Epaphras Prays Podcast

In the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, we see a great example of what James says in the New Testament: the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. When Nehemiah heard bad news, he prayed and fasted. This shows us that in tough times, we should turn to God, pray, and ask for help.

Briefly, here is what Nehemiah did and how the people responded together:

* He prayed for his people when he heard about their distress

* God’s word was read aloud

* The people realized their disobedience

* Then they grieved and repented

The Israelites had been exiles, far from home, living in Susa. Back home in Jerusalem, the walls had fallen, and those who returned were in danger from enemies. Nehemiah heard this news and prayed. He humbly approached God, calling Him great and awesome.

In chapter 1, Nehemiah confesses the sins of his people and reminds God of the promise given through Moses--to gather them if they returned to Him.

In chapter 8, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly and read from it. This included men, women, and all who could understand. It was the first day of the seventh month.

* In verse 6, Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. All the people answered "Amen," lifting their hands and bowing their heads. They worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

* In verse 13, on the second day, the leaders of all the people, including priests and Levites, gathered around Ezra to understand the words of the law.

* In verse 18, day by day from the first to the last day, Ezra read from the book of God's law. They kept a feast for seven days. On the eighth day, there was a solemn assembly as was customary.

They read the Word of God together for many days. When they realized they had disobeyed, they grieved. But Nehemiah told them not to be sad, but instead, they should rejoice because the joy of the Lord is their strength. So they celebrated with feasting and sharing.

The Israelites were renewed spiritually because they understood and obeyed God's Word.

Now in chapter 9, we learn that on the twenty-fourth day of the month, the children of Israel gathered to fast. They wore sackcloth and put dirt on their heads, and separated themselves from all strangers, confessing their own sins and the sins of their fathers.

In a profound act of national repentance and revival, they spent a quarter of the day reading the book of the law of the Lord and another quarter confessing and worshiping the Lord (about 6 hours!).

Brothers and sisters in Christ, should we not in like manner in our day gather the children of God to read, worship, and cry out to Him? Are we not in distress across our lands?

Consecrate a fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. Joel 1:14

There is no more neglected ministry or discipline among the Believers than that of public and private prayer. We need a Nehemiah call for dedicated times of prayer in the Church assembly, because our walls are broken.

Instead of the Wednesday or Sunday evening Bible study, spend that time reading the Word and then praying that word. Time specifically devoted to prayers and intercessions needs be put on the calendars, set aside and dedicated to it! Can we not watch and pray for one hour?

Jesus says to watch and pray, Paul tells us to do this constantly.

We should do that.

The pastors and elders need to call the Church together. And if not, then perhaps members themselves should! By twos and threes, even in homes and then as a congregation in the sanctuary to read, worship, repent, and pray.

Then would lights shine across the land and fires would be lit!

Hallelujah!

You might also like

Thank you for reading Epaphras Prays, a ministry of intercessors for the people of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Our intent is to pray—and to teach others to pray, Biblical prayers. We all desperately need to be praying more, and yet we do not sense an urgency among believers to do so. Help us reach out with our newsletter to invite and encourage others to their prayer closet.

Sometime back, I stopped always asking God for only what I want and started asking Him for what He wants.

I don’t recall just when that was, and often I slip up in praying that way, so I made a list of things I found in Scripture. I refer to them whenever it seems like my prayers focus more on me than on Him.

Maybe you’ll find it helpful, too.

Next to the Psalms, Ephesians has to be my favorite “prayer manual” book in the Bible. It’s really a letter, written by Paul the apostle to the church in the city of Ephesus. He mentions several times he is praying for them, and lists what he is praying.

What God Wants

These prayers of Paul reveal to us exactly what it is the Lord wants for His church.

The list I made is not comprehensive of everything He wants, but I list 22 of them just in this one six chapter book. I think God had Paul put them in there so we can use these Scriptures today as a guide for praying His will for us. He did that because He wants us to ask, and He wants to answer!

These prayers are God-focused prayers. If we admit it, many of our prayers are self-focused, that is, we ask for things we want. These prayers turn that inside out. They ask the things God wants instead.

These prayers are for the Church. They are for each one of us in Christ, and for all those who are children of God. They are for me, and for you; for your local fellowship, and the one down the street. This is praying from the word of God for the people of God.

