Prayer was integral to Paul the Apostle; he fills his letters with his prayers for the churches he is writing to. What can we learn from Paul’s approach to prayer? Let’s look at his wonderful, inspiring words (from the Passion Translation)

“I pray that the Father of glory, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would impart to you the richness of the spirit of wisdom and the spirit of revelation to know him through your deeper intimacy with him.” Eph.1: 17

“I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling —that is, the wealth of God’s glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones!” Eph. 1:18

“ I pray that you will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to you through faith. Then your lives will be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through you! This is the mighty power.”

“May the blessings of divine grace and supernatural peace that flow from God our wonderful Father, and our Messiah, the Lord Jesus, be upon your lives.” Phil.1: 2

These are wonderfully generous prayers of blessing. They are the prayers of a man who knows God’s abundance. His prayers are full and passionate because he knows the depth of God’s love for other Christians.

So, let’s pray like Paul with generosity. Let us really listen to God’s heart and ask that we can powerfully release blessing. I love the Passion Translation it captures this dynamism in Paul’s prayers. Increasingly I find the words shown above are a wonderful tool to pray for my church leaders, my friends, and my family.

Use these four verses above to pray a blessing. Meditate on God’s heart and deep love for the people you are praying for. Carry them around so you can be blessing people throughout the day. Pray like Paul!

Article by Steve Botham, Director of World Prayer Centre