prayers of petition

from the prayers of petition reading plan


Luke 11:5-13, Matthew 7:7-11, Luke 22:39-44, James 5:13-18

BY Diana Stone

Text: Luke 11:5-13, Matthew 7:7-11, Luke 22:39-44, James 5:13-18

Of the many types of prayer in the Christian life, petition is often the most common. Whether we are crying out, begging, sending a quick thought up, or in a group assembling requests – our prayers tend to lean toward us asking the Lord to grant what we want or need. This is a beautiful and good thing, since He created us to come to Him and live in relationship with Him.

Still, if God is sovereign and all knowing, why bother asking Him to do or change anything? If you pray for one thing and get another, does that mean He wasn’t listening? Does it mean that you didn’t ask with the right words or with enough fervor or faith?

We ask from God what we believe we need, but we submit what we ask to His all wise, all good plan and we say like Jesus, “Not my will, but your will be done.” (Luke 22:42) One example of this would be Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane where he asks for the cup of wrath to be removed from him (that’s his petition), but he submits his petition to the will of the Father, for he trusts what God would give him more than what he would ask. In that instance, Jesus did not “get” what he prayed for, but he got the better (albeit harder) thing–the cross unto the crown.

When we pray in petition “according to God’s will,” we know that God will answer it. For instance, if we pray for “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” that is a prayer that God is inclined to answer, for that is a prayer that is God’s heart. At the same time, how that kingdom comes and how that will is done will be done according to God’s time and in God’s way. So, it’s not a magic formula or some incantation where we get God to do our thing, but it is a confident petitioning in faith that however God wants to answer this prayer, he certainly will because it’s a prayer that aligns with his heart.

While God has had one decree from the beginning of time, we know that a sure part of that decree is that we live in relationship with Him, and even petition Him. His Word tells us so.

Ask – because He wants to meet your needs. Seek, because you’ll find Him faithful. Knock, because your persistent pursuit of relationship with Him will find you nothing but peace and sustainment.

Post Comments (57)

57 thoughts on "prayers of petition"

  1. Deborah says:

    I just want to say how blessed I feel right now. I can feel the Holy Spirit in my soul, lifting me up. Please continue to pray for me,,,,we should all pray for everyone tonight!

  2. Rene says:

    Shan, Thank You! I receive it :)

  3. Rene says:

    Hi Margie, you mentioned specific prayers, do you or the other women here believe it’s wrong or selfish of me to pray for an equally yoked husband?

    1. Shan says:

      No. Coming from a woman who married someone unequally yoked it was difficult and the marriage ended. It took me a long time to forgive myself for it. The Bible tells us to pray the desires of our heart. You desire a man that is equally yoked and you have every right to pray for that.

    2. Margie says:

      Hi Rene,

      No, I don't believe it is wrong or selfish to pray for an equally yoked husband. I think you are a very smart woman.

      This July, my husband & I will celebrate 32 years of marriage! We were only 19 & 20 when we got married. Four years later we started a family. We have been so incredibly blessed. We both are Christians and have been since we're were young. Our faith together is something that we both value and has been an important element in our marriage & especially raising our two boys.

      The Lord says to bring the desires of your heart to him, of course always praying for HIS will in your life. God's blessings!

  4. Carolynmimi says:

    It is late and we have been traveling today..600 miles by auto to visit family. We left early and so only now have I been able to read the scripture and devotional and all the posts. You have all blessed me so much and I just have a couple of thoughts. Years ago somewhat like AmyKelly213, I kept a prayer list and for some odd reason I cannot remember I started writing my petitions in the blank pages at the beginning and end of my Bible and checking the ones with answers. Every time I open my Bible(finally exhausted all white space and had to go to notebooks) but every time even now I see those names, those requests,those answers, a reminder in His Book of His will in action. I believe that God heals..the passage in James assures that, but I learned that it is not always the way I wanted or when I wanted it..and sometimes it meant "goodbye" until we meet in heaven.

    I also believe and from your posts still see this that we should pray until God answers, but I pray that when he answers I will recognize his answer and know that whatever the answer to accept it as His will because He sees so much that I cannot.

  5. LaurenC_ says:

    Great, great post today. Lord, help me to trust what you would give me more than what I would ask.

  6. Niki says:

    Thank you for this devotional!!! This is the first one that I have participated in daily on shereadstruth. The subject tonight reminds me of something I used to pray for every single day (since I was a young girl) – morning, noon, and night. It is something that I have given up on but I am feeling that I need to ask again because maybe now that I am almost 30, the time is right…

    I am blessed to be able to participate and interact with you ladies.

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