Epaphras Prays Podcast

Many are blessed to have once heard the sermons in person from C. H. Spurgeon, saying it was memorable to listen when he preached. In the Introduction to a collection of Pulpit Prayers, Dinsdale Young writes, “It was often even more memorable to hear him pray.”

Spurgeon was renowned not only for his powerful preaching, but also for the depth and passion of his public prayers. Spurgeon, says Young, lived and moved in the spiritual world, so his prayers were the natural effusion of a consecrated personality, not mere literary preparation.

Young emphasizes the biblical nature of Spurgeon's prayers, which were rich with enduring wealth. He commends the prayers as ideals of how men ought to pray, and believes they will be invaluable for ministers contemplating their own congregational prayers, as well as for personal devotional reading by all Christians.

To that end, now we pray as Spurgeon did with

Prayer 17 – To Be Like Christ

BLESSED art Thou, O God, teach us Thy statutes! Because Thou art the infinitely blessed One, Thou canst impart blessing, and Thou art infinitely willing to do so, and therefore do we approach Thee with great confidence, through Jesus Christ Thy Son, whom Thou hast made blessed forevermore.

Oh! hear Thou the voice of Thy servants this day and according to Thine infinite love and wisdom answer Thou us, according to Thy riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.

First we would confess before Thee, O God, the sin we have committed, mourning over it. Touch each one’s heart now with tenderness that everyone of us may lament that Thou shouldst even have a few things against us, if they be but few, for in the great love of our blessed Master He said to His churches, “Nevertheless, I have a few things against Thee.” O Lord, if Thou hast so kept us by Thy grace that there have been but a few things against us, yet help us to bewail them much. O, Infinite Love, can we sin against Thee at all? How debased is our nature then! Forgive, sweet Savior, forgive sins against Thy love and blood, against Thy wounds and death, and give us Thy Spirit, O Savior, more fully, that we may live Thy life while we are here among the sons of men, for as Thou art, even so also are we in this world, and we wish the parallel to become more close and perfect every day!

Forgive those who have never felt the guilt of sin, who are living in it, who are carnally minded, who are therefore dead. O, quicken by Thy divine Spirit. Take away the pleasure which they feel in sin. Deliver them from being the bond slaves of it. Alas! we know the sorrow of sometimes being captured by it, but still we are not yet slaves. The Spirit, the life of God, in Jesus Christ, hath made us free from the law of sin and death. O, deliver others. Bring them up out of the horrible pit of sin. Deliver them from the death of their natures and save them by the Spirit of the living God, and apply the precious blood of Jesus to their hearts and consciences.

And, Lord, hear us who are Thy children, in whom the Spirit beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. Hear us while we bring before Thee our daily struggles. Blessed be Thy name, there are some sins which Thou hast helped us to overcome and now they are trodden beneath our feet with many a tear that we ever should have been in bondage to them. And O! there are rebellions within our nature still. We think that we are getting holy and behold we discover that we are under the power of pride, that we are self-conceited about ourselves. Lord help us to master pride.

And then when we try to be humble before Thee, we find ourselves falling into inaction and supineness. Lord, slay sloth within us and never let us find a pillow in the doctrines of grace for ease while yet a single sin remains. Besides, great God, the raging lusts of the flesh will sometimes pounce upon us like wild beasts. Help us to be very watchful lest by any means we be torn and rent by them. O keep us, we beseech Thee, Lord, for without Thy keeping we cannot keep ourselves.

Alas! we are even sometimes subject to unbelief. If trials come which we expected not or if the body grows faint, how liable we are to begin to doubt the faithful promise and so to grieve the Holy Spirit. Lord, we cannot bear this. We cannot bear this. It is not enough for us that our garments are clean and that we walk uprightly before men. We long to walk before Thee in such a way that there will be nothing to grieve Thy Spirit, nothing to vex the tender love of our Beloved. O, come, divine Spirit, and exercise Thy cleansing power upon it according to Thy promise, “I will cleanse Thy blood which I have not cleansed, saith the Lord, that dwelleth in Zion.”

O that everything might help us towards purity, for we crave after it. We mind the things of the Spirit and there is groaning within us to be utterly delivered from the things of the flesh, that we may in spirit, soul, and body, be a cleansed temple fit for the indwelling of the Holy One of Israel. Lord help us, we pray Thee, in our daily life, to be as Christ was. If we are men of sorrows, may there be that luster about our sorrow which there was about His in patience and holy submission to the divine law. If we are men of activity, may our activity be like His, for He “went about doing good.” May we seek in all ways the good of our fellow-men and the glory of our God. We wish that the zeal of Thine house would eat us up, that we should be full of sacred warmth, that our lips were touched with the live coal so that there be fire in us perpetually flaming and burning, and ourselves a living sacrifice unto God.

