IBS Application for 1 Timothy 2:1

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people...”

This verse came to me a couple of days ago, and it came twice. Once in listening to a Focht study, and again in reading “Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire” by Jim Cymbala. And seeing as how a good portion of the first part of that book is about prayer, I think that God wants me to start praying more.

This verse is the start of an exhortation given to Timothy to give to the other members of the 
church in Ephesus. It starts with an exhortation to pray more, and to offer more types of prayer up to God. Paul says that we should offer up supplications, which are prayers made to God requesting something of Him, prayers as direct conversation with Him, intercessory prayers, and prayers of thanksgiving to Him.

I find that of these types of prayer, I pray many  prayers of supplication and intercession, but I do not focus so much on thanksgiving or direct conversation as I feel I should. It came as a conviction to hear Pastor Cymbala talk about prayer with so much passion, as he considered the importance of all sorts of prayer as it relates to the Christian walk. Prayer is one of the most essential parts of our life, and it always has been. A great number of great movements by God came when people called upon His name in prayer. We see this in Acts, on the day of Pentecost when the Apostles were simply waiting on the Lord and offering up prayer to Him. God’s Spirit came upon each of them and filled them with His power, to move and speak with the conviction and authority they’d need to make disciples of others.

The Spirit has likewise moved in other similar ways when people have gotten together with each other to pray like that. Revivals have started as a result of such movements of the Spirit. God wants us to talk to Him, and when we speak to Him, He speaks back. But for me, I still have yet to get to a place where I can give thanks to Him in every circumstance, and to speak to Him not in request, but simply from a desire to deepen my relationship with Him.


I believe that God is seeking to start a revival of fresh fire within me. And starting with deepening my prayer life seems to be the manner in which He would have me start that process. And beyond all that, I simply want to know Him more. So, my application will be to pray more prayers of thanksgiving and have more conversation with Him, particularly in the mornings and evenings, when I wake up and before I go to bed over the next three days, as well as at any other time of the day as seems appropriate.

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