Author: romans-five8

1 Thessalonians 4:1-7

Dear Father, sanctifier of families,

Help us to learn how we ought to live and how we ought to please you. Help us give greater attention and effort to this. Your will for us is our sanctification, so enable us to abstain from all immorality.

Many people around us glorify and romanticize lust. Help us to reject this way of looking at things. Guide believers into marriages of holiness and honor, giving themselves to each other in spiritual union with Christ along with the joining of personalities and bodies.

Help our marriages to be established as the gathering of two in your name. Help our families to be your church in miniature. Help every follower of yours respect the marriage relationship of others and defraud no one in this matter.

You have not called us to uncleanness, but holiness. Thank you, Father, for this high calling. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

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Ⓒ 1996-2025 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. Heartlight appreciates Eldon Degge and Meridian Publishing for permission to make this available on our website. Praying with Paul is also available as a book.

1 Thessalonians 3:1-13

Dear Father, our partner in caring,

How hard it is to be far away from those we want to encourage to walk in your ways. We leave them in your hands, LORD, and ask you to send your angels to guard their ways. Keep those that we love from the power of the tempter. Grant us good news from them. We long to hear that they are learning more and more of your will and growing in your grace. Let us know that they are standing firm in truth.

What thanksgiving we send before your throne, what joy we feel for them before you, our God. What a torrent of prayer we pour out before you that whatever is lacking in their faith may be supplied!

Make us the agents who will supply their spiritual needs. Let there be many times for us and our loved ones to be together for times of refreshment in your word and in prayer.

In the name of Jesus I ask. Amen.

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Ⓒ 1996-2025 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. Heartlight appreciates Eldon Degge and Meridian Publishing for permission to make this available on our website. Praying with Paul is also available as a book.

1 Thessalonians 2:13-20

Dear Father, real source of the Bible,

Thank you for the word proclaimed in the New Testament. Help us accept it for what it really is, not mere words written by men, but the word of God, your will revealed to us and made alive in our lives.

May Jewish members of your church bear a great witness to Jesus as their rightful Messiah. May non-Jewish members follow their example and be willing to suffer with them for the salvation of mankind, Jew and non-Jew.

Father, be with those young disciples who have come to you through our efforts, even our own children. They will be our hope and joy and crown of boasting when Jesus returns, for we shall be together with them and with him. They will be our glory and our joy.

In the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.

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Ⓒ 1996-2025 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. Heartlight appreciates Eldon Degge and Meridian Publishing for permission to make this available on our website. Praying with Paul is also available as a book.

1 Thessalonians 2:5-12

Dear Father,

Keep all your preachers from using words of flattery, any cloak of greed, or from seeking glory for themselves, even though they have certain rights of support in the gospel. Let them reach out to people with care and gentleness, like a nurse caring for infants. Help them to be willing to share not only the gospel but their very selves.

May your witnesses exhibit holy, blameless, and righteous behavior, showing the care of a father, even as you do, as they exhort and encourage and charge people to lead lives worthy of you, the great wonderful and loving God who calls men into his own kingdom and glory.

In the holy name of Jesus. Amen.

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Ⓒ 1996-2025 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. Heartlight appreciates Eldon Degge and Meridian Publishing for permission to make this available on our website. Praying with Paul is also available as a book.

1 Thessalonians 2:1-4

Dear Father,

I pray that every ministry being done in your name in our time will be done in unselfish love for you and for people. Please defeat those that serve to bring honor to themselves instead of you.

May people leading these ministries avoid everything that springs from error or uncleanness. Let there be no deceit in any appeal. Let those whom you have entrusted with the gospel live and speak not to please others but to please you.

In the holy name of Jesus. Amen.

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Ⓒ 1996-2025 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. Heartlight appreciates Eldon Degge and Meridian Publishing for permission to make this available on our website. Praying with Paul is also available as a book.

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10

Dear Father,

May our faith serve to call them to wait for your Son from heaven, whom you raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath that will ultimately come upon an unrepentant world.

Thank you for a love that reaches down and takes from within the world of sinners a people for yourself. Thank you for redeeming us, those sinners, for making us holy through your power, and for saving us for your eternal kingdom.

My God, you are so great, so awesome, so good! I love you, God.

In the name of Jesus I pray and give thanks to you. Amen.

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Ⓒ 1996-2025 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. Heartlight appreciates Eldon Degge and Meridian Publishing for permission to make this available on our website. Praying with Paul is also available as a book.

1 Thessalonians 1:2-8

Dear Father,

Thank you for the great numbers of believers in Jesus Christ, for their works of faith, their labors of love, and their steadfastness of hope which they have in Christ. Thank you for choosing all of us and calling us to yourself by the Good News about Jesus. Thank you that this marvelous message came to us not only in word, but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. Thank you for the example of your apostles as demonstrations of what the Good News about Jesus can do in human lives.

Help us to imitate their labors, suffering, and joys in the Holy Spirit so that we may become examples to others.

Let our faith, like theirs, go forth everywhere to all men so that all men will turn from vain idols and self-worship to serve you, the living and true God.

In the name of Jesus I pray and give thanks to you. Amen.

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Ⓒ 1996-2025 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. Heartlight appreciates Eldon Degge and Meridian Publishing for permission to make this available on our website. Praying with Paul is also available as a book.

Galatians 6:12-18

Dear Father, creator of new creations,

Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. For neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation!

Let your peace and mercy rain down upon all of us who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God, called both from Jews and from non-Jewish people.

Thank you, Father, for calling me to be part of your holy nation.

Let us take no thought for any identifying marks on our bodies, except the evidences of our suffering for the sake of Jesus.

Help us never to glory in the flesh, or to give ourselves to be counted for someone else’s glorying, except for this.

In the name of Jesus I ask for his grace to be with our Spirits in this and in all our petitions. Amen.

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Ⓒ 1996-2025 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. Heartlight appreciates Eldon Degge and Meridian Publishing for permission to make this available on our website. Praying with Paul is also available as a book.

Galatians 6:9-10

Dear Father, just yet merciful God,

May I not become weary in doing good but rather work diligently, energetically, and enthusiastically, keeping in mind the rich harvest you will send at the proper time. Don’t ever let me give up on doing good or give up on you. And God, don’t ever give up on me!

As I have opportunity, let me do good to everybody, especially to those in my family of fellow believers.

In the name of Jesus I ask these things. Amen.

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Ⓒ 1996-2025 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. Heartlight appreciates Eldon Degge and Meridian Publishing for permission to make this available on our website. Praying with Paul is also available as a book.

Galatians 6:7-8

Dear Father,

Keep me from sowing seeds from my sinful nature, for I do not want to reap the crop they will produce. May I not invest my time, money, or desires in the deceitful things of this world. For then I will reap destruction.

Help me rather to sow to the Spirit, to please you. Help me to put my time, money, and desires into proper thinking and righteous living so I will reap everlasting life.

In the name of the infinitely generous Jesus I ask these things. Amen.

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Ⓒ 1996-2025 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. Heartlight appreciates Eldon Degge and Meridian Publishing for permission to make this available on our website. Praying with Paul is also available as a book.