Christian Family Talk Prayer Times is a website dedicated to provide everyday prayers so that the Spirit may teach us how to pray.  The Christian Family Talk Prayer Times site offers inspirational prayers and devotionals that may guide you through difficult challenges. We also support

PRAYER FOR OUR COUNTRY

Almighty God,                                                                                                                               Guard us from war,
bless our nation                                                                                                                          from fire and wind,
and make it true                                                                                                                          from compromise, fear, confusion.
to the ideas of freedom and justice
and brotherhood for all who make it great.

Be close to our president and our statesmen;                                                                   Make me more deeply aware of my heritage;
give them vision and courage,                                                                                                realizing not only my rights
as they ponder decisions affecting peace                                                                          but also my duties
and the future of the world.                                                                                                     and responsibilities as a citizen.

Make this great land
and all its people
know clearly Your will,
that they may fulfill
the destiny ordained for us
in the salvation of the nations,
and the restoring of all things in Christ. 

Amen
 

PRAYERS

PRAYER FOR WISDOM

Every Christian can receive wisdom by asking for it "in faith, never doubting" (Jas 1:5-6). Therefore, the key to receiving wisdom is to pray for freedom from doubt. Pray:

Father, give me wisdom (Wis 9:4) but first

give me faith. I repent of doubts that I have entertained. Holy Spirit, confirm me in Your love. Jesus, "beyond doubt, You are the Son of God!" (Mt 14:33) Amen.

PRAYER FOR WIVES

Father, may wives be their husbands' "delight", the "choicest of blessings", "like the sun rising in the Lord's heavens", like the "light that shines above the holy lampstand" (Sir 26:13-17). Amen.

PRAYER FOR HUSBANDS

Father, may husbands be strong men who are spiritual heads of their family, leaders in prayer (1 Tm 2:8), courageous and bold witnesses for Jesus, and victors over the evil one by the power of Your word (1 Jn 2:14). Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE WIFE OF AN UNBELIEVING HUSBAND

This prayer applies to circumstances when a husband is unbelieving and disobeying God's word. It applies to many marriages. In these situations, wives should pray both for their husbands and for themselves:

Heavenly Father, I pray that my husband will be won over to Jesus through my conduct. Give me a reverent purity in my way of life. May I be adorned with the hidden character of the heart expressed in the unfading beauty of a calm and gentle disposition (1 Pt 3:1, 2, 4). Father, show me what it means to be Your daughter, a bride of Christ, a temple of the Spirit, and a Christian woman. I repent of my sins and trust You completely. I put my husband, marriage, family, and life into Your hands in Jesus' name. Amen.

PRAYER IN TEMPTATION

Jesus, give me specific Scripture passages to use in resisting the temptations of the evil one as You did (Mt 4:4, 7, 10). Amen.

PRAYER AGAINST SATAN

Jesus, I accept my share in the authority You have given the Church over every demon (Mt 10:1). Satan, in Jesus' name, I disarm and despoil you (Lk 11:22). I bring down all your strongholds, sophistries, and proud pretensions (2 Cor 10:4-5). I cast you out in Jesus' name. Thank You Jesus for Your victory.

PRAYER FOR SEXUAL PURITY

Father,

1. may I know that my "body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is within" (1 Cor 6:19).

2. may I be determined to fight sexual temptation, even to the point of shedding blood (see Heb 12:4).

3. may I not even mention impurity (Eph 5:3).

4. may I guard my eyes and throw TV out of my life (Mt 5:28-29).

5. may I be pure as Jesus is pure (1 Jn 3:3).

PRAYER TO GET A JOB

Father, may I seek first Your kingdom and Your way of holiness, and a job will be given to me (Mt 6:33).

PRAYER TO MULTIPLY MONEY

Jesus, I believe You can multiply loaves, fish, work, and money. I give You the only multipliable portion — I give You my all. Bless, break, and multiply it, especially through the Eucharist (Lk 9:16).

Jesus, my Lord, my God, my All (Jn 20:28).

