“Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.” – Philippians 4:6 (AMP)
In Luke 18, Christ gave an illustration to instruct persistence and humility in prayers but more than that, a kind of prayer is revealed in that passage and that is the prayer of supplication which, in other words, mean petition or plea. The woman who was pleading her case with the unjust judge and the tax collector who was pleading with God for mercy both prayed this kind of prayer.
Let’s look at a natural situation. A person has a case, something he wants to solve. He would hire a lawyer and state his problems before him. The lawyer takes the case to the court where the judge would preside over the case. The judge would then ask the lawyers to present their cases. And they would begin to state their different cases. These cases are known as petitions or supplications for judgement, for deliverance and for salvation.
In the same vein, there are matters every believer brings to God in form of petition and plea for oneself or for others. Being a believer means that you should know how to bear the burdens of others in prayers. When you do this, it is called the prayer of supplication. It is not enough to ask for things, you can plead with God for mercy, salvation and even judgement or deliverance. This depends on what is at hand.
Praying this kind of prayer requires that you bank on your knowledge of who you are in Christ. And you are not coming by your righteousness but by the righteousness of Christ which you have through faith in Him. This puts you in a position where you know you cannot do anything by your strength and power but by depending on God and asking Him to step into the situation. Matters are settled when you pray this way and this goes beyond ephemerals. Learn to bring certain matters in your life and that of others before the Lord for settlement. This will go a long way in helping you live well and fulfilled.
Reflection: Do you understand what the prayer of supplication means? Will you take a step to practice this today and stay consistent with it?
Confession: I declare that my life reflects the goodness of God. The Word of God comes to pass in my life and I do not stay low. I fly high in Christ and I am fruitful in every good work.
Related Scripture: Luke 18
Bible Reading: Exodus 23
