Effective Prayer - Part Six

​Supplication

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; (Philippians 4:6).
 
The word supplication means “to make requests for something.” We all have needs and desires, but do we adequately express them to our Lord? This word also means “prayer said in humility.” What is humility? The easiest definition is to say you know you are totally inadequate for the job, but God is totally adequate, and only He can get it done. Prayer said in humility means to make a request with fervency, an earnest entreaty. Here’s where passion comes into play. Lukewarm prayers don’t get much attention from you or from God. Remember He said He would spit the lukewarm Christians out of His mouth. He wants to know how you feel about the subject. Is this important to you? Limp prayers won’t get a response.

We can make supplication for ourselves, concerning natural and supernatural needs. We can also make supplication for God’s people. But the Scripture says that we first make supplications for all people. That’s a pretty large group to pray for! We make urgent requests for laborers to be sent into the harvest. Often the word pray in the Bible is actually the word “supplications,” so whenever you see the word “pray,” just assume you must pray fervently, as in supplication.
 
Daniel made supplications (Daniel 9:2–18) for the forgiveness of the sins of all Israel. Are we praying with supplication for the sins of our countries?
 
All of the following verses of Scripture, when they use the word pray, the word in Greek is actually “supplications.” When you pray similar prayers as these, make sure you are praying with fervency, urgency, and passion.
 
Do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: (Ephesians 1:16).
 
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, (Philippians 1:9).
 
For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; (Colossians 1:9).
 
Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God (Colossians 4:12).
 
Christians are often taught that they can pray when they are doing something else. Keep the hands busy, your mind occupied, and you can pray under your breath about whatever. If we do that, “whatever” is about all that we will get. In prayer, in supplication, it is best if your mind’s eye sees the person or the events being prayed for, and then sees the changes the prayer wants to make in that person or that event.
 
For example, when we pray for our churches, we should see the house filled with people; we should see each of those people fervently serving God and casting aside all their cares in order to serve Him well. When we pray for each other, we should be so committed to that prayer that we can see the person, and we can see the armor we are putting on that person with our supplicating prayer.
 
They say that getting old is not for the weak; only the strong survive. The same saying goes for Praying. Praying is not for the weak; only the strong thrive! Be strong! Let’s thrive!