PRAYER AFTER RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT

It is a great challenge to continue to live and grow in the Spirit. Therefore, it is crucial to pray for those who have just received a new outpouring of the Spirit. For those who have received love in the Spirit (Col 1:8), pray unceasingly (in this order):

1. May they "attain full knowledge of His will through perfect wisdom and spiritual insight" (Col 1:9).

2. May they "lead a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing to Him in every way" (Col 1:10).

3. May they "multiply good works of every sort and grow in the knowledge of God" (Col 1:10).

4. May they "be endowed with the strength needed to stand fast, even to endure joyfully whatever may come" (Col 1:11).

5. May they soon have a new life-style, a new wineskin, to hold the new wine of the Spirit (Lk 5:37).

6. May they be devoted "to the apostles' instruction and the communal life, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42).

7. May they put to death the works of the flesh by yielding to the Spirit (Rm 8:13). By the Spirit may they crucify the flesh (Gal 5:24) and not stifle the Spirit.

PRAYER TO WANT TO FORGIVE

"To err is human; to forgive is divine." Since forgiveness is divine, we can truly forgive only by God's grace. The Lord will give the miracle of forgiveness instantaneously (Mt 5:25). But many times we don't want to forgive. We should pray:

Father, I don't even want to forgive. Change my will. Make me willing to forgive, and then give me the power to forgive in Jesus' name. Amen

PRAYER FOR THE FEAR OF THE LORD AND AGAINST THE FEAR OF MAN

Father, may a reverent fear overtake me (Acts 2:43). Make me so aware of Your presence, power, and love that I will be amazed. May this amazement be so pervasive so as to overshadow everything else in my life, especially the fear of man.

PRAYER FOR GOD TO COME ON STRONG

Jesus, rend the sky and shake the earth (Is 63:19).

Father, use me and use me up (see 2 Tm 4:6).

Spirit, make me holy — no matter what it takes (Mt 5:6).

(Expect the unexpected.)

JOYFUL SHOUTS

God teaches us to pray by joyful shouts (Ps 89:16; Ps 66:1). Go somewhere where you won't disturb anyone and shout:

"Arise, O Lord, that Your enemies may be scattered, and those who hate You may flee before You" (Nm 10:35; Ps 68:2).

"Jesus is Lord!" (Phil 2:11)

"Viva Cristo Rey!" ("Praised be Christ the King")

"Maranatha!" (1 Cor 16:22; Rv 22:20)

PRAYER WHEN WE SEE SOMEONE SINNING

Father, thank You for giving me the grace to repent and be forgiven of my sins. Thank You for the blood Jesus shed on the cross. Take the plank out of my eye (Mt 7:5), and give life to this person who is sinning (1 Jn 5:16). Amen.

PRAYER FOR VICTORY

"O Lord, there is none like You to help the powerless against the strong. Help us, O Lord, our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. You are the Lord, our God; let no man prevail against You" (2 Chr 14:10).

PRAYER BEFORE READING THE BIBLE

Father, I can't understand Your word without Your grace. I acknowledge my weakness so Your power can reach perfection in me (2 Cor 12:9). Send Your Holy Spirit to remind, teach, and guide me to the Truth (Jn 14:26; 16:13). May I share as soon as possible whatever You teach me (see Lk 8:15-16). Amen.

PRAYER BEFORE JESUS IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

"O God, You are my God Whom I seek; for You my flesh pines and my soul thirsts" (Ps 63:2). May "all of us, gazing on the Lord's glory with unveiled faces" be "transformed from glory to glory" into Your "very image by the Lord Who is the Spirit" (2 Cor 3:18).

PRAYERS BEFORE CONFESSION

"Have mercy on me, O God, in Your goodness; in the greatness of Your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always" (Ps 51:3-5).

Holy Spirit, prove me wrong (Jn 16:8). Take me to the cross and let me see the connection between my sins and Jesus' crucifixion and death. Amen.

