WHAT CAN I PRAY FOR? - Growing Through God's Word

What Can I Pray For?

I recently ran into the idea that we must only pray for what we need. Although I don’t agree, it did get me thinking about what should be the nature of our prayer requests.

David prayed for many things in the Psalms― safety, forgiveness and, at times, his prayers were praise to God. David’s prayers seem to go far beyond what I would label as needs.

In Romans 8:15-16 we read:

“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”

“Abba” translates as “Daddy.” What would I ask my daddy for?

Since our excitement losing our roof, wind bothers me. Is it a need for the wind not to blow? Some might argue that I need more faith that God won’t let the roof blow away again. Whatever the case, I have prayed on several occasions for the wind to stop blowing and God has heard my prayers. On one particular occasion, I looked at the forecast—three solid days of wind. I cried to God and the wind stopped. We had three days of calm. Was it a need? Not really but God heard me and answered.

Should we limit our prayers to only what we see as needs? Romans 8:26 says:

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

If I don’t even know what to pray for, how do I know when my prayers encompass my needs? I talk to God about everything. I leave my requests in His hands and trust He knows my needs and will differentiate between the frivolous and the necessary. He is, after all, my “daddy.”

How Do I Talk to God? (underthecoverofprayer.wordpress.com)
Blown Away (underthecoverofprayer.wordpress.com)
Confronted by Unbelief? (underthecoverofprayer.wordpress.com)

Tammy Wiens

Tammy lives in Saskatchewan with her husband. They have four children. She enjoys gardening, walks along the beach and being on the farm. She has a passion for her faith, studying the Bible and prayer.

She has published two books; Where a Little Rain Comes Down and Making the Bitter Sweet. A short story, “May’s First Christmas” appeared in Christmas Chaos, a collection of stories about Christmas experiences that don’t make the fronts of Christmas cards. “Careful What You Whisper” is another short story about Tammy’s experiences after breaking her back. It can be found in A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider. Visit T. L. Wiens for more information about Tammy’s books and workshops.