Holy Exchange Prayer
In every need, Jesus invites us to exchange our insufficiency for His all-sufficiency. He longs for us to substitute our “I don’t have” for “I have all I need in Jesus.” His strength shines best in our weakness. Jesus says to us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
Like Paul, we can say, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9-10).
Who He is to us is so much more than what He does for us. His person is inseparable from all His power and presence. Your may have been told growing up “Be a brave boy” or “Be a brave girl,” but Jesus tells us not to worry about feeling brave or putting on a happy face: just let Him be for us who He is for every need.
Aren’t you glad? It’s called grace–God’s enabling presence. “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8)
We take great hope that more than what God does, it is who He is that really makes the difference.
Pray this way:
Come, Holy Spirit, and give (my loved one) a new revelation of Your covenantal-keeping love and power, and minister to (my loved one), spirit, soul, and body at this moment.
Where they are weary, give them Your strength in the resurrection power of Jesus.
Where they are hurt, rub in Your healing oil of comfort and peace.
Where there is self-doubt, minister the truth of Christ in them, their hope of glory.
Where they are striving, give them rest in Your grace, Your trustworthiness, and Your timing.
Where they are spiritually dull, give them fresh Bread of Life to eat and Living Water to drink and draw them into greater intimacy with You.
Where they are afraid, banish fear with the sound of Your voice, assuring them of Your nearness in love and faithfulness.
Where they are despairing, give them hope that You do all things well. Let them know whom they have believed and be persuaded that You are able to keep what they have committed to You.
Where they are deceived by sin, convict and grant repentance. As they repent, forgive and cleanse them, and break strongholds of evil from their lives.
Where they are under fire, give them understanding of the larger spiritual battle, and reveal to them the power they have in You to defeat the schemes of the evil one.
Where they feel alone and abandoned, surround them with covenantal relationships to encourage them, and make them aware of always being in Your presence wherever they are.
For their every need, be their Jehovah-Jireh provision.
-Sylvia Gunter