Praying the New Covenant Way

Daily Grace Devotional – Wednesday, October 1st, 2025

📖 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” – Ephesians 1:3 (NKJV)

Old Testament vs. New Testament Prayer

The way believers prayed under the Old Covenant is strikingly different from how we are called to pray today. In the Old Testament, prayer was largely:

Petition-driven: asking God to do something in the future.

Fear-driven: approaching God cautiously through priests and sacrifices.

Distance-based: man on earth, God in heaven, with a veil separating them.

But under the New Covenant, Christ has already accomplished redemption. The cross tore the veil, and believers now live as those reconciled and seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). Our prayers are no longer cries of slaves begging a distant Master, but the bold petitions of sons and daughters exercising their inheritance.

The Focus of New Testament Prayer

When Paul prayed for the churches, notice what he didn’t ask for. He didn’t pray, “Lord, please heal them, please give them power, please bless them.” Why? Because in Christ, these things are already given (Ephesians 1:3, Colossians 2:10, 1 Peter 2:24). Instead, his prayers focused on:

1. Revelation of What Is Ours – “That the eyes of your understanding be enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18).
2. Hope of Our Calling – grasping the eternal weight of our assignment in Christ.
3. The Riches of Our Inheritance – knowing the wealth of God’s glory already deposited in us.
4. The Greatness of His Power – understanding resurrection power at work in us (Ephesians 1:19–20).

Thus, the aim of New Testament prayer is not to twist God’s arm to give us something, but to open our eyes to walk in what He has already supplied.

Prayer from Victory

Jesus has already disarmed principalities and powers (Colossians 2:15). He stripped the devil of authority, handed the keys of the Kingdom to us (Matthew 16:19), and now invites us to enforce His finished work through prayer. We don’t fight for victory—we pray from victory.

Think about this:

Old Covenant believers prayed for rain.

New Covenant believers know that the Spirit has already been poured out.

Old Covenant believers prayed for power.

New Covenant believers walk in resurrection power.

Old Covenant believers cried, “God, be with us!”

New Covenant believers declare, “Christ in me, the hope of glory!” (Colossians 1:27).

A Better Way to Pray

Jesus Himself said, “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites…” (Matthew 6:5). Even today, all religions pray. But what sets New Covenant prayer apart is that it flows from union with Christ, revelation of His Word, and authority in His Name.

This means effective prayer is not about volume, repetition, or formula, but about alignment—praying according to the finished work of Christ.

🔥 Reflection Questions

1. Do I pray more like an Old Covenant believer—begging God to move—or as a New Covenant son who enforces what Christ has finished?
2. What truths from Ephesians 1 can I begin to pray into my daily life?
3. In what areas of my life am I still asking God for what He has already supplied in Christ?

🙏 Prayer
Father, thank You for blessing me with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Thank You for making me complete in Him. I refuse to pray like one who has nothing; I pray as one who has received. Enlighten the eyes of my understanding. Help me walk in the hope of my calling, the riches of my inheritance, and the greatness of Your power at work in me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

📖 Further Study

Ephesians 1:15–23
Colossians 2:9–15
Hebrews 4:16
© Jeremiah Owofio