17That the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may KNOW what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power. (Eph. 1:17-19)
I pray this prayer from Ephesians over my family often. However, I didn’t know until today that it is called an Apostolic prayer. All the prayers recorded in the New Testament are apostolic because they were spoken either by Jesus, our Apostle and High Priest (Heb. 3:1), or His apostles.
This past Sunday, my Pastor highlighted some common themes in these apostolic prayers and suggested that we print them off and pray them back to God. I am excited to share them with you because I realized how seldom these prayers are the main focus of my prayer time. Perhaps, like me, you want to be praying God’s prayers, not your own.
Here are some common themes in Apostolic Prayers:
1) Inspired by the Holy Spirit. Apostolic Prayers are the ones that burn in the heart of God enough to be included in His book. These are the prayers He placed in the mouths of His disciples. Since these are the payers on God’s heart, He WILL answer.
2) Always God centered. Apostolic Prayers focus on God, not the enemy or the situation. They spend the most airspace honoring God and extolling His plans and purposes.
3) Always positive. Apostolic prayers release the positive virtues of God into every situation. Instead of praying against people or situations, they pray love and joy and unity, etc.
4) For the Church. Apostolic prayers are aimed at strengthening the church. God’s strategic plan to reach the lost is through His church. It is the victorious church, sacrificially loving one another, that will have the faith and unity to reach the lost.
If you would like to hear the whole sermon, here is that link:
http://revivechurchworship.org/media/dtfk4rd/acts-10-apostolic-prayers
I am inspired to spend time in these prayers. I plan to pray them back to God so that He will answer them in His perfect timing. I have printed a list to carry in my Bible. If you are inspired too, here is the link to that list:
I pray that you and I (and God’s whole church) walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (Col.1:10). Amen.