Prayer is certainly one of the greatest privileges we have as believers. We can pray to an Almighty God whose nature is to hear prayer! Think of that. What a blessing we have.
Philippians 4:6-7 has been favorite prayer verses of mine for a very long time. “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Consider the simple truths in this passage:
- We are not to be “full of care” but are to bring our requests to God!
- We are to pray about everything by making our requests known to God.
- We are to offer thanks as we pray.
- The result of our praying is that God fills our hearts and minds with the peace of Christ.
Consider the simplicity of the word requests! We are to pray specifically about the matters that are causing us to be full of care. We are to ask God to help us with these matters by making our requests known. In a technical and practical sense, therefore, there can be no such thing as an “unspoken” request! During revival weeks I have often asked people to leave prayer requests on my book table and have promised them that I would make them a matter of prayer during the revival week. We are to bear one another’s burdens and we are to pray one for another, so this is a way for me to serve a local church while I am investing some time with them. I have been surprised at how often people leave a paper with the words unspoken request. While I understand that their request may be of a sensitive nature perhaps, it also means that I am not able to make their “requests known unto God.” Sometimes, in prayer meetings, we ask for people to raise their hand if they have an “unspoken” request. I think the heart is in the right place, but again, there is no way that a “request [can] be made known unto God” without knowing what the request is. Can I gently offer a few challenges in regards to this matter?
- Always pray specific requests. Our God delights in answering prayer. “Ask,” Jesus says, “and it shall be given unto you.” “Ye have not,” James wrote, “because ye ask not.” “Call unto me,” Jehovah told Jeremiah, “and I will answer thee.” And so forth! Pray specifically.
- Don’t ask for unspoken requests. You could ask something like this instead: “How many of you have burdens that you would be unable to mention out loud” and follow that up with some instructions. Take those requests to the Lord. Find a dear friend and share that burden with them and pray together about that. After all, Jesus did teach that “if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:19).
- Make sure that your church is so filled with the love of Jesus that people can safely share their heavy burdens with your church family. This is not a cause for “gasping” (Oh my word, can you believe that?) or for “reacting” (you need prayer about THAT?) or for “gossip” (did you hear what their going through?) and so forth. All of us have burdens and needs and God invites us to bring those requests to Him!
- Encourage your church family to share their more private burdens (maybe what we have typically called unspoken requests) with another brother or sister or with at least one other person so the request in their heart and life can be “made known unto God.”
Make sure that you read that first one again! Always give specific requests. When we pray specifically, God not only promises to answer that prayer, He also promises us that His peace will fill our hearts and minds through Jesus!
Thanks for reading,
Your friend, Dave
Evangelist Dave Young 
Interesting blog post. I believe you made some good points, but I couldn’t necessarily say Philippians 4:6-7 supports sharing those private requests with others. It’s saying to let your request be made known unto God – isn’t that saying for you to personally take that request to God? When people ask me to pray for an unspoken request, I do pray for it. God knows exactly what their need is. Doesn’t he? So if I pray and say “God, you know that personal, sensitive matter brother or sister so-and-so mentioned? Lord, you know all about that. Will you please take care of their need?” – I don’t see how anything you listed in #1 above is referring to us telling men our specific prayer requests. It’s all saying that we should ask God, that we should call upon God, that God will answer us… but to me, those verses are saying when I have a need, I have to go to God and call upon Him specifically. Not that people have to share sensitive matters with others. Maybe I’m mistaken on this. I am going to give it some thought and prayer. I have never heard anyone suggest that there is anything wrong with unspoken prayer requests and I have never given the topic any consideration until now. I agree with you that we are to bear one another’s burdens, but I’m not sure that that in any way negates the power of asking God to bless unspoken requests.
