NOVEMBER – PRAYER
1. Matthew 6:9 “ In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be
Your Name.”
All prayer should begin with worship. When Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them to pray He gave instructions on how to pray. We begin by honoring God for who He is and for His greatness. It is profitable to do a study on the Names of God so we have an understanding of what His Names are and what they mean. This prepares us to accur-ately hallow the person of the Father. The next step is to thank Him for His provision of salvation so we have the right to approach Him in prayer. We come into His presence with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Let’s take time to praise Him. Then, as we begin to sense His presence with us He will lead us into what to pray for.
2. Matthew 6:10 “ Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Once we have approached God in prayer by honoring His Name and by thanksgiving, we should declare that His kingdom come. This simply means that we declare the order of government in our relationship with the Father we honor. He is the King of our lives and we are His subjects. He gives the Word and we are to submit and obey. We declare His will to be done in every situation we pray about. We need to hear His voice so we know what to communicate in our time of conversation with Him. It is good to practice listening in these precious times. God surely has more to say to us than we would ever have to say to Him. A large part of our praying needs to be hearing the Lord. Is it ap-propriate for us to ramble on continuously when He has such good things to say to us?
3. James 5:16 “ Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that
you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
Here is a great prayer secret. Confession denotes humility. Praying for others indicates unselfish serving and accepting ministry from others. Effective prayer is that which ori-ginates in the mind and the will of God, and is spoken by people. Often we see well-meaning believers striving to get answers from the Lord through their fervency only, so they pour their energy, emotion and a multitude of loud words into their praying. This kind of praying can originate in the soul of man and may not be very productive. One who is in right standing with God needs only to come humbly and boldly before the throne, to receive the seed from God’s mind, to begin to speak the will of God’s heart, into the situation needing God’s attention. This kind of praying will avail much.
4. Philippians 4:6-7 “ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell
God your needs and don’t forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Jesus.” LB
We have a tendency to put a voice to our worries instead of discussing solutions to our problems with the Lord. He will surely direct us to the counsel of His Word, which has the answers we need. Begin to thank God for His direction and keep an open heart to receive whatever He will say. Listen carefully, obey instantly, and thank Him constantly. There is nothing too difficult for God. Submit to His rule in your life and He will walk you through to victory and offer you peace. Let Jesus quiet your heart and give you rest.
5. Luke 19:45-46 “ Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who
bought and sold in it, saying, ‘It is written, My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.’”
The house of God is supposed to be a place where we go to worship, to focus on our relationship with Him, and to fellowship together with others in the Word. In Jesus’ time the people of God were still engaged in the Old Testament practice of offering sacrifices of blood for their sins. Unscrupulous men set up shop in the temple to sell birds and animals for profit to those who required such to offer to God. The focus of their being there would be to take advantage of people and fill their pockets, and haggling over the price would not promote a prayerful spirit in the house of the Lord. Jesus drove out those who used the temple for their own selfish gain instead of coming to pray to God.
6. Acts 1:14 “ These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the
women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”
Before Jesus ascended into heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Father, He had told His disciples to wait for the promise of the Spirit (Luke 24:49) who was to come. They took Him at His Word and came together in unity. Notice, they all continued with one vision, one purpose in their prayer. Jesus had given a commission to the eleven disciples to go into all the world with the Gospel. Then they had been commanded to wait for the coming of the Spirit upon them to have power to go out to be witnesses to the world. So what did these 120 disciples of the Lord do? They continued in prayer till Jesus fulfilled His promise. Their answer came from heaven. There was no break in their ranks. The unity they assembled with remained till the Power came upon them.
7. Matthew 21:21-22 “ So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, if
you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And all things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.’”
Sometimes we may look at this scripture and assume we can pray anything we want and God is obligated to comply with our wishes. It is good to remember that Jesus said that He only does what He sees the Father doing, and He only says what the Father is saying. Let’s keep our requests in line with the Scriptures, in accord with the will of our Father, to be revealed in the timing that will glorify the Father. In this context we can ask “whatever” and it will surely come to us if we believe with all our hearts.
8. Mark 11:24-25 “ Listen to Me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you have
it; it’s yours! But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins too.” LB
There is a spiritual order to effective and fruitful praying. First, make sure you have no unforgiveness within yourself. God always wants to honor our prayers but He has in-formed us that we had better deal with our own hearts before we come to Him asking. It is our responsibility to clean up and clear out all the poison of bitterness and unfor-giveness. Also, we cannot believe for something from God unless we know what His will is and have an intimate relationship with Him to approach Him with confidence. Only then will we hear Him tell us what to pray for in faith. Our Father is standing by to pro-duce the impossible for those who can exercise their faith for the impossible.
9. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 “ I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and
thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” NIV
We cannot live peaceful and quiet lives unless there is order in government. This refers to being properly governed in all aspects of life – in our national, provincial and regional jurisdictions. It pertains to the family, to all organizations with structure, and especially the church of Christ. It is necessary to be submitted to authorities to have power to pray into their lives. Rebellion causes our prayers to fall to the ground. Please take time daily to bless every leader and give thanks to God for their well-being, their health, and their wisdom to rule. Pray the Bible Scriptures over them. The fruit of this kind of orderly min-istering is order, peace, and health in our own lives and families.
10. 1 Timothy 2:8 “ Therefore I desire that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands,
without wrath and doubting.”
Here is a description of a radical Christian praying for results. We are invited to pray everywhere, not just in church in a pious position. Pray when you get up and when you lie down. Pray before you eat and as you drive in your car. Pray while walking down the street or cleaning the house. Why, you can even pray in the church or in the mall. There will be appropriate times to lift your hands in surrender and worship, but not while driv-ing in traffic. Just remember to release yourself from any anger, resentment, or doubts in your heart. Confess those sins before the Lord, then engage Him in conversation. Those sins build a blockage against hearing the Spirit. Worship Jesus with uplifted hands, depicting a humble heart. Then enjoy your fellowship with the Savior.
11. 1 Corinthians 14:14-15 “ If I pray in tongues, my spirit prays but my mind lies
fallow, and all that intelligence is wasted. So what’s the solution? The answer is simple enough. Do both. I should be spiritually free and expressive as I pray, but I should also be thoughtful and mindful as I pray. I should sing with my spirit, and sing with my mind.” MSG
What a wonderful gift the Holy Spirit confers upon believers – the ability to pray in the spirit. This throws off all the human limitations of merely praying with our intellect. It opens up a whole other realm of communication with the Father. We are free to engage Him on another spiritual level. Our worship becomes even more powerful and spiritual warfare takes on a whole new dimension. The enemy trembles at the sound of this spiritual language; but, best of all, the Lord is so pleased with the voice of His children.
12. Romans 8:26-27 “ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not
know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with the will of God.” NIV
Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation where we simply don’t know what to pray for. We have neither the wisdom, nor the information, nor the mind of the Lord about a given situation. Thank God for an accomplished prayer partner. The Holy Spirit is His Name. He is always available to get involved. As soon as we begin to pray in the spirit, which is born of God, He joins us to perfect our utterance according to the will of God. Now our prayers begin to shake the heavens, as the power of agreement takes effect.
13. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “ Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give
thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Romans 12:12 exhorts us to continue steadfastly in prayer. Some Bible translations say we are to pray all the time, and to always keep on praying. This seems impossible. But when we have intimate fellowship with God, the communication is always happening. It is similar to the continual interaction happening between spouses that are joyful and fulfilled in their relationship. They are always grateful and thankful for each other, and celebrate the marriage daily. I believe when we have a right attitude and are maintaining good fellowship with our Heavenly Father it will be natural to share our thoughts and hear His thoughts continually. It will never be necessary to set up an appointment or call a summit meeting to contact Him. We will be praying all the time.
14. Acts 12:5 “ Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to
God for him by the church.”
The wicked King Herod was a people pleasing leader who wanted to impress the carnal Jews by oppressing the true disciples of Jesus. James the brother of John was killed but Peter was tossed in jail. Immediately the church gathered together to earnestly pray for their brother in trouble. One Bible says they prayed most strenuously. Across town an angel comes with instructions for Peter and with power from Almighty God. He disturbs the man of God from sleep to release him from captivity. Can you imagine being imprisoned and sleeping peacefully? Had Peter realized he was part of a Christ-centered body of believers who dared to pray for a miracle? Even those who were peti-tioning God in prayer could hardly believe how quickly the Lord answered!
15. Acts 10:30-31 “ And Cornelius said, ‘Four days ago I was fasting until this hour,
and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, Cornelius, your prayers have been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.’”
Cornelius was a Roman soldier, not a Jew. This man had a reputation of always praying, generously giving, and leading his family in devotion and fear of the Lord. One day as he was fasting and praying an angel showed up announcing that his charitable giving had impressed the Lord. Now Cornelius had probably been praying about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as that is the plan the angel put into motion to ensure this man, with his family and friends, received that wonderful gift. All who had gathered to hear the Word and receive from God were blessed because Cornelius prayed and gave.
16. Genesis 20:17-18 “ So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his
wife, and his maidservants. Then they bore children; for the Lord had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Abimelech was a pagan king who had taken Abraham’s wife into his household, but he had not touched her. God spoke to him in a dream and warned him of impending death coming to him. The only thing that would save him was to have the prophet of God pray for his deliverance. Prayer that originates in the will of God and spoken by a man or woman of God can change the most serious of circumstances and problems. Because Abraham prayed, the Lord healed the barrenness caused by his actions. Even though Abraham was part of the problem, God healed the situation when he prayed as the Lord directed him. Do we have situations that would change now if we would pray?
