Verse of the Day
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” — Philippians 4:6 KJV
Lesson of the Day
Today’s Bible verse is one that I’ve shared with you before during one of our other discussions about prayer. I’m bringing it back today because of today’s subject. Today, we will discuss a prayer of supplication. I’m using the KJV because this version specifically uses the word “supplication.”
A prayer of supplication is an earnest and humble petition or plea to God concerning a specific need. This is where we pray specifically for ourselves. This is time alone with our Father—crying out earnestly and pleading with Him concerning whatever problem or problems you may have.
I would say that this is a time for you to humble yourself and pour your heart out to your Father, God. No one else needs to be involved in this prayer because this is personal time between you and God. This can also be a meaningful time to pray on your knees because kneeling can be an outward expression of humility. However, this does not mean that you cannot pray while standing or sitting. What matters most is that you approach God with a humble heart.
There is no required posture or exact set of words for a prayer of supplication. You should simply come before God earnestly, humbly, honestly, and with thanksgiving. Many people confuse this type of prayer with intercessory prayer, but they are different. Supplication focuses on bringing your own needs before God, while intercessory prayer focuses on praying for the needs of others. We will discuss intercessory prayer tomorrow.
Encouragement
Sometimes life can become extremely heavy. Problems begin to stack up and may cause emotional distress. A death in the family, a sudden illness, financial burdens, marriage or relationship problems, or anything similar may lead you to pray a prayer of supplication.
A prayer of supplication is personal, so this can be a time to talk to no one else except God. Of course, this is my personal opinion. As I said, there are no specific rules. I simply know from experience that some things are personal. Besides, no one can fix your problems or heal your heart like our Father in Heaven can.
With that said, today’s prayer will be personal. You can replace my problems with your own as you pray. I don’t mind sharing because, even though I’ve had painful experiences, God has shown me that I can help others by sharing my pain. We are called to help one another.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Please help me write this prayer because it is not easy to share something so personal. God, forgive me for anything I have done that was displeasing to You or harmful to someone else.
Father, I pour my heart out to You. I am facing a heavy financial burden, and I acknowledge that some of my own decisions contributed to it. I knew that I needed to make better choices, but I did not always do what I knew was right. Please forgive me for my carelessness and for not being a good steward of everything You placed in my hands.
You have blessed me in so many ways, yet there were times when I allowed my business and my own desires to become more important than You. I am truly sorry, Father. Please help me put You first and give me the wisdom, discipline, and strength to make better decisions.
Father, I need You. I need Your help. I am asking You to please turn this situation around and show me what I need to do. Thank You for being my Father. Thank You for everything You have done for me and everything You have given me.
Lord, I place this burden in Your hands. If You do not remove it immediately, please give me the strength, wisdom, peace, and guidance to walk through it with You. In Jesus Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.