These prayers deal with internal disposition not external condition. Praying these, gets our focus off our circumstances and onto our inner man. Praying these will impact our heart, they will change how we think and feel about the Body of Christ. When we pray these, we begin to want what Jesus wants.

Ask of Him

He ever listens for the cries of His children.

In the prayer closet. When you pray, says our Savior. So take these prayers in your notebook or journal with you in times of prayer so you can include them in your prayers. It is not the only thing to pray, certainly, but use this to pray for all the saints.

ASK-ask seek knock. Jesus also says we are to ask, seek and knock. In this way, it will be given, we will find, the door will be opened. If we don’t ask, we don’t get.

The Father gives to those who ask. How much more will our Father in heaven give good gifts to those who—what? That’s right, ask Him!

We Can Expect Answers

When we ask for temporal wants, the answers may not come as we’d wish. But when we pray according to His will, we can look fore a surer result.

He plans on answering them. We believe God had these prayers recorded for our use then and now. He has been answering them and continues even today!

Do not doubt, believe you have received. Jesus assures us when we ask, believe and we will receive. Our asking must be in line with His will, these prayers are His will, so we can believe He will answer.

Trust and wait. This is the hard part! We live in an instant gratification world, but perhaps the way our Lord responds to these requests take more time than we expect, or answered in ways we do not expect. Our job is to trust Him and wait for Him.

What Paul Prays For

He tells the church he was constantly giving thanks for them and mentioning them in his prayers. He went before the Father, bowing his knees, and asking these things be given to his readers:

* grace, peace

* wisdom, insights, revelation, knowledge

* hope, riches, power

* strength, love, fullness

* thankfulness

* strong, armed

* truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, words

* to pray for saints, boldness

The List

Attached here is a shortened list of Paul’s Prayer Requests

A full list is being prepared for a mini-book publication as a resource (more on that later) but for now you can access this PDF and save or print it for use.

As a way to say our Thanks, a more detailed list will be sent to newsletter subscribers who support Epaphras Prays financially. That will soon

be available automatically for you if you choose to do so as well.

Or, look for the mini-book available soon.

If you found this helpful, would you ‘like’ on the heart button so others will see it also? And we’d ask you to share it with a fellow intercessor.

If you haven’t yet subscribed, why not take a second to do that now? It would bless us eternally.

Until next time, grace and peace…

Image by Tom from Pixabay

We are praying this time for our minds, that we would think on Jesus, be renewed and transformed, have the mind of Christ and on things above. We are praying for all God’s children, those born again, who are the Bride of Christ, be prepared for Him.

Join us as we pray from these verses

[Luke 24:45]

[1 Corinthians 2:16]

[Romans 12:2]

[Ephesians 4:23]

[2 Corinthians 10:5]

[Romans 8:6-7]

[Colossians 3:1-2]

[Philemon 4:8]

To Think: consider, plan, recon, calculate, ponder, be mindful of; may we have a purposeful intention of study, of thinking thoughts of God.

Our Savior knows we worry and fret constantly about many things. That’s why He tells us not to worry about what we will eat, or wear—for our heavenly Father knows we need all these things.

See how He supplies the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. (see Matthew 6:25f)

Still, even though Jesus tells us take no thought for your life, meaning - avoid worry, care and anxiety in the wants and difficulties of living, we are anxious. We do worry.

But that’s the wrong focus.

Look at what we are to do

Instead, be careful (or anxious) for nothing. as we are told from in Philippians.

In every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. (Phil 4:6)

* What is nothing? No Thing.

* How do we do this? By praying.

* When? In Every Thing!

Whenever there is a burden, we ease our worried thoughts by prayer, looking for help and direction. This includes gratitude, being thankful for what He supplies. We make our needs and desires known to Him, which is an expression of dependence on Him. And the result is the peace of God (v. 7) in our hearts, which is the opposite of anxiety. h/t Matthew Henry Commentary.

This is not just for big things

Just yesterday, I wanted to update my browser. It’s a simple, quick task, usually. This time, it replaced my old version with a brand new install of the newest version! All my settings, bookmarks, preferences…gone.

Not happy!

