Praying Through God’s Word: Acts

Acts 1:1-26

We thank You, Lord, for Your gift of the Holy Spirit. We are not called to serve You in our own strength. We come to You in our weakness. You give to us Your strength. This is the strength that we need – the strength that comes from You.

Acts 2:1-47

We thank You, Lord, that the Holy Spirit directs our attention to Jesus (John 16:14). He leads us to make our confession of faith: “Jesus is Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:3). He leads us into a new life – a life that is centred on Jesus, a life that brings glory to You and blessing to us.

Acts 3:1-26

What we cannot do for ourselves, You do for us. Thank You, Lord. You forgive our sins. You give us new life. You’re leading us on to Your eternal glory. Thank You, Lord.

Acts 4:1-5:11

Without You, Lord, we are weak. With You, we are strong. Lead us, Lord, out of our failure and into Your victory, out of our sin and into Your holiness. How are we to walk with You in holiness and victory? – We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, our Saviour (Hebrews 12:1-2; Acts 4:120. When we fail You, Lord, help us to learn from the testimony of Peter – he failed (Matthew 29:69-75), and he was filled (Acts 4:8). Help us to join, with Peter, in saying, “Lord, You know that we love You” (John 21:15-17).

Acts 5:12-6:7

We thank You, Lord, for Your Word and Your Spirit (Acts 6:3-4). Help us, Lord, to “be filled with the Spirit” as we “let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly” (Ephesians 5:18; Colossians 3:16). Filled with Your Spirit and obedient to Your Word, may we look to You for Your blessing (Acts 6:7).

Acts 6:8-8:3

You call us, Lord, to be Your faithful servants. Help us to follow our Saviour. Give to us His forgiving spirit. May our lives be marked by loyalty and love – loyalty to Jesus, love for people who need Him.

Acts 8:4-40

Help us, Lord, not to be content with empty religion when we can have full salvation. We want ‘the real thing.’ We want Jesus. We want more than ‘going through the motions of religion.’ We want to have the Holy Spirit, living in us and working through us. Jesus, the Holy Spirit – This is not only about what we want. It’s about You want us to have. It’s about what You give to us – a real Saviour and a life-changing Spirit.

Acts 9:1-34

Help us, Lord, never to forget what we were before Jesus saved us. Where would we be without Jesus? Life with Jesus is so much better than life without Him. Help us never to forget this. When we’re tempted to go back to our life without Jesus, help us to say,”No, Lord. No turning back. It’s Jesus for me – Jesus, today: Jesus, all the way.

Acts 10:1-11:18

We thank You, Lord, for Your love – “You loved the world so much that You gave Your Son, Jesus” (John 3:16); Your Son – He died for “the sins of the whole world” (John 1:29; 1 John 2:2); Your command – “the Good News” of Christ’s love is to be preached to “every person” (Mark 16:15); and Your purpose – You’re looking for disciples of Christ in every nation (Matthew 28:19).

Acts 11:19-12:25

Lord, we read about Barnabas – he “was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord” (Acts 11:24). Help us to pray, “Make us like Barnabas.” Help us to give ourselves to You, to be changed by You, and to become more useful in Your service.

Acts 13:1-43

We thank You, Lord, for Your Word – and we thank You that it is more than words. It is the Word that comes to us in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 13:44-14:28

We thank You, Lord, for Your Good News – “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). We are sinners. Christ is our Saviour. For this, we give You our heartfelt thanks.
Acts 15:1-35
We thank You, Lord, that we are “saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 15:11). we receive His grace when we put our faith in Him: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Putting our faith in the Lord Jesus – This is just the beginning of a life-long commitment to Him: “saved by grace through faith for good works” (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Acts 15:36-16:40
Lord, teach us to pray. This is where the power comes from. It comes from You. Sometimes, it seems like, “Lord, here we are again.” You never say, “Oh, it’s you again.” Help us to keep on praying – even when we feel like giving up. Sometimes, we’re not sure what we should be praying for. When we feel like this, help us to pray, “Your will be done.” Help us to hear Your Word of grace: “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Acts 17:1-34
Help us, Lord, to make time for reading Your Word – not just on Sundays, when we’re in church. Help us to read Your Word every day. When we stop speaking to You, help us to remember that You haven’t stopped speaking to us. Your Word continues to speak to us – even when we’re not really listening. Help us, Lord, to listen to what You’re saying to us: “Speak, Lord. Your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10).
Acts 18:1-21
When, Lord, we feel like giving up, help us to keep on going. Many people are turning away from You. Help us, Lord, not to follow them. Help us to keep on following Jesus.
Acts 18:22-19:22
Help us, Lord, never to adopt a ‘know-it-all’ attitude. there is always so much more for us to learn. There is so much more blessing for us – when we’re listening to You, when we’re ready to receive from You.
Acts 19:23-20:16
“King of my life, I crown Thee now, Thine shall the glory.” Help us, Lord, to give You first place in our lives. Help us to say, “Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son.” Help us to walk with you in the power of Christ’s “endless victory.” May much blessing flow into our lives, overflowing out from us into the lives of other people.
Acts 20:17-21:14
Often, Lord, we’re out for what we can get when we should be thinking about how we can give. Change us, Lord. Change us from the inside. May the story of our life become “Not I but Christ” (Galatians 2:20), “I must decrease. Christ must increase” (John 3:30).
Acts 21:15-22:16
Lord, You call us to be Your witnesses: “You shall be My witnesses.” Help us, always, to remember that the power comes from You: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you” (Acts 1:8).
Acts 22:17-23:35 
Help us, Lord, to have the upward look – looking up to You, to receive Your power – and the outward look – looking out to the world, to bring to them the Good News of Your love.
Acts 24:1-27
We thank You, Lord, for the Old Testament Scriptures. They tell us that the Saviour will come. We thank You for the New Testament Scriptures. They tell us that the Saviour has come. Speak to us, Lord, from every part of Your Word. Lead us to Jesus. Help us to welcome Him – our great Saviour.
Acts 25:1-27
Often, Lord, we can’t make up our mind. We are indecisive. Jesus speaks to us. He calls us to make our decision for Him – but we sit on the fence. We’re neither one thing nor the other. We try to keep on the right side of Jesus – but we’re not out-and-out for Him. Help us, Lord, to nail our colours to the mast – to say, “I belong to Jesus – and I’m proud to belong to Him.”

Acts 26:1-32

Lord, help us to remember – and to forget. Help us to remember what You have done for us – and to say, “Thank You, Lord.” Help us, Lord, to forget what we once were – so that we don’t keep on wanting to go back to the world’s way of living.

Acts 27:1-44

Without You, Lord, we are without hope. Where does hope come from? It comes from You, Lord. You are “the God of hope” [Romans 15:13]. You give us more than the hope of a better life – a life that is filled with Your blessing. You give us the glorious hope of eternal life [1 John 3:2].

Acts 28:1-31

We thank You, Lord, that You are greater than Satan. When Satan comes to us, help us to remind him of this. Help us to tell Satan that Jesus is Lord. Help us to tell Satan that Jesus has triumphed over him. Help us to say to him, “In the name of Jesus, we have the victory. With Christ within, the fight we’ll win. On the victory side.”