The Prayer Of Petition

I felt so loved by the messages you, my dear friends, left on my recent Thankful Thursday and Fearless Friday posts. Although my heart is crushed for what's happening in my marriage, my hope is still in the Lord. Yes, I have fears and worries. Who doesn't? But in spite of the pain, I'm choosing to trust His ways and His timing. It's not easy to live up to that, but with God's grace I know I can.

I want to share with you what I've learned last Friday about prayer from Jerry Savelle Ministries. It's so powerful. Here are my notes:

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Ephesians 6:18

Note that Prayer is not designed to change God. It's designed to change circumstances. God doesn't need changing. God is not the problem.

There are three major weapons we have access to when we pray:

1. The Name of Jesus
2. The Word of God
3. The Holy Spirit

There are three divisions of prayer:

1. Prayer that changes things.
2. Prayer of thanksgiving and praise.
3. Prayer of dedication and worship.

The Prayer of Dedication is where we utter the words, "if it be thy will." Let's say you're sick, you don't pray, "Lord, if it be thy will, please heal me." We already know that it is God's will to heal us. It is written in Isaiah 53:5, "He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." It's done. Let's say you don't know whether you should stay or go on mission, you then use the prayer of dedication and say, "Lord, if it be thy will, send me to that country." You're dedicating your plans to Him and of course as you dedicate, worship Him. Here you don't know the known will of God in that situation.

The Prayer of Thanksgiving is thanking God in advance for what He's about to do. That's our expression of faith, that even we haven't gotten hold yet of the answer, we are already thanking and praising Him for it.

The Prayer that changes things or also called the Prayer of Petition is a prayer prayed in faith. It is a prayer that refuses to be moved by what it sees. It is a prayer that will not allow negative circumstances to dictate whether or not you believe that prayer will come to pass. It is a prayer that changes the impossible to possible.

The question is how desperate are you for a breakthrough? No matter how impossible it is your facing now, don't give up! Don't lose heart! Why give up when you can pray?

What is a petition? It is a formal request. It is a formal request addressed to a person in authority asking for some grant or benefit. It is a formal application in writing.

How does a prayer of petition work?

1. Write down your prayer request. Yes, write it down like a formal contract.
2. Allow God's Word to be the final authority. Look for scriptures in the Bible that speaks about your situation or need. Quote them.
3. Present back to God what He already said.

The Prayer of Petition is so powerful because it is based on the will of God. We don't go around the bush wondering whether or not God will grant us our request. We know He will because we are praying according to His will.

This is not a magical formula like a name it-claim it thing. We are simply presenting to God our prayer requests, especially when what we're asking seem to not jive with what we can see in the natural. Remember, nothing is impossible with our God. He will make a way where there seem to be no way. Try God.

Here's a sample of a Prayer of Petition by Pastor Jerry Savelle.