PRAYER FOR HEALING

Jesus, you healed by giving a command. Give to me "Doctor's orders" that will bring healing as I obey them by faith. Amen.

PRAYER TO HAVE JESUS' ENERGY, HIS MIND, AND HIS JOY

Jesus promises to give us His energy, mind, and joy. Therefore, we dare to pray: "Jesus, may I be 'impelled by that energy of' Yours 'which is so powerful a force within me' (Col 1:29). Thank You for giving me Your energy (Col 1:29), mind (1 Cor 2:16), and joy" (Jn 15:11). Amen.

PRAYER TO HAVE CHRIST'S HEART

Jesus, You promised me a new heart and a new spirit (Ez 36:26). May I not be conformed to the world (Rm 12:2). Give me a new gospel life-style. Where my treasure is, there will my heart be (Lk 12:34). May I want what You want. Amen.

PRAYER TO GIVE OUR LIVES TO JESUS

Father, "those things I used to consider gain I have now reappraised as loss in the light of Christ. I have come to rate all as loss in the light of the surpassing knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ. For His sake I have forfeited everything; I have accounted all else rubbish so that Christ may be my wealth, and I may be in Him" (Phil 3:7-9). "I have been crucified with Christ, and the life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me" (Gal 2:19-20). Jesus, You gave Your life for me; I give my life for You. Amen.

PRAYER FOR HOLINESS

Father, may I hunger and thirst for righteousness (Mt 5:6), be made perfect in holiness, and be preserved "whole and entire, spirit, soul, and body, irreproachable at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Th 5:23).

PRAYERS FOR THE CLEANSING OF OUR SUBCONSCIOUSNESS

"Cleanse me from my unknown faults!" (Ps 19:13)

"Probe me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts, see if my way is crooked, and lead me in the way of old" (Ps 139:23-24).

"Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before You, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer" (Ps 19:15).

PRAYER TO OVERCOME MASTURBATION, SMOKING, DRINKING, GAMBLING, PROFANITY, AND OTHER COMPULSIONS

Father, Your grace is always sufficient (2 Cor 12:9). There is always a way out of every temptation, and You will never let me be tested beyond my strength (1 Cor 10:13). But sometimes I want the pleasure of slavery more than the victory of freedom. Let not the lustful cravings of the flesh master me, surrender me not to shameless desires (Sir 23:6). May I want to stop sinning. Amen.

PRAYER TO BE FREED FROM PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS

Lord, "I want to see" (Mk 10:51; 2 Kgs 6:17).

(Write to us and tell us that God has opened your eyes.)

PRAYERS FOR SIGNS AND WONDERS

1. Lord, "grant to your servants, even as they speak Your words, complete assurance by stretching forth Your hand in cures and signs and wonders to be worked in the name of Jesus, Your holy Servant" (Acts 4:29-30).
2. "Give new signs and work new wonders, show forth the splendor of Your right hand and arm" (Sir 36:5).
3. Father, may I proclaim the good news and have signs and wonders accompany me. May I expel demons, speak entirely new languages, handle serpents, drink deadly poison without harm, and heal the sick through the laying on of hands (Mk 16:15-20).
4. "Deliver us by Your wonders, and bring glory to Your name, O Lord" (Dan 3:43).
5. "As in the days when You came from the land of Egypt, show us wonderful signs" (Mic 7:15).

PRAYER FOR WORKERS FOR THE HARVEST

(Pray this prayer with caution because usually you are the answer to your own prayer.)

Father, Harvest-Master, send workers into the harvest (Mt 9:38).

PRAYER FOR UNITY

Pope John Paul II has taught: "Prayer should always concern itself with the longing for unity, and as such is one of the basic forms of our love for Christ and for the Father Who is rich in mercy. In this journey which we are undertaking with other Christians toward the new millennium prayer must occupy the first place" (That They Be One, 102).

Therefore, pray: Father, I pray "that all may be one as You, Father" are in Jesus and He in You. I pray that they may be one in You, "that the world may believe that You sent" Jesus (Jn 17:21).

