When I was in Florida many years ago, 1980's to be more precise, our house church started praying on Tuesday nights for the brothers and sisters there as well as others who were on our hearts. We would pray for national and community things as well as healing and change for spiritual things in peoples lives. God answered many prayers and we saw that the "effectual prayer of a righteous man" did avail much.
We were encouraged by this time of prayer and wanted to pray deeper prayers than just the ones we set aside time to pray on Tuesday nights. So we searched the scriptures and found that Paul prayed many prayers for the Church in his time. Many of them were recorded in his letters to the churches.
We found several that were very pointed towards the saints there and felt we should pray prayers like those prayers. As a matter of fact, we decided to take several of those prayers and put them together as a prayer for the saints. We weren't trying to be religious, we just believed that praying the scriptures would be good and fruitful for our lives.
We came up with a prayer that was right from the scriptures and we believed that if God would bless and grant the prayers of Paul back then, He would surely bless and answer our prayers that were fashioned from Paul's prayers. We have the same spirit and the same burdens so why not pray the same prayers.
This is how the prayer was fashioned and I invite you to pray this for your loved ones and brethren in the Lord. I have found that when these verses are prayed in earnest and honesty that God will meet you and the person you are praying for with his love and life. He loves to bless his children with good things and rewards them that diligently seek him. These are a few I can remember but I am sure there are more you can find. Please let me know what other ones you might find or know of that we could add to this. Note that I have changed this to first person also. Note: you can also pray this prayer for yourself also.
Father, I thank you upon every remembrance of (persons name), and I make my request for (persons name) all with joy for (his / her) fellowship in the
gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing,
that You have begun a good work in (persons name) and will continue to perform it until the day
of your Son, Jesus Christ, Php 1:3-6 It is for this cause I pray for (persons name), and to desire that (persons name) might be filled with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that (persons name) might walk worthy of You to all pleasing, being fruitful in every work and increasing in the knowledge of You, being empowered with all power, according to the might of Your glory, to all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness, giving thanks to the You, who has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.Col 1:9-12 And this I pray also, that (persons name)'s love may abound yet more and more in full knowledge and in all perception; that (persons name) may distinguish between things that righteous and unrighteous, that (persons name) may be sincere and without offense until the day of Jesus Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of You dear Father. Php 1:9-11 I thank you Father God always on (persons name)'s behalf for the grace You have given (persons name) in Jesus Christ, that in everything (persons name) may be enriched by You, in all speech and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of your Son, Jesus Christ was confirmed in (persons name); so that (persons name) may come behind in no gift, waiting for the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, confirm (persons name) to the end, that (persons name) may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1Co 1:4-8 Amen.