17. Numbers 11:1-2 “The people were soon complaining about all their misfortunes, and
the Lord heard them. His anger flared out against them because of their com- plaints, so the fire of the Lord began to destroy those at the far end of the camp. They screamed to Moses for help, when he prayed for them the fire stopped.” LB
The people who are complaining are most often those who are farthest away from the Lord. They have become ungrateful and quit thanking God for His goodness and mercy. Their influence can soon run through the camp and infect everyone. God had to act in judgment to preserve those who remained faithful and thankful. It is wise to refrain from letting our mouth run wild in complaining about our negative circumstances. It is wiser still to use the mouth to bless the Lord and pray in faith and in the will of God about our challenges, rather than to become a grumbler God has to correct.
18. 1 Samuel 2:1 “ This was Hannah’s prayer: ‘How I rejoice in the Lord! How He has
blessed me! Now I have an answer for my enemies, for the Lord has solved my problem, how I rejoice.’” LB
Hannah had been a barren woman. She felt disgraced, even though her husband loved her dearly. She agonized in prayer before the Lord in the Tabernacle. She promised the Lord that if He gave her a son, she would give him back to serve Him for life. The prophet Eli agreed with her petition and also prayed that God would respond to her cry. The Lord had a need to replace the prophet Eli as a leader for Israel, so He responded to the prayers of a faithful woman and opened her womb to produce the miracle child He would use for a powerful vessel in Israel. The barren areas of our lives can become fruitful for the service of the Lord if we too will bear down and prevail in prayer to God.
19. 2 Kings 20:1-3 “ Some time later Hezekiah became deathly sick. The prophet Isaiah,
son of Amoz paid him a visit and said, ‘Put your affairs in order; you’re about to die – you haven’t long to live.’ Hezekiah turned from Isaiah and faced God, praying: ‘Remember, O God, who I am, what I’ve done! I’ve lived an honest life before you, my heart’s been true and steady, I’ve lived to please you, lived for Your approval.’ And then the tears flowed. Hezekiah wept.” MSG
This king of Judah had served God reasonably well in his lifetime. He had trusted the Lord for help when the enemies of Judah were coming to destroy them. When Isaiah, the prophet of God came and pronounced a death sentence on him, Hezekiah immedi-ately turned to the wall, shut out the issues of his kingdom responsibilities, and prayed for God’s mercy. Mercy came from heaven. His prayer extended his life by fifteen years.
20. Psalm 5:1-3 “ O Lord, hear me praying; listen to my plea, O God my King, for I will
never pray to anyone but You. Each morning I will look to You in heaven and lay my requests before You, praying earnestly.” LB
Here David is claiming the Mighty Jehovah as his Lord, his Commander. In doing this he is also submitting himself as the subject of the King. There is a spoken commitment, a vow being made, that his prayers will never be directed to any other source of help. At this time in his life, David is probably under great pressure. He determines that his waking moments will be given to look to heaven, to keep his eyes first on the Lord who can guide him through the day. He knows that in times of peril there is nothing on earth that can provide the kind of assistance he will require. There is no day when he will not need God’s help. So David prays earnestly. He prays first, before he begins to act.
21. Proverbs 15:29 “ God keeps His distance from the wicked; He closely attends to
the prayers of God-loyal people.” MSG
What would a God-loyal Christian look like? How about someone who reads and medi-tates on the Scriptures every day? A loyal person would pay their respects to God daily; in worship, in thanksgiving, in praying, and in loving Him. Having fellowship with people that are part of the body of Christ would be an act of loyalty. Paying our tithes in the church we are assigned to by Jesus is definitely a demonstration of our serious com-mitment. Being faithful to assemble with other believers instead of spending all our Sun-days on the beach is a good recommendation. It is amazing to watch people call on God in desperation to be rescued from their problems, when they have ignored Him for months or years. That is not loyalty. I love my God who closely attends my prayers.
22. Psalm 55:16-18 “ But I will call upon the Lord to save me – and He will. I will pray
morning, noon, and night, pleading aloud with God; and He will hear and answer. Though the tide of battle runs strong against me, for so many are fighting me, yet He will rescue me.” LB
I sometimes wonder how God feels when He is available to speak to us, wanting to help us, and able to help us, and we insist on finding our own remedies for our problems. He never sleeps, He is never weak, and He is never without sufficient provision to meet our needs. God doesn’t take long vacations, get busy talking on the phone, or require that we catch Him on a better day. He doesn’t have a secretary to arrange an appointment for us, nor is He caught up in a long board meeting. God is waiting for us in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. Why don’t we call on Him? He is ready to answer.
