Praying for the Christian Community According to Romans 12:9–21
Romans 12:9–21. So that’s a long passage. So I’m not going to just read it. I’m going to do something a little different today. I’m just going to pray almost word for word through this passage. So, unfortunately, you won’t be able to tell exactly when I’m not using words from Scripture. But just trust me. I’m going to pray almost word for word through this passage. But it’s such a powerful picture of the Christian community. A picture of a Christ-centered, grace-saturated community, what makes the church, the family of brothers and sisters in Christ unique.
And so from the very beginning, I just want us to pray through this passage. And as I do, and we intercede in this way before God… Let’s pray for this kind of love to mark our relationships first and foremost with other followers of Jesus in the church, that our relationships would be marked by this kind of love, and then that we would love people who are apart from Jesus in these kinds of ways, in ways that draw them to the love of Jesus through us.
So Romans 12:9. Oh God, we pray for relationships that are marked by genuine love, that we would abhor what is evil and hold fast to what is good, that we would love one another in your church with brotherly affection, that we would outdo one another in showing honor to each other, that we would not be slothful in zeal, that we would be fervent in spirit, that we would serve you, rejoice in hope, that we would be patient in tribulation, and that we would be constant in prayer. God, we pray that you would help us to contribute to the needs of the saints as you lead us, and seek to show hospitality in a way that reflects your character.
Prayer for Graceful Recriprocity According to Romans 12:9–21
Help us to bless those who persecute us, to bless them and not to curse them, to make us a community that rejoices with those who rejoice and weeps with those who weep. Help us to live in harmony with one another, to not be haughty, to associate with the lowly. God, please keep us from being wise in our own sight.
Help us to repay no one evil for evil, but to give thought, to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on us, help us to live peaceably with all. God, guard us from avenging ourselves. Help us to leave it to your wrath, knowing it is written, “Vengeance is yours, you will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary, if our enemy is hungry, we pray for grace to feed him. He is thirsty, for grace to give him something to drink, for by so doing, we will heap burning coals on his head.
Prayer for the Kui People
We pray that we would not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. God, we pray that our lives, our relationships, and your church, would be marked by this kind of love in a way that leads many people to see your love right around us, all around the world, for the Kui people of Cambodia to be reached with supernatural love like we see described here in Romans 12. We pray your Word, knowing that what we have asked, according to your Word, you have promised to give us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Romans 12:9–21. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
