2 Tim 4:18. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
In the letter of Paul to Timothy, I found a verse that can be included in our prayers. I won't be totally wrong if I call the opening text a prayer. The tone expresses a desire. Paul faced many attacks in the course of doing ministry while on earth. He was an emblem of what it means to suffer for the gospel. Most times, I do think that if Paul were to live in our time, so many would have told him to quit his 'dangerous' ministry and find a safe place to fulfill his apostolic calling. I once heard a preacher say something related to that but It is clear from scriptures that suffering for the cause of Christ was inevitable for Paul because from the onset, it was declared about him that: "And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake”(Acts9:16). Paul was beaten, suffered shipwrecks, stoned, imprisoned and mocked. He endured all these for the sake of the gospel. You may read up the list of all he suffered in 2 Cor11:22 downward.
What Paul faced in his days is similar to what most missionaries working in dangerous places are facing today. They face all manners of attacks both physical and spiritual. When praying for ministers of the gospel, do not forget field missionaries in your prayers. Tell God to deliver them from every evil attack and preserve them for the kingdom. Paul's attack wasn't only physical, he faced stiff spiritual opposition in his days. In 1Thess 2:18, he said, "We wanted very much to come to you, and I, Paul, tried again and again, but Satan prevented us." How can Satan prevent a great apostle like Paul from doing ministry? Paul's prayer is the real prayer of deliverance for the hour. The earth is filled with the habitations of cruelty. You must be conscious of the fact that the devil and his cohorts doesn't mean well for you. I'm not telling you to live in suspicion of people around you as some do but you must not forget that our common arch enemy is not resting over our matter. His evil onslaught is the reason behind the evil happenings we face as God's children. If you're actively involved in ministry, his hatred for you is double and he seeks to bring you down and rubbish your ministry.
Further, this is a prayer you can pray for yourself. We live in a world where evil abound. The Psalmist said, "Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty."(Psalms74:20). I have seen wickedness in various forms and I have been affected with same. Years back, someone poisoned our food in the family. We all ate thinking we had a nice meal not knowing we had been sentenced to die. The same person fed my younger brother with kerosene when he was a baby. It took God's intervention to keep us all alive. The intention was to kill everyone in the family. Today, I want you to ask for the Lord's deliverance from every evil work over your life, family, ministry, career and business.
Father, deliver me from every evil attack and preserve me for your heavenly kingdom in Jesus name