Apostolic Prayers
Found in the New Testament these are powerful prayers prayed by Jesus and His close Disciples during their own ministries. We can use them in our daily lives and pray them just as we pray the Psalms to connect with the corporate body of Christ - the Church. As we pray them we can focus on what is important to God and God’s apostles (messengers) across the world including unity, faith, wisdom, boldness, strength, knowledge etc. We can pray for and with different ministries working in the fields across the world. See example prayers at the bottom of this post.
Praying these prayers will increase the power of prayer as we each pray them to form a corporate body of prayers. We gain agreement in prayer as written in:
Matthew 18:19-20
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
The Apostolic Prayers
When his disciples asked him how they should pray Jesus taught them to pray in private and from the heart thus:
Matthew 6:9-13
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.’
Jesus prayed for harvest workers:
Matthew 9:37-38
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Jesus asked his disciples to pray for strength to overcome temptation:
Matthew 26:40-41
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter.
41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Jesus prayed for strength and faith for his Disciples:
Luke 22:31-32
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.
32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
Jesus prayed for sanctification and protection of his disciples he was leaving behind:
John 17:11-26
11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.
12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one--
23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.
26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
The church prayed for boldness, signs and wonders after Peter and John were released from the Sanhedrin:
Acts 4:24-31
24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.
25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: “ ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one. ’
27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.
28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Apostle Paul prayed that the Israelites are saved:
Romans 10:1
1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.
Paul prayed for unity in the church:
Romans 15:5-6
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,
6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul prayed that believers experience joy and hope as they trust in the Lord:
Romans 15:13
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul prayed that God’s people may know the depth of the love of Christ:
Ephesians 3:16-19
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
18 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,
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Paul prayed that the faithful be filled with knowledge, wisdom and understanding that the Holy Spirit gives:
Colossians 1:9-11
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,
10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,
Paul prayed for strength and steadfastness for God’s people:
1 Peter 5:10-11
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Paul asked the faithful to pray for:
James 1:5-6
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
We can pray for the corporate Church body using these prayers.
Examples
1]
South Sudan: logo and motto of Pope 's visit
"I pray that all may be one" is the motto that will accompany the Pope’s Apostolic Journey from 31 January - 5 February in Juba, South Sudan.
By Vatican News staff reporter
"I pray that all may be one" is the motto of Pope Francis' Apostolic Journey to South Sudan, which sees him visit the city of Juba from 3 - 5 February.
The Holy Father will first visit the Democratic Republic of Congo from 31 January - 5 February and then proceed to South Sudan.
Elements of logo and motto
The motto is taken from a chapter generally known as the Farewell Prayer or the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus in the Gospel of John chapter 17.
2]
We pray for Derek Prince Ministries (Colossians 1: 9 – 11):
We pray for Field workers breaking into France at this time that God fills them with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. That they are strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that they may have great endurance and patience in all that needs to be done. Amen.
For workers in the field in Germany we pray for Holy Spirit guidance and that they are protected from the evil one (John 17:15).
3]
For the church we pray that all may be one (John 17:11).
Found in the New Testament these are powerful prayers prayed by Jesus and His close Disciples during their own ministries. We can use them in our daily lives and pray them just as we pray the Psalms to connect with the corporate body of Christ - the Church. As we pray them we can focus on what is important to God and God’s apostles (messengers) across the world including unity, faith, wisdom, boldness, strength, knowledge etc. We can pray for and with different ministries working in the fields across the world. See example prayers at the bottom of this post.
Praying these prayers will increase the power of prayer as we each pray them to form a corporate body of prayers. We gain agreement in prayer as written in:
Matthew 18:19-20
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
The Apostolic Prayers
When his disciples asked him how they should pray Jesus taught them to pray in private and from the heart thus:
Matthew 6:9-13
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.’
Jesus prayed for harvest workers:
Matthew 9:37-38
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Jesus asked his disciples to pray for strength to overcome temptation:
Matthew 26:40-41
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter.
41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Jesus prayed for strength and faith for his Disciples:
Luke 22:31-32
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.
32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
Jesus prayed for sanctification and protection of his disciples he was leaving behind:
John 17:11-26
11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.
12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one--
23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.
26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
The church prayed for boldness, signs and wonders after Peter and John were released from the Sanhedrin:
Acts 4:24-31
24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.
25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: “ ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one. ’
27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.
28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Apostle Paul prayed that the Israelites are saved:
Romans 10:1
1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.
Paul prayed for unity in the church:
Romans 15:5-6
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,
6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul prayed that believers experience joy and hope as they trust in the Lord:
Romans 15:13
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul prayed that God’s people may know the depth of the love of Christ:
Ephesians 3:16-19
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
18 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,
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Paul prayed that the faithful be filled with knowledge, wisdom and understanding that the Holy Spirit gives:
Colossians 1:9-11
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,
10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,
Paul prayed for strength and steadfastness for God’s people:
1 Peter 5:10-11
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Paul asked the faithful to pray for:
James 1:5-6
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
We can pray for the corporate Church body using these prayers.
Examples
1]
South Sudan: logo and motto of Pope 's visit
"I pray that all may be one" is the motto that will accompany the Pope’s Apostolic Journey from 31 January - 5 February in Juba, South Sudan.
By Vatican News staff reporter
"I pray that all may be one" is the motto of Pope Francis' Apostolic Journey to South Sudan, which sees him visit the city of Juba from 3 - 5 February.
The Holy Father will first visit the Democratic Republic of Congo from 31 January - 5 February and then proceed to South Sudan.
Elements of logo and motto
The motto is taken from a chapter generally known as the Farewell Prayer or the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus in the Gospel of John chapter 17.
2]
We pray for Derek Prince Ministries (Colossians 1: 9 – 11):
We pray for Field workers breaking into France at this time that God fills them with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. That they are strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that they may have great endurance and patience in all that needs to be done. Amen.
For workers in the field in Germany we pray for Holy Spirit guidance and that they are protected from the evil one (John 17:15).
3]
For the church we pray that all may be one (John 17:11).