Prayer Root Ministries -> Praying through Scripture -> The Gospel of Mark -> Mark 10
Scripture (ESV)
And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Prayer Root: Word to Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for being the Wonderful Counselor who teaches us the impossibility of self-salvation and reveals the upside-down, radical nature of Your kingdom—a kingdom that replaces earthly loss with spiritual abundance.
I pray, Lord, that my heart would never deceive itself by assuming, as many once did, that material wealth is a sign of Your favor or a qualification to enter Your kingdom. Remind me continually that salvation cannot be attained by human merit or resources. Just as it is impossible for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, so it is impossible for me to save myself. Salvation is the work of God alone. With You all things are possible—and apart from You, nothing is.
I pray, Lord, that You would guard my heart from pride, even pride in discipleship. May I never allow sacrifice, obedience, or spiritual knowledge to become a god that competes with You or hinders my total surrender to Jesus Christ. Teach me to remember that striving to be first—in status, power, self-righteousness, or even ministry—leads only to being last in Your kingdom.
Keep my heart humble and my spirit dependent on You —hungering and thirsting for righteousness, gentle in strength, merciful in action, pure in heart, a peacemaker in word and deed, and steadfast even when obedience brings persecution. Let my life reflect the beauty of the Beatitudes, shaped by grace, sustained by surrender, and anchored in the hope of eternal life with You.
Rooted in prayer, rejoicing in Christ.