PRAYER TO BREAK WITH THE WORLD

(To be prayed before a crucifix)

Holy Spirit, take me to the cross (Gal 3:1). At the foot of the cross may I come to hate sin and love sinners. May I be turned off to the world, crucified to it, and it to me (Gal 6:14). Amen.

PRAYER FOR YOUR PARISH CHURCH

"May the Lord increase you and make you overflow with love for one another and for all, even as our love does for you. May He strengthen your hearts, making them blameless and holy before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His holy ones" (1 Th 3:12-13).

(Put the name of your church, where there are "you" and "your".)

PRAYER TO EVANGELIZE

Father, I acknowledge that it is a sin not to evangelize. I repent. Forgive me. May I fall so much in love with Jesus that it would be normal for me to tell others about Him. Empower me by the Holy Spirit to be His witness (Acts 1:8). Amen.

PRAYER FOR TEARS

Father, "let my eyes stream with tears day and night, without rest, over the great destruction which overwhelms" the Church and the world because of sin (Jer 14:17) (see also Lk 6:21).

"Oh, that my head were a spring of water, my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night over the slain of the daughter of my people" (Jer 8:23).

PRAYER FOR MARY'S MOTHERING

Crucified Jesus, thank You for sending Mary to be my mother (Jn 19:27). May she lay bare the thoughts of my heart (Lk 2:35) so I will be humble (Lk 1:38). Through Mary's intercession, may I receive the Spirit (Acts 1:14; 2:4). Do with me as You will. Amen.

PRAYER FOR AN END TO ABORTION

Pope John Paul II has taught; "A great prayer for life is urgently needed, a prayer which will rise up throughout the world. Through special initiatives and in daily prayer, may an impassioned plea rise to God, the Creator and lover of life, from every Christian community, from every group and association, from every family and from every heart of every believer. Jesus Himself has shown us by His own example that prayer and fasting are the first and most effective weapons against the forces of evil (cf. Mt 4:1-11). As He taught His disciples, some demons cannot be driven out except in this way (cf. Mk (9:29). Let us therefore discover anew the humility and courage to pray and fast so that power from on high will break down the walls of lies and deceit" (The Gospel of Life, 100). Therefore, pray:

Father, You have revealed to us that some demons can be driven out only by prayer and fasting (Mt 17:21). May I discover anew the humility and courage to pray and fast "as never before" so as to stop both surgical and chemical abortions. Lead us all to repentance and salvation. Amen.

PRAYER FOR A HAPPY DEATH

"Now, Master, You can dismiss Your servant in peace; You have fulfilled Your word. For my eyes have witnessed Your saving deed displayed for all the peoples to see" (Lk 2:29:31).

PRAYER TO SUFFER

Very few people have the courage to pray this prayer. Nevertheless, pray:

Father, "I wish to know Christ and the power flowing from His resurrection; likewise to know how to share in His sufferings by being formed into the pattern of His death" (Phil 3:10).

PRAYER TO DIE A MARTYR'S DEATH

This may be the first time you have ever prayed like this. Consider carefully whether the Lord wants you to pray this:

Father, may I be so in love with You as to feel compelled to seek new and greater ways to express my love. Jesus said: 'There is no greater love than this: to lay down one's life' (Jn 15:13). By the power of the Holy Spirit, give me the opportunity to show my love for You by dying a martyr's death. Amen.

PRAYER TO HASTEN JESUS' FINAL COMING (2 Pt 3:12)

Father, may we intercede, evangelize, and become holy so Jesus can return soon and sooner. Amen.

In conclusion, Pope John Paul II exhorted the Church in 1979, the first year of his pontificate: "We hear within us, as a resounding echo, the words that He spoke: 'Apart from Me you can do nothing.' We feel not only the need but even a categorical imperative for great, intense and growing prayer by all the Church" (The Redeemer of Man, 22) May this book result in great, intense, and growing prayer.