Scripture to Read: Romans 8:27
The opportunity to examine our prayer lives is good for all of us. Even though there are only two verses to read this week, God has given us a lot in His Word on prayer. Today we must remember how important Christian friendships are to our growth and maturity in Christ. In Philippians 1:7–11, God shows us that if we genuinely care for people, we will pray for them regularly. The beauty in Philippians 1:9–11 is that we can pray this prayer for all Christians, including ourselves. We ask God to take His love that He’s given us and grow it more and more so we display His love in greater depth, so we know Him better, and discern more deeply what He’s called us to do for His glory. Through this, we learn to recognize all that He’s given us. We also learn to treasure Him and His Word (Psalms 119:11, Philippians 4:8 ) and are able to walk in the fruit of His Spirit and not our flesh (Galatians 5:19–23). By doing this, we guard against trusting our feelings, and we’re able to love others the way God loves us. We ask this because we want all believers to clearly understand what matters most in this life so that all believers live blameless and innocent until Christ returns. The last thing we ask God is that all believers be continually filled with Him (His Holy Spirit) because He produces His fruit of righteousness in us as we walk in Him. Lastly, all of this is for His glory.
Challenge & Application
· What did God teach you today about how to pray Philippians 1:9–11, and how will this change your prayer life?
· How would you say that you are glorifying God through your prayers and how you pray for others?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!