After a half-hour of try this, try that frustration, I took my own advise: prayer should be our first option, not our last. I sought the Lord, who did not fix the problem, but gave me the right frame of mind to study the issue and today try a few steps and it’s working now.

(Here I do the thanksgiving part of the verse)

Pray. Cast your care. An old hymn expresses this beautifully "Oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer."

Paul’s words are from Jesus to not be anxious or troubled with the stuff of life.

Where is your focus?

We can, says Peter—in faith and confidence, cast all our cares on Him for He cares for you (I Peter 5:7).

Look to Jesus. When we know Him as our Source and Supplier, our Provider and Protector who care for us, we can seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, knowing all these things shall be ours as needed. In Luke 10, Jesus tells Martha she is worried and troubled about many things, while her sister Mary sat at Jesus’ feet - the one thing that was needed. (Luke 10:41-42)

One had worry, one had worship.

Another old hymn sings “turn your eyes upon Jesus and the things of the earth grow strangely dim.”

This is the right way round! A focus on our worries makes the matter in our hands, we then are attempting to engineer our own outcome. A focus on Jesus puts the matter to rest in His hands for His will and glory. The right focus will make our worry plummet.

In sum, to combat worry, we: (1) cast our burdens on God, (2) find peace in prayer, and (3) seek God's kingdom first.

Turn your cares into prayers — Pastor Chuck Smith

Do you have an anxious friend?

Maybe you have a story like this to share?

Thank you for reading Epaphras Prays, a ministry of intercessors for the people of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Our intent is to pray—and to teach others to pray, Biblical prayers. We all desperately need to be praying more, and yet we do not sense an urgency among believers to do so. Help us reach out with our newsletter to invite and encourage others to their prayer closet.

Until next time, grace and peace

Article Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Cover Photo by Alexei Maridashvili on Unsplash

This post was previously released in 2022, and we’ve updated it for today after being inspired by a recent post by Paul Christopher because we’ve been reminded that our pastors, who rarely ask for prayer, desperately need us praying for them.

We hope this encourages you.

We must pray for our Pastors

As the Apostle Paul asked for prayers from the church, and we are those who should do the praying.

Now I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there… Romans 15:31-32 BSB

Pastors are on the front lines of ministry, the shepherds of the flocks, the overseers, and God's servant to His people. And often they are alone, or have few close friends to who they may turn for prayer and support.

As such, they also are under increasing attacks (as are all faithful in Christ) by the spirit of the age, the enemy of the Church, of God's people. Paul urged his readers, and you and me—(exhort, beseech, appeal, beg) to pray, and we should.

Therefore, we ought to support them, to under-gird them, helping those who minister by our prayers on their behalf. This includes elders, teachers, evangelists, staff, singers, and any who do the work of the ministry.

Three Prayers For Pastors

* Pray first they be delivered from the wicked

* may they be protected from those who have no faith,

* may they have patience in persecution.

* Pray for health, safety, joy, peace.

* Pray second their servant-leadership be acceptable to the saints.

* Ask for wisdom and words be given them to make known the mystery of the Gospel.

* Pray for their preaching. May they speak boldly as they ought and speak truth in the love of God.

* Ask God for grace to minister effectively at all times, in all ways, to all people

* Pray also their work be effective in equipping the saints for the work of ministry;

* that they be strong in the Lord and power of His might;

* that their faith not fail;

* that they stay alert, be firm in faith, courageous, and do all in love for Christ.

Hold a Prayer Meeting

We know of some churches who pray with the pastor before the service, another that prays during the service, some that pray at the church during the week.

Regardless how or when, we encourage you to meet and pray individually or in a small group for your church leadership, especially the pastor.

If your church has a regular prayer meeting time, be sure to pray specifically for the ministers in addition to the sick list, or missionaries.

If your church is without a weekly meeting for prayer, start one. This week! And you be the one to begin one. Invite the pastor(s) but do not ask them to lead it. You set a time and place and invite the members/elders. This is not something to wait for someone else to take the lead—you take the initiative.

Does it astonish you that a man so rich in grace as Paul should be asking prayers of these unknown saints? It need not astonish you; for it is the rule with the truly great to think most highly of others. In proportion as a man grows in grace he feels his dependence upon God, and, in a certain sense, his dependence upon God’s people. —C.H. Spurgeon

Pray especially for Preachers To Pray

The Church does not need better methods, or better speakers, but better men who preach. And, says E.M. Bounds, men who are better preachers are first men who pray.

