NW Prayer Midweek

Survey question.

I love how Paul David Tripp says it about prayer.

Prayer is abandoning my reliance on me and running toward the rest that can be found only when I rely on the power of God.

Prayer abandons independence.

Prayer forsakes any thought that you can make it on your own.

Prayer affirms dependency.

Prayer acknowledges weakness.

Prayer renounces assessments of capability.

Prayer embraces the reality of failure.

Prayer tells you that you are not at the center.

Prayer calls you to abandon your plans for the wiser plans of another.

Prayer flows from a deep personal sense of need and runs toward God’s abundant grace.

Because of what prayer really is, prayer is not natural for us. It’s not natural for us to embrace our sin, weakness, and failure. It’s not natural for us to be comfortable depending on the mercy of another.

It’s not natural for us to surrender our hopes and dreams to the better vision of another. It’s not natural for us to surrender our wisdom and control to someone greater than us. It’s not natural for us to think that we need grace. On the other hand, it’s natural for us to think that our righteousness, wisdom, strength, and work are enough. As a result, many of our prayers are the religious pronouncements of self-righteous people, the long wish lists of entitled people, or the impatient demands of people who are wondering what in the world God is doing. So many of our prayers aren’t prayers at all (see Luke 18:9–14).

Here is the bottom line. We need to be met by God’s grace if, in true humility, we are ever going to be able to abandon our self-reliance and pray for grace.

It is only by grace that we will ever acknowledge our need for grace and worship God for the grace he has so willingly lavished on us.

Since prayer is fundamentally counterintuitive, we need grace to rescue us from our self-oriented religious meanderings so that, with humble hearts, we may acknowledge God as the Redeemer-King and cast ourselves on his gracious care.

Prayer always forsakes the kingdom of self for the kingdom of God, and for that we all need forgiving, rescuing, and transforming grace. This is just the kind of grace for which true prayer leads us to cry out.

Excerpt From: Paul David Tripp. “New Morning Mercies.” Apple Books.

Prayers for Wisdom

Fill __________ with the knowledge of your will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, that they might live a life worthy of you, Lord, and please you in every way. Col 1:9-10

Give ___________ wisdom. Thank you that you give generously to everyone without finding fault. Help ____________ to believe and not doubt, and give them singleness of mind and stability in all that they do. Help them to be decisive and to make good decisions. James 1:5-8

Cause _________ to fear you, since this the beginning of wisdom. Cause ___________ to know you, and to understand your perspective on any situation. Add years to their life, and give them the reward of the wise. Prov 9:10-12

Do not let _________ look at the things man looks at, but let her see the world through your eyes and respond to it with your wisdom and your love. 1 Sam 16:7

Let __________ trust in you with all of their heart. Don’t let them rely on their own understanding, but cause them to acknowledge you in all of their ways, and make their paths straight. Prov 3:5-6

Kindness and Compassion

Clothe ___________ with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Col 3:12

Let ______________ be kind and compassionate to others, forgiving them just as Christ God forgave him. Eph 4:32

Let _______________ open their arms to the poor and extend his hands to the needy. Prov 31:20

Thank you for showing compassion to us. I pray that _________ would follow your example, being compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love. Psalm 103:8

Fill __________ with your Holy Spirit, that she might bear the Spirit’s fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Gal 5:22-23

Prayers for Spiritual protection

Keep _______ from harm. Watch over their life; watch over their coming and going, both now and forevermore. Psalm 121:7-8

Put a hedge of protection and blessing around __________ and everything he has. Job 1:10

Give ________ the weapons they need to demolish strongholds, arguments, and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of you, Lord. Help ___________ to take captive every thought she has to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Cor 10:4-5

Help _____ to submit to you, O God, and to resist the devil. Make the devil flee from _______ as they draw near to you. James 4:7-8

Keep ________ from the snares the enemy has laid for them, from the traps set by evildoers. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while he passes by in safety. Psalm 141:9-10

“Prayer calls me to abandon the present as my only lens on life and commit to look at life from the perspective of reality.” Paul David Tripp. “New Morning Mercies.”