Prayers of Hope

Philippians 4:4-6

Verse 6  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

    Whether we are holding onto hope in the happy times or the hard times, there is one thing that we need to remember as a very important part of hope.  A hopeful prayer isn’t a last chance request made to God.  Prayer is a sign that we are putting our trust in Him about the hopes we hold in our hearts.

    We often allow our prayers to become more about the things we want than about who God is and what He has already done.  It is so easy to list the requests for people to be healed or for jobs, school or even for a close parking spot.  It may be a little harder to ask for things that may require a little more effort on our part, like for spiritual growth or family relationships.  Maybe that is because we can hold onto hope more when it comes to a loved one’s health, job advancements, grades in school, or parking spaces.

    Hopeful praying can’t be about crying for what we want.  That isn’t hope, it is begging for something we want like a spoiled child would do.  It may even be done with an entitled heart.  But a heart that has true hope prays because they know their best hope is God.  The only one who can do anything about the situation on their hearts is the God of the Universe.

    This is the kind of prayerful hope that Paul was telling his friends in Philippi about.  While our key verse doesn’t use the word ‘hope’ it tells us not to be anxious.  Anxiety comes from a lack of hope and Paul understood that anxiety and hope are both a choice.  One chooses to doubt God and the other chooses to trust Him with a thankful heart.

    When we pray with hope, we will find a change in our heart and outlook because we can’t pray in hope without turning our focus on God.  He is forever faithful and has done so much for us in the past that we can’t deny He alone holds the power to help us in whatever situation we are going through.

Making It Personal

    How hopeful are your prayers?  Do you find it easier to be hopeful about some requests?  What do you need to pray hopefully for today?

Making It Personal Kids

    Have you ever prayed a hopeful prayer?  Was it answered the way you wanted it to be?  What can you pray for in hope?

Closing Prayer

    Father, thank You for showing us the kind of hope we need to bring to You in prayer.  Help us know the truth of our prayers.  In Jesus’ name, amen.