Many years ago, not long after I became a born again Christian, I remember praying a prayer for myself, that looking back on my life, God has answered many times. I don’t think I fully understood how much I was in fact protecting myself from deception when I prayed it. It was a very simple little prayer, but it was heartfelt. I simply prayed, “Lord, help me to never let go of you”! Although I do not believe that the enemy can snatch us out of His hand, I do believe we have the power to walk away. It’s called free will.
Jesus tells us in John 10:27-30, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”
As I have looked back at my life, I see how often the Lord has helped me to not let go of Him, especially during difficult times. With that thought in mind, I was thinking about how Jesus prayed for both His disciples and for us, those that follow in their footsteps. I thought it would be interesting and helpful to create a list of prayers, some of them straight from the mouth of Jesus, that we can pray over ourselves and even our loved ones that know Him, for protection. I have compiled a short list of seven prayers that I would like to share with you here.
We live in the age of deception. It is difficult to know if what we are hearing both on the internet, and sadly, even from the pulpits, is truth. Deception is often carefully wrapped in a blanket of truth, and therefore difficult to discern without help from the Holy Spirit.
With that in mind, I think my first prayer would be from John 16:13, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth”.
1) Lord, I pray that the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, would guide me into all truth.
The enemy is on a rampage these days. He knows his time is short and he is angry. We know from 1 Peter 5:8 that he is looking for prey: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” James 4:7 tells us: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” And in John 17:15, Jesus prays this over His disciples, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.”
2) Lord, protect me from the evil one and help me to resist the devil, so he will flee from me.
As mentioned above, if we are His sheep, Jesus promises us that we will hear His voice. We will not follow the voice of strangers. In the book of Revelation, the Lord tells us 7 times, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29, Revelation 3:6, 13, 22) For Him to say it that often, means that it’s important.
3) Lord, I pray that I would have an ear to hear what You are saying to the churches.
With persecution on the rise around the world, it is easy to be afraid to share the Gospel. But in Acts, the disciples specifically prayed about this by asking for boldness. “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29-30)
4) Lord, I pray that you would give me boldness to speak your word. Help me to not be afraid and shrink back when the opportunity presents itself.
Sadly, we live in a world filled with debauchery, filth and sin. It is everywhere these days and it is not hard to become immune to it or even tainted by it. One of the prayers that Jesus prayed for His disciples was about holiness. “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth”. Sanctify means to purify. His word purifies us!
5) Lord, purify me by your truth, for your word is truth.
We live in dark days. The early church did as well. In John 15:1-8 the Lord tells His disciples the following:
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
6) Lord, help me to abide in you, so that I can bear much fruit to bring you glory.
Finally, as this present age comes to a close and we are watching prophecy unfolding at breakneck speed before our very eyes, I cannot help but remember Jesus’ warning to His disciples in Luke 21:34-36, right after He answered their questions about the signs of the end.
“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
7) Lord, I pray that I and my family would keep watch and pray, that we would be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before You on that glorious day!
These 7 prayers are by no means a complete list. But I thought it prudent to write down what I consider some of the most important ones to help us navigate these difficult days. I hope that they encourage you and help you as well. Until He comes.
cardscoffeeandgod 