Years ago at a church we served in western Kentucky I wanted to express my love for the members of the congregation by praying for individuals and families. I prepared a letter to send to each family. It was probably my first time to choose to do this. I had finished a study on praying scripture. When I wrote the letter, I chose Ephesians 3:14-21 as my pattern for praying for these folks. God had placed some on my heart that I especially needed intercession. These were not necessarily suffering physically. These were the ones who were the angry, the bristling, the apathetic, the folks with critical minds and tongues and the last ones who would ever admit to needing or wanting prayer. Nevertheless, I wanted Terry and I to pray for ALL, even those who seemed to be doing just fine. In the letter I wrote out the scripture inserting the appropriate name where ‘you’ occurred in the verses.
While on vacation, we took time each day to pray these exact words. The experience changed me. You would think, or I did that it would become repetitive but amazingly it did not. Picturing the people in my mind, reading the words, inserting their names focused me and even expanded my prayers for them. In a way we took the whole congregation with us on vacation.
So if you are setting out to write down prayers and want to intercede for others for their needs, wants, health, finances, relationships I suggest write down this passage and start with it as a jumping off point. I think you will find it frees you to pray more completely for others.
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Ephesians 3:14-21 NIV
Additionally, I found this beautiful intercessions prayer, one that can be committed to memory and prayed whenever for whoever.
And from my own heart and hands:
Lord God Almighty, May those I love and those I have trouble loving be equally blessed and come to know you more fully today. May the ones who are home and the ones who are wandering and lost be under the shadow of your wings today. For my soldier and all the others with him, I give you thanks for the completion of an enormous trek. God hold those who minister your word through out the world be emboldened today. You Lord can do more than I would ever even ask so let your power and strength rain down today and give me wisdom to know when to speak and when to keep my big mouth shut. Let me grow in kindness and grace. Amen
My Seventh Decade...The Years Beyond 