Our pulpits are weak in prayers, our pews are weak in prayers, our churches are weak in prayers…and our sermons are weak, and our faith is weak and also our power. What is preached from the pulpit should start in the closet. Our knowledge comes from Scripture, our strength in the Lord comes from praying.

The preaching man is a praying man. Prayer is the preachers mightiest weapon…Every preacher who does not make prayer a mighty factor in his own life and ministry is a weak factor in God’s work and is powerless to project God’s cause in this world. — E.M. Bounds

Pray for the men who preach and teach, that they might be first men who pray.

Thanks for reading. Do you know others who would benefit from hearing some encouraging words about praying?

And would you consider a subscription if you don’t have one?

Have other prayers for pastors suggestions?

Until next time, grace and peace

Photo by Mitchell Leach on Unsplash

Intercessions are our prayers on behalf of others needs.

There are many examples of this in Scripture, and we are instructed to do the same: to pray for the needs of others—like those in office, in authority, in government positions.

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this [is] good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. - 1 Timothy 2:1-4 NKJV

They have needs, as do we—and so we pray on their behalf, that is we go before the Father and make requests for them of blessing, healing, protections, wisdom, and so on.

In this PrayerPodcast we have several Scriptures to bring to our Heavenly Father in prayer specifically for our nation and her government.

Praying From:

* Hebrews 10:25

* Hebrews 13:7

* Romans 1:21

* Titus 2:12

* Proverbs 26:6

* John 17:15

Will you join me in praying these verses, and ask one person to join you?

These are perilous times in America, and government is not our solution. We do pray for good and Godly government (all in authority as Paul instructed) that all those who serve would be faithful followers of the Lord Jesus Christ and administer in the fear of the Lord Almighty.

We pray for those who do not know Christ, to be given saving faith and come to know Him as Lord.

This is so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

The answers to our nations, and every nations, woes and troubles, is to come to our senses and return to the Father’s house in repentance. He is sovereign over all the nations, and He will raise up or deposes leaders as He sees fit according to His sovereign will.

Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. —Psalm 2:10-12

Ultimately, we Christians ought be more concerned about our own family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers coming to know Jesus as Savior. The more Christians across the lands, the better—for them and for us.

We need His wisdom and His grace, so pray for it!

Until next time, grace and peace

Thank you for reading Epaphras Prays, a ministry of intercessors for the people of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Our intent is to pray—and to teach others to pray, Biblical prayers. We all desperately need to be praying more, and yet we do not sense an urgency among believers to do so. Help us reach out with our newsletter to invite and encourage others to their prayer closet.

Would you consider a free or paid Subscription?

Let us know what you are praying…

Photo by Kyle Johnson on Unsplash

Fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it shall not go out. — Leviticus 6:13 LSB

We are to keep the altar of private prayer burning. This is the very life of all holiness.

Says Spurgeon, the sanctuary and family altars borrow their fires here, therefore let this burn well. Secret devotion is the very essence, evidence, and barometer, of vital and [experiential] religion.

Let your closet times be—if possible, regular, frequent, and undisturbed. Remember, effectual prayer avails much.

You say you don’t know what to pray for? Let us suggest

* the Church,

* the ministry,

* your own soul,

* your children,

* your family,

* your neighbors,

* your country,

* and the cause of God and truth going throughout the whole world.

Let’s ask ourselves, and be honest: Are we lukewarm in our private devotion? Is the fire of devotion burning low in our hearts? Do our chariot wheels drag as in mud?

For many of us, we should answer with yes.

Shouldn’t we be alarmed at this sign of neglect?! We should be, so cry out, and ask for the Spirit of grace and of supplications. Do this daily.

Every morning the priest is to add wood to the fire, arrange the burnt offering on it, and burn the fat portions of the peace offerings on it.

And set apart special seasons for extraordinary prayer. This might mean a whole weekend, like start Friday night and go through Sunday evening. Instead of a camping weekend at the lake (or whatever your thing is) go on a prayer retreat.

For if this fire should be smothered beneath the ashes of a worldly conformity, it will dim the fire on the family altar, and lessen our influence both in the Church and in the world.