Bless us, we pray Thee, as to our example and influence. May it always be of a salutary kind. May there be sweetness and light about us which all must be obliged to perceive. Not for our honor would we crave this, but that our light may so shine before men that they may “see our good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven.” The Lord grant us this!

We beseech Thee, bless the unconverted among us. Bring them in, dear Savior, bring them in. Help the living among us to compel them to come in that Thy house may be filled. May something of a sacred compulsion be used that they may not be left outside to starve in the highways and hedges, but be brought in to the Gospel feast.

The Lord bless our country at this time. Wilt Thou be gracious unto those who have the helm of affairs that in the midst of great difficulty, they may be wisely and graciously directed. God bless the Sovereign with every mercy and let all that are in authority share the divine favor. Bless other countries, too, for whom we do most earnestly pray, especially for our brethren in Christ across the Atlantic, blessing and praising Thee that we have so many there that are not only of our own kin by nationality, but also kin in Christ. God bless them and those in the Southern seas. The Lord bless the Church of Christ there, nor do Thou fail to remember the struggling ones on the continent of Europe and all the missionaries that are laboring in the foreign field.

O, Savior, let Thy kingdom come. When will this earth be delivered from the incubus of superstition and of infidelity? O that Thou wouldst hear creation’s groans and come quickly. O Thou great Deliverer, joy of the earth art Thou, the expected of the tribes of Israel still. Come, we beseech Thee, Thou absent love, Thou dear unknown, Thou fairest of ten thousand fair. Come a second time to earth and to the sons of men and specially to Thy Bride, the Church. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.

More Spurgeon Prayers You Might Like

Subscribe to: Epaphras Prays | For The People of God from the Word of God. This is a newsletter about personal and intercessory praying. It helps more people learn to pray more.

When Jerusalem's walls lay broken and its people scattered, something remarkable happened. Ezra gathered the assembly, opened the book of the law, and the people stood from dawn until midday—listening, weeping, worshiping. What if our churches today discovered this same forgotten power? What if we stopped talking about prayer and actually made time for it?

Imagine walking into a church service where the pastor announces, "Tonight we're canceling the usual program. We're going to read God's Word together and then spend the evening in prayer." The room falls silent. Some shift uncomfortably. Others lean forward with anticipation.

The Church must return to the biblical pattern of sacred assemblies dedicated to prayer and the Word

Nehemiah's account shows us the pattern: Read about this in Nehemiah 8 and 9.

This wasn't optional programming but the heartbeat of their spiritual restoration.

Prayer has become the most neglected ministry and discipline among believers today

Instead of gathering for entertainment, we must gather for the work of intercession.

Both leaders and members bear responsibility for calling the assembly to prayer

The Spirit of God moves when His people gather with purposed intent to seek His face.

Your church may meet for praying, but many do not and what happens when we do

Now, I’m sure you’re going to tell me that your church does meet for regular prayer, and praise the Lord you do! But in my experience, this isn’t most fellowships. Prayer time is relegated to a few minutes before or ending a scheduled avtivity or event.

But here’s the thing: scattered throughout our communities are sanctuaries that could become launching pads for revival, living rooms that could echo with intercession, and hearts that could burn with holy fire. The ancient pattern still works: gather the people, open the Word, bow low in worship, confess with broken hearts, and cry out to the Almighty.

When God's people truly assemble for prayer, something shifts in the spiritual atmosphere—walls of opposition crumble, hearts of stone become flesh, and the glory of the Lord fills the earth.

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

I often see the word blessed when reading the Scriptures. In Job 5, it says, How blessed is the man whom God reproves. Mary was called blessed and highly favored when the angel told her she would be the mother of our Savior. The Bible is full of words like bless, blessing, and blessed.

To be blessed means to be happy or highly favored, like Mary was. It can also mean being consecrated or filled with happiness and bliss. Blessings can be material things, but they are often spiritual gifts.

Today, I want to focus on the spiritual blessings in our prayers. I want to understand what makes someone blessed by God. Let's pray to our Heavenly Father that we can become, in Christ, those who are truly blessed.

Join us in our podcast as we begin with Job 5:17.

* Job 5:17

* Psalm 1:1, 2

* Psalm 32:2

* Psalm 34:8

* Psalm 40:4

* Psalm 84:5

* Psalm 84:12

* Psalm 94:12

* Psalm 112:1

* Psalm 127:5

* Proverbs 3:13

* Proverbs 8:34

* Proverbs 28:14

* Isaiah 56:2

* Jeremiah 17:7

As I read about these blessings and their attributes, I realize they describe the one perfect person, Christ Jesus. He has all these qualities. When we pray for them, we're asking to be like Christ and grow up in Him.