23. Matthew 5:43-45 “ You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor
and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.’”
Jesus is giving a big order to those who would be called the sons and daughters of God. He reveals to us that we would have enemies, people would curse us, they would hate us, and some would even persecute us and take advantage of us. Just how do we respond to all of this abuse? Well, we are to use all of our God-given energies and the anointing of the Holy Spirit to maintain an attitude of love toward them, to speak words of blessing upon them, to do acts of kindness when we can, and finally, to remember to pray for them even if they persecute us. Jesus said pray, so we will pray and bless.
24. 1 Peter 3:7 “ Likewise you husbands, dwell with them with understanding, giving
honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Another version of this scripture says that husbands and wives are partners together in the grace of life; partners in receiving the blessings of God. However it is put, it’s clear that there is a responsibility on men to treat their marriage partner with honor and respect. Husbands can practice being carefully considerate towards the woman God gave them. Mistreatment of a spouse is a very serious charge in the mind of God. It may even move Him to withhold answers to their prayers, or hinder the fulfillment of their inheritance. So let the husbands rise up and take their challenge from God. This promise also indicates that if they obey, there will be blessings flowing for that family.
25. John 16:23 “This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping
with the thing I’ve revealed to you. Ask in My Name, according to My will, and He’ll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing it’s banks. MSG
In the affluent society of the first world there is a great temptation and often a greed to demand many things from God that He has no intention of giving us. If we are part of the entitlement culture of the Western World we may even try to obligate the Lord to load us up with material goods that could ruin our future, because we have never had to work for, or sow seed, for these earthly blessings. But once we are submitted to Jesus, serve Him willingly, and care for people, there is an access to the Father and a right to use the Mighty Name of Jesus to receive from Him. This is how we experience the overflowing joy of the Lord instead of the pain of living in carnal selfishness.
26. 1 John 3:21-23 “ Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence
before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey His com-mandments and do what pleases Him. And this is His command: to believe in the Name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us.” LB
I believe God really wants us to continually come to Him and ask, or pray for things. Can you imagine the wealth in God’s great storehouse which is there for us to receive, and Him not being free to distribute the blessings because Christians don’t ask? Why don’t we ask? Do we lack confidence to approach the Lord? Here is how we gain confidence to come to God. We submit to Him and willingly obey all His command-ments. We live to please Him, not ourselves. We believe in the Name of Jesus Christ. And finally, we love people, especially our brothers and sisters in the church family.
27. Jude 20-21 “ But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy
faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right in the center of God’s love, keep-ing your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life.” MSG
Praying in the Holy Spirit definitely has consequences and benefits for the believer. Everyone who is actively serving Christ will need to replenish their strength, their cour-age, and their anointing. This letter to believers advises us to “carefully” build ourselves up by praying in tongues. Holy Spirit prayer is supernatural and will increase our faith level, promote our faith walk, and contribute to our faith focus. Open, outstretched arms signifies an open heart. The open heart is constantly being filled with the Everlasting Word and the power of the Giver of love. Keep praying in the Holy Spirit daily.
28. Daniel 9:20-21 “ While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin
of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord My God for His holy hill – while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, ‘Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.” NIV
Having a clean heart through confession of sin will speed up the answers we are pray-ing to receive. Even before Daniel had finished his prayer time the answer came swiftly. This man of prayer was concerned for the welfare of the people of Israel, not just his personal life. His heart was willing to receive instruction. His mind was ready to accept God’s insight. Daniel had a deep desire to get understanding from the heavenly source he trusted. His God, His Father, was reliable in moving him successfully into the future.
29. Ephesians 6:18 “ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers
and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. NIV
This exhortation is the conclusion of the instruction given to the church concerning our dressing in the armor of God. We are to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. How? We put on the Christian armor that will enable us to hold our ground and stand against the devil’s schemes. We keep the belt of Truth firmly around our middle, and the breastplate of Righteousness over our heart. Our feet are fitted with the readi-ness to give out the Gospel of Peace, we take up the shield of Faith to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one, and our head is covered with the helmet of Salvation. We are armed with the Word, the sword of the Spirit, and then we pray, pray, pray!
30. Colossians 4:12-13 “ Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus,
sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.” NIV
This servant Epaphras was truly a prayer warrior. He was qualified to be called a ser-vant of Christ. He was constantly wrestling in prayer for others. His concern was that believers would stand firm in their faith. He fought for them in the spiritual realm; that they would mature in their walk with God, be committed to the will of God, and have an assurance of their faith in God. Paul was communicating to the believers in Colosse that a powerful soldier of Christ was working hard, laboring in prayers for their success. The ministry of his prayer-service reached even beyond this church, to many other locations.