Spurgeon

The passage will also apply to the altar of the heart, for is a golden altar. Our Lord loves to see the hearts of His people glowing towards Himself. Christians, give to God your hearts, all blazing with love, and seek His grace, that the fire may never be put out—for it will only burn if the Lord keeps it burning.

There will be many enemies attempting to extinguish it; but, says Spurgeon, if the unseen hand behind the wall pour thereon the sacred oil, it will blaze higher and higher.

We must be sure to use our Bible as fuel for our heart's fire, they are as live coals; and attend church teaching, but above all, let us be much alone with Jesus.

This is how to keep the fire burning.

Do you have special seasons, personally or corporately, that are set aside for prayer? What ways do you suggest others keep the fire burning?

Thank you for reading Epaphras Prays, a ministry of intercessors for the people of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Our intent is to pray—and to teach others to pray, Biblical prayers. We all desperately need to be praying more, and yet we do not sense an urgency among believers to do so. Help us reach out with our newsletter to invite and encourage others to their prayer closet.

Would you consider a free or paid Subscription?

Until next time, grace and peace…

Image by Secoura from Pixabay

Personal prayer seems to be the most neglected of all Christian duties, which is unfortunate because private prayer is the true measure of a Christian’s walk before God and ‘the pith and marrow of practical Christianity’.

Personal prayer, or devotional praying—leads to the new birth, strengthens faith, moves mountains, and promotes spiritual growth and contentment that rises above circumstances.

This private praying is asking God to break forth in us what He wants for us. He wants us to bear the fruit of the Spirit, walk in His Wisdom, be mature in Christ, operate in serving others using His gifts, and stand on His Word.

On the other hand, prayerlessness is the broad road leading to Hell for the unbeliever and the major cause of backsliding in the Christian.

What is the reason that some believers are so much brighter and holier than others? I believe the difference, in nineteen cases out of twenty, arises from different habits about private prayer. I believe that those who are not eminently holy pray little, and those who are eminently holy pray much.

J. C. Ryle

Seven Prayers

* Monday - Filled (Act 2:4)

* Tuesday - Love (Romans 5:5)

* Wednesday - Diligence (Colossians 1:11)

* Thursday - Words (Psalm 19:14)

* Friday - Wisdom (Ephesians 1:17)

* Saturday - Obedience (Psalm 119:10)

* Sunday - Reverence (Isaiah 8:13)

Thanks for listening and for praying.

If you’re new here, why not find out more about Epaphras Prays, and if you’ve been blessed by this article, consider leaving a

or

And, so you know, our publication is free to Subscribe. Doing so would bless us tremendously and help more people of God learn to pray more.

Until next time, grace and peace…

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Take Up Your Tool

Someone asked: What does it mean that prayer is a tool?

Perhaps that since God is building His church, and we are His laborers, prayer is our primary means of doing the work.

If a tool is a devise we use to accomplish a task, maybe prayer is how that task is accomplished for the Kingdom of God.

Since we are inadequate to the tasks, and need the empowering of the Spirit, then it’s possible our asking the Lord for what is needed is like a carpenter using a saw or level.

A tool is something necessary for a worker on a job; we see prayer as something necessary for us as we labor for the Lord.

I think that is what it means.

So take up your tool. Sharpen it for the labor of prayer!

For Further Study

I love the ancients, and often find ways to incorporate their devotion to prayer into my own. The phrasing is reverent, the attitude humble, the words eloquent:

Confession and Petition

A Puritan Prayer

Holy Lord, I have sinned times without number, and been guilty of pride and unbelief, of failure to find Thy mind in Thy Word, of neglect to seek Thee in my daily life. My transgressions and short-comings present me with a list of accusations, but I bless Thee that they will not stand against me, for all have been laid on Christ. Go on to subdue my corruptions, and grant me grace to live above them. Let not the passions of the flesh nor lustings of the mind bring my spirit into subjection, but do Thou rule over me in liberty and power.

I thank Thee that many of my prayers have been refused. I have asked amiss and do not have, I have prayed from lusts and been rejected, I have longed for Egypt and been given a wilderness. Go on with Thy patient work, answering 'no' to my wrongful prayers, and fitting me to accept it. Purge me from every false desire, every base aspiration, everything contrary to Thy rule. I thank Thee for Thy wisdom and Thy love, for all the acts of discipline to which I am subject, for sometimes putting me into the furnace to refine my gold and remove my dross.

