People pray for this, that, and the other.
But life is much more than things:
"Then said Jesus
unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow me.
"For whosoever will
save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall
find it.
"For what is a man
profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall
a man give in exchange for his soul?
"For the Son of man
shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward
every man according to his works." (Matthew 16: 24-27)
The soul of man is important to the Lord, and therein is rooted the key to realizing the life and that more abundantly (John 10: 10) which Jesus wants us to enjoy:
"Beloved, I wish above
all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul
prospereth." (3 John 2)
Soul prosperity is a must, and our soul touches on our mind, will, and emotions.
Our mind influences what we feel and do, and God calls us to renew our minds to the Truth of God's Word (Romans 12: 2).
We can pray for money, power, and prestige, but man has a deeper need — righteousness, a standing before God that is unassailably blessed and jusified, in which a man may live out the life that God wishes to live in us without encumbrance.
What good can a man have in the things of his world is he has no peace, no security, no certainty his eternity as well as his "here and now""
Jesus made one thing paramount for us in His Sermon on the Mount:
"But seek ye first
the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added
unto you." (Matthew 6: 33)
After the Cross, we are made THE righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21) and the gift of righteousness is made available to us, along with superabounding grace, that we may keep receiving it (Romans 5: 17)
So, let us pray to keep receiving this wonderful gift of righteousness, with which we receive all things.
In his epistles, Paul outlines what he prayed for:
"For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that
without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
"Making request, if by
any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to
come unto you." (Romans 1: 9-10)
Here, as John prayed for his fellowhelper in the truth Gaius, Paul prayed that he would prosper!
To the Corinthians, Paul wrote:
"I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by
Jesus Christ;
"That in every
thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
"Even as the
testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:" (1 Corinthians 1: 4-6)
Paul focused on knowing the grace that they received through Jesus Christ, and that they would be enriched in Him.
To the Ephesians, Paul prayed that they would seek two great things in their lives:
"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you
the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
"The eyes of your
understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his
calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
"And what is
the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the
working of his mighty power" (Ephesians 1: 17-19)
In the third chapter, Paul writes:
"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be
strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
"That Christ may
dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
"May be able to
comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth,
and height;
"And to know the
love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the
fulness of God." (Ephesians 3: 16-19)
Above things and people or any other thing, Paul wanted his beloved Ephesians to ask God to open their eyes to all that God has already given them in their spirit, in which they have the same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead!
He also moved in them to get a greater and growing revelation of God's love for them. When we know how much God loves us, then we can expect without hesitation that He will move in our lives in ways beyond our calculation or imagination.