Topical Bible: Gifts from God: Temporal: Prayer For

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In the Christian tradition, temporal gifts from God refer to the blessings and provisions that pertain to our earthly life. These include material needs, health, relationships, and other aspects of daily living. The Bible encourages believers to pray for these temporal gifts, recognizing God as the ultimate provider of all good things.

Biblical Basis for Praying for Temporal Gifts

The Scriptures affirm that God is attentive to the needs of His people and invites them to present their requests to Him. In Philippians 4:6, the Apostle Paul exhorts believers, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." This verse underscores the importance of bringing all concerns, including temporal needs, before God in prayer.

Examples of Prayers for Temporal Gifts

1. Provision of Daily Needs: Jesus taught His disciples to pray for their daily sustenance in the Lord's Prayer, saying, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). This petition reflects a reliance on God for the provision of basic necessities.

2. Health and Healing: The Bible records numerous instances where individuals prayed for physical healing and well-being. In 2 Kings 20:5, God responds to Hezekiah's prayer for healing, saying, "I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you."

3. Success and Prosperity: Believers are encouraged to seek God's blessing on their endeavors. In Psalm 90:17, the psalmist prays, "May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish for us the work of our hands—yes, establish the work of our hands."

4. Wisdom and Guidance: James 1:5 assures believers that God generously provides wisdom to those who ask: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

Attitude in Prayer for Temporal Gifts

While praying for temporal gifts, believers are encouraged to maintain an attitude of trust and submission to God's will. Jesus exemplified this in His prayer at Gethsemane, where He submitted His desires to the Father's will (Matthew 26:39). Similarly, James 4:15 reminds believers to say, "If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that."

God's Sovereignty and Generosity

The Bible teaches that God is sovereign over all creation and is generous in His provision. In Matthew 7:11, Jesus assures His followers, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" This promise encourages believers to approach God with confidence, knowing that He delights in giving good gifts to His children.

Conclusion

Praying for temporal gifts is a biblical practice that reflects a dependence on God for all aspects of life. Believers are encouraged to bring their needs before God with thanksgiving, trusting in His provision and aligning their requests with His will.

Nave's Topical Index

Zechariah 10:1
Ask you of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.
Nave's Topical Index

Matthew 6:11
Give us this day our daily bread.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Temporal Advantages.
... account of their spiritual peril, when they were no longer encompassed by temporal
trials ... It may be asked, "Are not these dangerous things the gifts of God? ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol vii/sermon v temporal advantages.htm

How Jesus Christ, the Blessed One, at the Prayer of St Francis ...
... Now a few days after St Francis had made this prayer, the Lord ... of that courteous
nobleman, as I hope in God that, amongst his temporal gifts, he will ...
/.../the little flowers of st francis of assisi/chapter xxxvii how jesus christ.htm

The Disciple, -- Sometimes this Question is Asked, "Since God is ...
... But on those who believe gifts of both kinds are ... that very soon they pay little regard
to temporal blessings, but ... We cannot alter the will of God, but the man ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/singh/at the masters feet/section i the disciple 3.htm

For Temporal and Eternal Welfare.
... FOR TEMPORAL AND ETERNAL WELFARE ... O God, my Father ... All things are mine when I have
Thee, Thou void of gifts canst never be; A thousand ways Thou knowest On earth ...
/.../gerhardt/paul gerhardts spiritual songs/for temporal and eternal welfare.htm

Prayer and Faith
... his readers to add to works or gifts or virtues ... the exhortation and urgency of Christ,
"Have faith in God.". Faith covers temporal as well as spiritual needs. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bounds/the necessity of prayer/i prayer and faith.htm

Whether Predestination Can be Furthered by the Prayers of the ...
... Therefore, since the prayers of the saints are temporal, they cannot so ... repentance"
(1 Kings 15:29); and that "the gifts and the calling of God are without ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether predestination can be furthered.htm

Imitation of Christ
... CHAPTER XVIII That temporal miseries are to be borne ... we must rest in God above all
goods and gifts. CHAPTER XXII Of the recollection of God's manifold benefits. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kempis/imitation of christ/

The Imitation of Christ
... The Eighteenth Chapter: Temporal Sufferings Should Be Borne Patiently, After the
Example of ... The Twenty-Second Chapter: Remember the Innumerable Gifts of God. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kempis/the imitation of christ/

Prayer
... a Christian, I cannot pray with such gifts and elocution as ... our prayer is not so
much for temporal mercies as ... that we may have more communion with God and that ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/the ten commandments/4 6 prayer.htm

"But the End of all Things is at Hand, be Ye Therefore Sober and ...
... not its own but another's, as free gifts, and therefore ... world uses to interrupt your
thoughts of God, and the ... But put you upon something temporal, ye can fix ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xx but the end.htm