No trial is so hard to bear as a sense of sin. If Thou shouldst give me choice to live in pleasure and keep my sins, or to have them burnt away with trial, give me sanctified affliction. Deliver me from every evil habit, every accretion of former sins, everything that dims the brightness of Thy grace in me, everything that prevents me taking delight in Thee. Then I shall bless Thee, God of jeshurun, for helping me to be upright.

I Must Tell Jesus

A Hymn

I must tell Jesus all of my trials;I cannot bear these burdens alone;In my distress He kindly will help me;He ever loves and cares for His own.

Refrain

I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!I cannot bear my burdens alone;I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.

I must tell Jesus all of my troubles;He is a kind, compassionate friend;If I but ask Him, He will deliverer,Make of my troubles quickly an end.

Refrain

Tempted and tried, I need a great Savior;One who can help my burdens to bear;I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus;He all my cares and sorrows will share.

Refrain

O how the world to evil allures me!O how my heart is tempted to sin!I must tell Jesus, and He will help meOver the world the victory to win.

Refrain

How Blessed Is—

15 Blessings for God’s Own People

* Behold, how blessed is the man whom God reproves, So do not reject the discipline of the Almighty. - Job 5:17

* How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the way of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! - Psalm 1:1

* How blessed is the man whose iniquity Yahweh will not take into account, And in whose spirit there is no deceit! - Psalm 32:2

* O taste and see that Yahweh is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! - Psalm 34:8

* How blessed is the man who has made Yahweh his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who stray into falsehood. - Psalm 40:4

* How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways [to Zion]! - Psalm 84:5

* O Yahweh of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You! - Psalm 84:12

* Blessed is the man whom You discipline, O Yah, And whom You teach out of Your law; - Psalm 94:12

* Praise Yah! How blessed is the man who fears Yahweh, Who greatly delights in His commandments. - Psalm 112:1

* How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with enemies in the gate. - Psalm 127:5

* How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who obtains discernment. - Proverbs 3:13

* "How blessed is the man who hears me, To watch daily at my doors, To keep watch at my doorposts. - Proverbs 8:34

* How blessed is the man who is always in dread, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. - Proverbs 28:14

* "How blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who takes hold of it, Who keeps from profaning the sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil." - Isaiah 56:2

* "Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh And whose trust is Yahweh. - Jeremiah 17:7

I pray to be such a man! I pray for all men, women, children, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, grandparents, pastors, elders, singers, teachers, members, and all in the family of faith in the Lord Jesus would also be so blessed!

Amen

Thank you for reading Epaphras Prays, a ministry of intercessors for the people of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Our intent is to pray—and to teach others to pray, Biblical prayers. We all desperately need to be praying more, and yet we do not sense an urgency among believers to do so. Help us reach out with our newsletter to invite and encourage others to their prayer closet.

Would you consider a free or paid Subscription?

Or even to send this to another who might enjoy our writing?

Maybe even hit the Like 🤍 button, leave a Comment, or Restack?

Thank you so much, grace and peace to you…

Welcome to the PrayerCast for May

Our Prayer Themes

This time we touch on:

* Getting more of God—The Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ASK, He gives the good gift, when we ask Him for more.

* Guarding our speech—help us watch over our words, and guard our heart from speaking words that cause us to stumble, but speak to edify.

* Standing Firm in Faith—trusting, believing Your truth; to remain steadfast and not fall away to serve the gods of this world, the spirit of this age, drifting from the moorings of Your Word...be mature and fully assured in all your will.

* More pray-ers, in the body of Christ—so needed and so ignored. Invade our hearts to call on you! Teach us to pray, not just how, but to actually do it!

You are invited to spend 10 minutes praying with us, and if you are using a browser, you will find a handy transcript to follow.

If you are new to prayer and intercession and would like to know more, please subscribe for free, and help support what we do.

If you are mature in prayer, but know of others this could help, please share. If really, truly helps increase the numbers of people who see this, and some of them could be encouraged to pray just like you do.

Thanks for listening,

Until Monday, grace and peace…

Image by Tep Ro from Pixabay