That's why we pray like Epaphras did, asking that all of God's children become mature and assured in God's will, with all the qualities of Christ.

Now, these blessings are just a glimpse of what's in the Bible. You'll find more in Matthew chapter 5 with the Beatitudes and in Ephesians chapter 1. I encourage you to explore those on your own.

Take these blessings and others you discover, and ask Heavenly Father to help you be blessed and highly favored in these ways.

O how 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

You're doing everything you know how to do—but the situation still feels impossible. The diagnosis won't change. The relationship won't heal. The circumstances won't bend to your will. You've tried everything within your power, and you're left feeling helpless.

What do you do when human effort isn't enough?

The Struggle: When We're Truly Powerless

"So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church." (Acts 12:5)

That small word "but" changes everything. They were powerless—BUT they had prayer. They had access to the God who holds all power.

The Solution: Earnest Prayer to Almighty God

Here's what the early church teaches us about the strength that comes in our weakness:

1. Gather the Church

2. Pray Earnestly and Continuously

3. Expect God to Answer

As preacher Andrew MacLaren wrote: "They had prayer and they had Jesus Christ. That was all, and that is more than enough."

Your Next Step: Embrace the Weapon You Have

Whatever you're facing today that feels impossible, remember: you have the same weapon the early church had. Prayer isn't your last resort when everything else fails. It's your first and most powerful response!

The beautiful thing is, we even get help in our prayer weakness. When we do not know what to pray, the Spirit will help us.

Instead of exhausting yourself trying to solve what only God can solve: first gather with other believers; pray without ceasing; and expect the same Lord who freed Peter to move in your situation too.

Here's what happens when you pray like the early church did -- you discover that your weakness is where Almighty God's strength shines brightest.

When you go to your prayer closet, do you bring your Bible along? Do you have copies of great and classic prayers in your prayer notebook?

It's hard to pray according to God's will without learning from His book. We've talked before about how prayer and the Bible are connected and how important it is to pray using God's Word. Someone who prays should also read the Bible because the God we pray to is the same as the God of the Bible.

That's why we encourage people of God to pray from the Word of God for each other. Praying for one another based on God's promises is intercession.

I also enjoy reading prayers from ancient saints and classic teachers who prayed with the help of Scripture. Their prayers are eloquent, heartfelt, and deep, showing they understood what it meant to stand before God's throne and pray.

So today, I invite you to join me as we read and pray from these classic prayers. As we seek contentment like the Puritans, steadfastness from early church prayers, and help from Romans chapter 8, from the hymnal for those who labor for the Gospel, we'll also pray like Spurgeon.

Episode Notes:

* Pray like Puritans – for Contentment

* For Steadfastness – from Prayers of the Early Church

* Pray from Romans 8:13

* Pray from the Hymnal #745

* Prayer from Spurgeon

In the bustling region of Decapolis, desperate friends carried their deaf companion to Jesus, imploring Him to heal what only He could heal. This scene from Mark 7 reveals a deep spiritual truth: sometimes the greatest gift we can offer another person isn't our own strength, but our willingness to stand between them and God.

The Heart of Going Between

To intercede means to pray on behalf of another—to go between, to advocate for someone who cannot speak for themselves. When those friends implored Jesus to lay His hand on their deaf companion, they were practicing intercession. Later, in Bethsaida, another group brought a blind man with the same fervent plea: "implore Him to touch him."

Both times, Jesus responded to their asking, their standing in the gap, and He healed.

This imploring is intercession—standing in between God and human need.

The Circle of Our Prayers

The Divine Opportunity

Intercessory prayer reveals itself as an act of selfless love—an expression of God's own love flowing through us to others. When we pray for someone, we participate in divine work, becoming vessels through which God's blessing flows. We have the extraordinary opportunity to join the Lord's work as He uses our prayers to touch lives we may never fully understand.

Prayer for others isn't merely a spiritual discipline; it's a sacred trust. It's recognizing that in God's economy, He often chooses to work through the prayers of His people.

Our intercession becomes the bridge between heaven's resources and earth's desperate need.

How much may we also ask the Lord for others to hear and see Him? Will you accept the profound responsibility and privilege of standing between heaven and the hurting world around you?

Prayer isn’t easy for many of us. Sometimes, we’re unsure if God will answer, or our prayers might be too self-centered. I wants us to enjoy praying, like the Apostle Paul did. By learning from Paul, we can know who to pray to and what to say.

