Let’s PraySample

Big, Bold, Specific Prayers

What if I were to tell you that the transcripts of your prayers are the scripts of your future? What difference would this make in the way you pray?

Some people have a very generic prayer life. We can all pray, “Lord, thank You for today. Put a hedge of protection over my family.” This kind of prayer is good and safe, but God has also called us to pray big, bold, specific prayers. He has called us to pray with passion and desire, with the hope our prayers will change the future. God has called the church to pray in a way that brings glory to God and makes a difference in the world around us, to break down strongholds and to break addictions and bondage. What if we prayed with tenacity and passion? The Lord would surely do amazing things.

In Ephesians 3:14, the apostle Paul encouraged the church to engage in this type of bold, specific prayer. Paul began by giving a prayer posture: “For this reason I kneel before the Father . . .” At this time, Jewish men did not kneel. They actually prayed standing up, with their palms up. They would look up to heaven and pray. Paul taught that sometimes you have to get to a point of humility and kneel before the Father. This connection demands a different level of commitment, of intensity in prayer.

Paul’s attitude is what matters. Some people kneel, while some pray walking and others standing up. Some people pray on the way to work, in their car. Some people pray while they are running. Some people pray lying down on the floor, so they can be focused on the Lord and on the petitions and requests they are bringing before Him. By saying, “I kneel before the Father,” Paul acknowledges his weakness. He is human, but God is God, God is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is able to do above than we could ever hope, dream, or imagine. He is God, and I am not. Out of reverence, I’m going to kneel before the Father, humbly recognizing that the Lord, in His glory, has called us to pray.