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Hey brother: Some good thoughts there. Thanks for commenting. A few thoughts perhaps. Philippians 4 does teach that the individual should take their requests to God. If people did that with their special and private needs, we would not know about this scenario called “unspoken requests.” However, many times I am in prayer meetings where people ask me to pray about an “unspoken” request and I believe there is a few potential problems with that: first, I am not sure if I knew the request that I would pray for it (asking God to bless their divorce, for instance) (I know that is a bit out there but still :)); second, I cannot pray for the request (I don’t know what it is)
so I can only pray for that person; and third, God’s word continually commands us to pray specifically, something that cannot be done if I don’t know what the requests are. My heart in the post was to suggest that their might be a better way. Recently I asked for people to give me prayer requests, and out of about 20, only a handful allowed me the privilege of asking for a specific request to be answered. The rest were “unspoken” or just a name or a story without any definite request about which I could pray. I strongly believe that we as God’s people should pray specifically and boldly. I know you believe that too. At any rate, thanks for thinking and for taking the time to comment and ask questions. May God bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you, and give you peace! -Dave
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Thanks for your response. I am going to continue to ponder this topic and to study the Bible and pray on it. You make some valid points – I definitely get where you’re coming from. Thanks for giving me some food for thought! 😀
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The words unspoken aren’t referring to unknown or unspoken to God . The one who ask for that request has already taken it to God but wants His brothers and sisters to pray with Him. To stand with him that God’s will over this be done, that His Grace abound. And that is what I pray when ask to pray for a unspoken request. I don’t have to know The Who what when and where because God already knows . And He knows the one and he heart of he one who brought this request to others to pray for him. I think of a recent example when a person was having some test ran, and she and her husband ask if I would request prayer, unspoken as she didn’t wish to worry her family needlessly with out knowing for sure. Their health isn’t that good. And she wished to spare them that worry, plus it was a sensitive personal prayer. To me, I can’t imagine God not being thankful that this person knew that there is power in prayer… and that where two or more are in agreement… and you don’t have to know details to be in agreement for God’s will and Grace to cover this person. I fine it amazing anyone would think it wrong as God alone judges that heart… not you or I. To me your saying … nope… give me the details or else… and yes. I believe in praying specifically and she had and so had I, and when I ask for a unspoken prayer for her I ask they pray God’s grace and Will over their situation . HOW can that ever be wrong to pray for someone. The Lord talks about straining at a gnat ..: and to me … that’s what your doing when you judge or condemn request to God from one with a heavy heart
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Thanks for taking the time to write and share your opinions regarding this article. I would offer several thoughts: 1. In your statements above you were specific about people and situations and that is my point. You prayed for grace. For help. Etc. Specific is always better because I can ask and expect a definite answer. And rejoice that God heard me and answered. 2. No one needs to give details in sensitive matters (some do and it can be awkward), but (I say again) specific is always better and more Biblical than general. God invites us to ask specifically. Let your requests be known, is how Paul said it in Philippians 4:6. When someone says “if you have an unspoken request raise your hand – let’s remember to pray for all of these unspoken requests” it makes our praying very general. Our loving God delights in answering our specific requests.3. I simply am suggesting that there could be a better way to do it – namely share specifics as much as possible so others can pray definitely! Or share with a select few (Jesus said if “two of you agree in prayer”). And so forth. You and I agree more than we disagree about this. Pray and be specific and God delights to answer that kind of prayer.
The only other thing I would ask you to consider is that when we ask specifically, God answers specifically, and we can praise Him specifically. Great rejoicing occurs when specific prayers are answered. For instance, I can pray for God to bless those who are sick. I could also pray for God to heal “Mrs So and So.” If God answered specifically and healed her in answer to our prayer, that would be cause for amazing rejoicing and praise. On the other hand, if a person says pray about something with me, but I don’t know what it is or what to ask, I won’t be able to rejoice at a specific answer. Your friend who didn’t want to worry her family, also kept them from praying and seeing the answer that you saw. Prayer is amazing so keep asking and keep believing and be specific. Our loving Father invites us to do so.
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Help and pray you too for me in my the fight against false doctrine who not confess Jesus blood in salvation,but use own victims,thanks and bless,keijo sweden
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