—Pastor Alistair Begg

Paul's letter to the Ephesians serves as an ideal "prayer manual," and I’ve found 23 examples of what God wants for His church. These prayers are distinctly God-focused rather than personal-focused; they internal spiritual disposition rather than external circumstances. Paul prays for eternal matters like grace, peace, wisdom, revelation, hope, strength, love, righteousness, and boldness for believers.

When we pray according to God's will—as demonstrated in these biblical prayers—we can expect answers. Unlike temporal requests that may go unanswered, prayers aligned with God's desires receive surer responses, though they may require patience and trust.

In this PrayerCast, I want to incorporate three scriptural prayers into our personal prayer time, focusing on what God wants for the church and individual believers instead of only personal needs and circumstances.

Three Prayers from Ephesians 3:14-19

* For Strength

* For Dwelling

* For Love

14... for this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth 19 of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

All these prayers—and 20 others, are part of my book: Praying God’s Perfect Will: Asking Exactly What He Wants with 23 Prayers from Ephesians

You can read the Introduction - Free here

Pick up your E-Book (Kindle) for FREE during the 3-day giveaway

Your purchase or subscription goes directly to supporting this publication!

Photo by Sebbi Strauch on Unsplash

Two things I read (again) this week that are telling us the same thing.

The first from Alistair Begg

When we read the prayers in the epistles of the apostle Paul, what is noticeably absent are his prayers for his own material things. It may well be that he didn’t include his own personal prayers in his letters to the churches, but we note that he also didn’t include any instructions that the church should be praying for them either.

Perhaps, what we are to be seeking most is His kingdom and His righteousness. When we look with the eyes of our hearts to the future, writes Alistair, it changes our lives now. We pray less about the practical details of this life, and first and foremost about the spiritual realities of our eternal life.

Eternal matters more; the concerns of today less.

And this from J. C. Ryle

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.

Jesus clearly says to seek His kingdom and His righteousness first. These should be our focus and our pursuit, more than comfort and favorable outcomes we'd like.

Growing in spiritual maturity is a bit like growing a garden. It needs to be cultivated and tended. Neglect allows weeds to overrun. Reading your Bible and praying from it is the labor needed to grow root and bear fruit.

7 Devotional Prayers for Personal Growth

Monday – Reverence

Tuesday – Diligence

Wednesday – Love

Thursday – Words

Friday – Wisdom

Saturday – Obedience

Sunday – Filled

The Lord wants to be mature and fully assured in all His will (Colossians 4:12). He will work these in us as we ask Him. We can pray these with certainty and confidence believing they are His will for us in growing, and trust He will answer these requests in His way and time for His glory.

What is the fruit of the Spirit? How do we see it in our lives? How can we receive it?

The Apostle Paul talks about this in Galatians 5:22. He says the fruit of the Spirit includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

These qualities show the Holy Spirit's work in those who follow Jesus. Unlike actions that come from selfish desires, the fruit of the Spirit is like fruit on a tree or vine—an apple tree gives apples, and a grapevine gives grapes.

Paul explains that the Spirit's fruit includes these nine qualities or attributes. In our podcast, we'll explore these spiritual fruits and pray to grow them in our lives through prayer.

Join us as we pray for believers guided by the Spirit and saved by Jesus' grace. We will pray both personally and for others—our family, friends, and church community.

In a prophetic book of the Old Testament, one that speaks of the Lord God’s sovereignty, judgement and redemption, is a short hymn, a prayer of praise and thanks to God for his salvation.

1 In that day you will say:

“O LORD, I will praise You.

Although You were angry with me,

Your anger has turned away,

and You have comforted me.

2 Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust and not be afraid.

For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song,

and He also has become my salvation.”

3 With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation, 4 and on that day you will say:

“Give praise to the LORD;

proclaim His name!

Make His works known among the peoples;

declare that His name is exalted.

5 Sing to the LORD, for He has done glorious things.

Let this be known in all the earth.

6 Cry out and sing, O citizen of Zion,

for great among you is the Holy One of Israel.”

Isaiah 12 BSB

Isaiah chapter 12 tells us that God is our Salvation. We can trust Him and not be afraid because He gives us strength and joy. Salvation comes from God, and trusting Him gives us courage. We should shout and sing joyfully because the Holy One of Israel is with us. During times of uncertainty, we can pray these verses to strengthen our trust in God and choose not to be afraid.

It's important to regularly express gratitude to God for His salvation and blessings. We should boldly share our faith and the good things the Lord has done with others. Celebrating His presence brings joy into our lives. Take a moment to recognize and appreciate His presence both personally and with your fellowship.

Join us in the PrayerCast to learn more about Isaiah chapter 12 and pray with is as we trust, praise, and give thanks together.

Why not share this beautiful hymn and prayer to encourage someone else?

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