Tuesday 29 May 2012

Prayer walking

I was introduced to prayer walking more than 30 years ago when a friend told me he walked almost daily around the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, praying for the Members of Parliament and others working inside.

I was impressed, but I felt it was easier to pray in the comfort of home.  Yet I now know I was missing something important.

I am called to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and what better way to pray than to bring the people I meet in everyday life before the Lord?

Our church is having its annual prayer walk this week with teams of two strolling the streets around the church, praying for people in nearby homes, for shop owners, and for schools and institutions.  It is organized by a keen prayer walker who has done this for years in her neighborhood and elsewhere.

In a brochure she prepared, she says that the value of prayer walking is that we can see what we are praying for - such as a troubled home or a school that we are concerned about.  As we see, we are prompted to pray about specific things that come to mind.

Most of all, of course, we can pray that the Spirit of God will work in the minds and hearts of the people we see, drawing them to Jesus if they don't already know him.  Such prayers may come at just the right moment in the spiritual journeys of the people we meet.

If you're interested in making prayer walking a regular part of your life, Steve Hawthorne and Graham Kendrick have written a book called Prayer-walking: Praying on Site with Insight.

And here is a brief video which offers insights into prayer walking:




Monday 21 May 2012

Why praying for the nation is a big deal

Praying for my country has been low on my priority list.  It shouldn't be.

There are good biblical reasons for praying for our nation.  One verse that leaps immediately to mind is Paul's command in 1 Timothy 2:2: "Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity."

But there are other reasons, too.  Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 that we are fighting against dark powers in the unseen world, powers that certainly affect our nation.  He tells us we need to pray as well as put on the armour of God in standing against these powers.

There is a graphic example of prayer affecting the outcome of a crucial battle in 2 Kings 6.  There, Elisha reveals to his servant that an angelic army is ready to battle the invading Arameans.  He then prays that God will strike the invaders with blindness.  After they are blinded, he leads them into the city of Samaria where their eyes are opened and they realize they are virtual prisoners - although, the king is merciful and sends them back to their country.

That tells me that God is fighting battles against evil forces that are hidden from our sight.  Our duty is to pray.

So, how are we to pray for our leaders and our country?

The simple answer is we pray God's will.  His will is clear in scripture.  There is nothing there about praying for the Conservatives or the Liberals.  But there is plenty about obeying God, about being just, about looking after the needy, about spreading the gospel, about fighting against the forces of evil.  There is a lot about living holy lives, dedicated to the Lord.

Through prayer, we can see nations change.  We can see events turned to God's glory.

In his book Rees Howells Intercessor, Norman Grubb notes that this great Welsh revivalist and prayer warrior said in the years leading up to the Second World War that "the world became our parish" as he and a band of fellow pray-ers prayed against the evils of Naziism and Fascism.  They and others prayed intensely and battles miraculously turned against Germany when Britain seemed on the edge of disaster.

Some will say this was coincidence.  No doubt many Israelites said the same in Elisha's time.




Monday 14 May 2012

The most-wanted list

Terry Teykl, a "prayer evangelist", tells about meeting a woman with a "most-wanted" list.

Curious, he asked her about the list - titled "Most Wanted" - which had 10 names on it.  She said they were 10 people she was praying would become believers.  She prayed for them persistently, believing God would bring them to himself.

Teykl uses this story to urge listeners to follow her example.  God works with us in prayer to achieve his purposes - and one of the greatest of these is to bring unbelievers into his kingdom.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has a similar idea where pray-ers can keep a list of the people they wish to see become followers of Christ.

What is the value of a list?  If you keep the list close at hand, it is a reminder that you should bring your friends, family, neighbours, and colleagues before the Lord regularly.

I realize that my own list of neighbours and family is too small - just a handful.  I need to think big.

Will Davis, author of Pray Big, recommends:
  • Never stop praying;
  • Pray that Jesus will have compassion on your lost friends;
  • Pray that Jesus will meet the unbelievers where they are - in their homes, places of work, or wherever - because many will never go near a church;
  • Pray that Jesus will call them by name - speaking into their hearts to show his love for them as individuals; and
  • Pray that Jesus will remove what binds them - whatever is holding them back from putting their faith in him.
Obviously, we must be ready to speak about Jesus when the opportunity comes.

Of course, persistence is key. A prayer list is no good unless we hang in there, convinced that God will act when the time is right.



Monday 7 May 2012

Prayer and the powerful word of God

Some years ago, I read a story that opened my eyes to the power of praying the scriptures.

D.L. Moody, the Billy Graham of the late 1800s, noticed an elderly man who prayed with real power.  Moody, who was a young pastor at the time, wanted to know this man's secret.  So he asked him and the man took him up to a loft in his barn where there were two Bibles, one of them open.

There he prayed and Moody realized his secret - he prayed back the words of scripture to God.  He was sure God would hear and answer because they were God's promises to his children.  That transformed Moody's praying - from then on, he prayed from the Bible.  Here is a link to that story: http://www.praywithchrist.org/prayer/plead.php.

Others have followed the same path - such great pray-ers as George Muller and Andrew Murray.

Why is this approach so effective?  One reason is that it builds faith because if God says it, it must be according to his will.  We can be sure he will hear and answer prayers like that.  We know that faith is vital in seeing God work in our lives.

In his book The Hour that Changes the World, Dick Eastman suggests three steps to praying God's word:
  • Read a portion of scripture until you reach a verse or passage that catches your attention;
  • Meditate on what that verse is telling you; and
  • Pray it back to God whether it is a prayer of confession, or praise, or request.
A personal example:  A few days ago, I read Romans 15:7 where Paul tells us to accept each other just as Christ accepted us.  I realized that I did not accept others the way Christ has accepted me.  Today, I started praying that Jesus would help me accept others the way he accepts them.

Here is a YouTube video which spells out very well the value of praying the scriptures: