Our Greatest Need — Thoughts on Prayer
Over the last several weeks, I have had the privilege of meeting so many praying people. I have been honored and humbled to meet people whom I do not know and hear them say, “I pray for you every day.” Never in my life have I felt more the need for intercessory prayer!
Our Greatest Need
D.L. Moody wrote, “I have noticed, in traveling up and down the country, and after mingling with a great many ministers, that it is not the man who can preach the best that is the most successful, but the man who knows how to get his people together to pray. If the man who is your minister preaches the gospel, you stand by him; pray for him. What a help it is for a man who is preaching to have a lot of people in the pews praying for him.”
One night after I had finished preaching God’s Word, I felt that I did not do a very good job. (Every preacher will understand what I mean!) Yet, at the end of the meeting God moved in a special way. There was a spirit of prayer and people crying out to God. Praying is more important than preaching, for if we pray as we should, we will preach as we should. Preaching can only be done by one at a time, but praying can be done by all of us at the same time!
In meetings, night after night, it is evident when someone has been praying. There is no substitute for it! Not promotion, preparation, or polish. Nothing.
The Boiler Room
I once read the story of Charles Spurgeon touring a group of visitors through his church and taking them to the boiler room. Everyone was puzzled why the famous preacher would want them to see such a room! Then he explained that it was in this room where a number of faithful members gathered to pray for him as he delivered his messages.
Your church needs a boiler room! Your pastor needs your prayers. “Brethren, pray for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:25).
For many of you who pray for us day after day, thank you. God bless you for laboring with us for souls and revival. God is answering your prayer and your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
For all of you who love the Lord’s work, pray for God’s servants as they preach the gospel.
The Forgotten Ministry
In recent weeks, the Lord has been dealing with me about many weaknesses in my own prayer life. One of the most glaring has been my failure in the matter of intercessory prayer. Perhaps nowhere is our selfishness more on display than in our prayer life. “Lord, bless my four, and no more” is not so far removed from the reality of most of our prayers.
When we do pray for others by name, it seems that it is often motivated by our sheer frustration with them! We are much better at praying imprecatory prayers (praying against others) than we are at intercessory prayers (praying for others). The heart of Jesus is that of an intercessor. Read John 17 and see how the Lord prayed for his disciples!
Intercessory prayer is the forgotten ministry of the church. Few speak of it because it is done in private and not in public. Its aim is Godward and not manward. Intercessory prayer is secret work, but it brings open blessing.
At the judgment seat of Christ, I am quite sure that many a preacher will stand aside as an unknown, unnamed prayer warrior is rewarded. Intercession may be forgotten by man, but it is never forgotten by God. The incense from the Old Testament altar rose up as a memorial before the Lord. And so do our prayers.
Intercession is Important to God
How do we know that the ministry of intercession is important to God? This is the ministry that both the Son of God (Hebrews 7:25) and the Spirit of God (Romans 8:26) are engaged in at this moment. To intercede for men is to be in tune with God.
We all want to be a help to others. We teach; we counsel; we preach; we work; we write; we visit. But do we pray? The Apostle Paul requested prayer with the following words: “Ye also helping together by prayer for us…” (2 Corinthians 1:11). The greatest help we can be to others is to pray for them. First Timothy 2:1 reads, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.”
First of all…intercessions. John Bunyan said, “We can do more than pray after we have prayed, but we can do no more than pray until we have prayed.” May God help us all to become intercessors. It is then that we are most like our Lord.
3 Prayer Pointers for Every Day
Intercessory prayer, like all prayer, is a conversation with our Lord…and we all need to work on our communication! Developing a life of communion with God is the process of a lifetime. I never hear a challenge about prayer that I do not feel deeply convicted that this is an area where I need to give more attention.
While there is no place to stop in our pursuit of God, there is a place to start. Begin right where you are. Allow the normal routines and relationships of life to be turned into prayer prompters, and you will soon discover what is meant by the admonition to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Take these simple ideas and incorporate them today…
Pray as you See
Imagine how many people you see every day! When we cross paths with others, we inevitably have thoughts, experience emotions, and form opinions. Turn your impressions into intercessions. Our thoughts about others are not always right, but when we pray, God works in them and in us. We must bring our lustful, proud, unkind, prejudicial, and angry thoughts into the holy presence of Christ. As you pray for others, you will find that God begins to give you His mind for that person, and you will begin to see them differently. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see through His eyes every day.
Pray as you Scroll
Turn your social media feed into a prayer list! Too much time is wasted mindlessly scrolling through posts. It is usually best to turn off notifications so that you control when you check social media. Then, make that time intentional. Social media is very dangerous when it is only for entertainment value. Use it — do not let it use you. Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” Whether it is a positive or a negative update, you can pray for all. (Read more about how to utilize social media in a positive way HERE.)
Pray as you Speak
Days are filled with a variety of interactions. Some are personal, others are business, and many are what we would consider to be incidental. But if you believe in divine appointments and trust the providence of God, you will begin to recognize that God brings people across your path for a reason. When you talk with someone on the phone, breathe a prayer to God for them. As you meet people who are hurting, stop and have a prayer with them. Even as you write a text, a letter, or an email, you can pray for that individual. All ground becomes holy ground as you begin to talk to the Lord.
Don’t just pray; have a prayer life. When you invite God into the conversation, you will find yourself brought consciously into His presence. Let every day be a prayer day by bringing everyday responsibilities to God.
How to Make Prayer More Meaningful
Learn to pray by doing it
We do not learn to pray by listening to lectures on prayer or reading books about the subject. Prayer is fellowship with God. It is deepened only by time spent in His presence. Find a place. Make time. Pray.
Spend time meditating on great prayer passages in Scripture
The Bible is our “prayer-book.” It provides motivation to pray and instruction on how to pray. Get in God’s Word, and you will never run out of things to talk to the Lord about! (Watch Scott’s lecture on Praying the Bible HERE.)
Spend some time in Matthew 6:9-13. They are familiar verses, verses so familiar that they are often missed. Most people refer to them as the “Lord’s prayer.” In reality, the Lord’s prayer is found in John 17. These verses simply provide a model Christ gave for us to follow.
Every word, every line is full of meaning and rich help. A few brief observations on the prayer as a whole reveal so much about genuine prayer.
Meaningful Prayers are Genuine Prayers.
Genuine prayer is marked by simplicity
There are no big words. No long sentences. No impressive structure. Just the simple heart cry of a child to a Father. Stop trying to impress God and just talk to Him.
Genuine prayer touches every area of life
This prayer is so simple, and yet the breadth of the prayer is amazing. Relationships. Daily needs. The past. The present. The future. All of this is touched in this beautiful prayer! Bring every part of your life into the presence of God, and you bring God into every part of your life.
Genuine prayer gives more attention to God than man
Most of our prayers seem to focus on man — ourselves, our enemies, our friends, our family. That is good. But there is a higher level in prayer — a place where we do more than simply talk about people; we talk to God about what is important to Him.
Genuine prayer majors on spiritual matters
Yes, we pray for “daily bread.” But that is not all. In fact, that is not primary! The prayers of Christ and of Paul are our example. Do not be content to simply ask for physical, material things. The same chapter gives us the secret: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
One practical suggestion that has been a great help to me is to write out prayers. I have never been in favor of reading prayers publicly. Prayer should be the spontaneous cry of the heart. But I have found personally that putting my prayers on paper has enabled me to think about what I am asking. To concentrate and reflect. Don’t worry about making them polished. Often my thoughts come quickly and are simply phrases.
The Psalms are full of the written prayers of David. The Apostle Paul recorded a number of prayers in his letters. Use a devotional journal to write out your petitions and take the time to commit them to God.
I have so much more to learn about real prayer. We all do. May God help us to do more than talk about it this week. Pray and the God who answers prayer will teach you how.
RESOURCE: Revival Praying (Available in English and Spanish)
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