, and the lives of all those I’ve lifted up to You.”

We should pray all these things in Jesus’ name understanding that God answers our prayers not because we deserve those answers but because of what Jesus did on our behalf (Rom. 8.32).

I like to follow these verses by using the remainder of the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6 as an outline.

I hope this is as much of a help and a blessing to you as it has been to me. Now here’s what’s been happening on the blog.

In Him,
Donna

Last Week’s Most Read Post:

“Do You Live with a Sense of Guilt?”

Maybe you go to church or maybe you don’t. Maybe you call yourself a Christian or maybe you’re not even sure you want to. What you do know is, you live with a sense of guilt and confusion. You lack any lasting peace and wonder if it will ever change.

Guilt sometimes leaves us with the vague feeling that we are not good enough and that we deserve whatever happens. But sometimes it leaves us angry and confused about why others seem to have peace and seem so sure of their relationship with God while we live with constant doubt.

The problem with guilt is that it’s more than an emotion. It is a state of being. We are all guilty before a holy God. And there is only one remedy and one road to real peace.

Other Posts from the Last Week:

“Are You Bored with God’s Word?”

Are you bored with God’s Word? Do you allow God’s Word and His wisdom to affect your heart intensely or is it too often “Ho, Hum, I’ve heard that before”? Sometimes our familiarity with the Word or with certain passages can keep us from benefiting from our Bible reading. Are there some simple questions we can ask about our reading to help us “listen” to God’s voice more attentively? Today we’ll look at one familiar passage and see how it can lead us into a greater level of trust in God.

“Housewives, Superheros & Easy Believism”

Do you think you’re too grown up to be a superhero? Today in the book of Judges, you will meet Jael, a housewife turned superhero. What does her story possibly have to do with you and me? What kind of superhero might God be calling you to be?

And in our New Testament reading, great multitudes were following Jesus. What an evangelistic opportunity! But instead of encouraging them to pray a prayer and accept Him into their hearts, he wanted to know if they had counted the cost of following Him and whether they were prepared to love Him so much that their love for father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even love for themselves would seem like hate in comparison. How do we reconcile that with what is taught in many churches today?

“What’s the Story Behind Your Parenting Decisions?”

When it comes to parenting, few of us are prepared for the hard work and confusion that accompanies the job. We get caught up in the excitement of the first sonogram, getting the nursery ready, and buying all those cute little bibs and blankets. It’s not until we’re sleep-deprived and walking the floor with a crying baby that we start to wonder, am I doing something wrong?

“Could You Be a Christian in Name Only?”

Normally, on Sundays people around the world fill their churches. Most would identify themselves as Christians. Perhaps because they grew up in a Christian home or because they have some general belief in God. But could there be a great danger in that assumption? Could many, even some who attend church every week, be Christians in name only?

When an observer in Jesus’ time asked, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” He warned that the gate is narrow. And when the people of Joshua’s day claimed that they would serve the Lord, he told them not to take that commitment lightly. Are there many today who have failed to heed those warnings? Are there many who base their relationship with God on something besides the true Gospel?

That should be a heart-breaking thought for those of us who truly understand the Gospel because it is the most incredible GOOD NEWS ever! Today’s post includes a link to a video that could shake your understanding of what the good news of the Gospel really is!

“A Life or Death Clash of Ideas”

Perhaps more today than ever before, our nation’s airways, print media, internet, classrooms, political arenas, and even living rooms are filled with diverse and opposing views. There is a clash of ideas ranging from religion to science to right and wrong itself.

These aren’t minor differences of opinion. They are at their heart world view issues. Yet, Jesus didn’t pray for us to be taken out of the world or out of these discussions. In fact, understanding what God says about many of these ideas should make us first examine our own ideas and opinions and then be willing to share the truth with others.

“How Does Our Thinking Affect Our Emotions?”

What’s going on in your heart and mind? Is there peace and trust? Or worry and anxiety? Is there forgiveness and grace? Or anger and bitterness? How should we respond when anxiety or other negative emotions threaten to have their way?

I hope you’ll take the time to read this post. Our thinking is so important and learning to think biblically makes all the difference in our emotional condition.

“The Lens of Scripture”

Our perception, the filter through which we “see” everything has a tremendous effect on our lives. I often tell people in counseling that we are affected much more by what we think about what happens to us than what actually happens to us. So how do you view the events of your life, including the current COVID-19 crisis? What is your filter? Are you looking through the lens of Scripture or through the world’s lens? Are you seeing through the sovereignty of God or through a self-focused lens?

And Our Last Newsletter in Case You Missed It:

“3 Levels of Thankfulness”

There has been a lot said in recent years about thankfulness and gratitude. A glance around a bookstore and you’ll find thankfulness journals and books on the psychological value of gratitude. But how should believers in Christ view thankfulness? Is it possible that we are called to a much higher level of this attitude?

If you missed them, I hope you’ll check out a couple. And you can sign up here for my daily email. As a thank you, I’ll send you a free eJournal each month in 2020.

Blessings,
Donna

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