Growing up in the church, I can’t tell you how many lessons I’ve heard on the topic of prayer. However, it hasn’t been until the past couple of years that I’ve really started to understand how powerful and important prayer really is. There are some individuals who I love to hear pray, because they serve to be a great example. Thankfully, Paul is included in that list due to the preservation of the New Testament scriptures. Notice a few of the reasons why Paul prayed:

• Pray a prayer of thanks for Christians who exemplify faith, hope, and love (Col. 1:3-5; Eph. 1:16; Phil. 1:4; 1 Thess. 1:2)
• Pray a prayer asking God to help your brothers and sisters grow in the knowledge of God’s Will (Col. 1:9)
• Pray for the spiritual efforts of others (Philemon 6)
• Pray for those who need a spiritual boost (2 Corinthians 13:9)
• Pray that you can have an opportunity to help those who need help in their faith (1 Thess. 3:10; Rom. 1:10)
• Pray that God can actively shape and mold those you are thinking of (2 Thess. 1:11)
• Pray for those who are in authoritative positions (1 Tim. 2:1-4)
• Pray about the things that are weighing on your mind (Phil. 4:6)

This is just a brief and concise list of Paul’s prayers found in his New Testament letters. One thing is for sure; Paul was very spiritually minded in his prayer life. He seemed to be more concerned with the spiritual condition of someone, rather than their physical condition. While the physical entities of this life are not to be ignored, they also shouldn’t be placed above spiritual matters. I’m grateful for our brother, Paul, and his legacy found within the scriptures.

Tyler King