Wasting time with God?

One of the biggest obstacles to prayer in our day is the feeling that prayer is a waste of time.

I am busy in our church's prayer ministry, but I often find myself doing other things when I could be praying.

Michael Evans felt like that about prayer until he ran into a brick wall - burnout.  Active in ministry, he found himself stretched too thin.  His wife recognized the symptoms of burnout and suggested he take some time off, rest and decide what he was going to do.

He wandered down to a raging river running through a nearby canyon and simply sat, enjoying nature.  He did this for six weeks - not speaking or reading.  Gradually, he began opening up to God.

"During this time, God planted the seed that began to germinate and grow into a desire to spend significant time alone with him," Evans writes in his book Why Not Waste Time With God?

He adds: "The idea of simply being with him - doing absolutely 'nothing' but being with him - was a tough one to overcome.  Now I cannot imagine not doing it.  Some would say I am wasting time, but I have come to see it as crucial for survival."

For many of us, the purpose of prayer is to tell God what we need.  The idea of simply sitting in silence in his presence is foreign to us.

But Evans says there are great benefits from resting in God's presence such as:

• Peace beginning to settle over your whole being;
• Understanding how special you are to God;
• Approval of man becoming less of an issue;
• The desire for being in the spotlight fading; and
• Starting to hunger for more of God.

It also means that God has an easier time speaking to you, dropping thoughts into your mind.  You are not preoccupied with the other things going on in your life.

Jesus said in John 5:19 that he could only do what the Father was doing - he depended on his close relationship with the Father to carry out his task on earth.  In John 15:5, he said that without him, we can do nothing.

If that is true, how can we carry out what God wants us to do without a close relationship with Jesus?

When you think of it, the psalmist David loved wasting time with God.  In Psalm 27:4, he wrote:

"One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple."

David was so successful in seeking God that he was called "a man after God's own heart".

That is as good a recommendation as any for spending time in silence with God.

Heal our land

How big is our prayer vision?  Can we pray for God to transform nations?

If so, is it something that ordinary people can do?  Or, do we have to be super pray-ers?

I believe ordinary people can pray for big things.  But there are conditions for results.

The biggest condition is the state of our hearts.

God put it very clearly to Solomon in a vision one night after the dramatic dedication of the temple where God's glory filled the new building.  God says that if his people wander away from him, he will punish them.  But he offers hope in this wonderful statement in 2 Chronicles 7:14:

"Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

There is much that appalls Christians - and others, too - in the world around us.  We often feel helpless in the face of rampant sins and widespread violence.

But God pointed Solomon to the answer.  We need to seek God with all our hearts and seek forgiveness for our own sins.  Once we do that, we can look for God to bring healing to our society.

Revivals throughout history have shown this to be true.

The book of Nehemiah is an example.  Nehemiah, a Jew who was a high official in the Persian king's court, is deeply upset by news of the destruction in his native city Jerusalem.  He reacts by coming before God in repentant prayer.

His prayer in Nehemiah 1 is a model for us today.  He confesses to God that the Jews have sinned against him - and he includes himself.  I think that is vital - we must begin by pointing our fingers at ourselves.

He asks for forgiveness and then requests that God give him success in seeking the King's permission to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the city.  The King grants him that request and Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem as governor and repairs the walls and restores the city.

As well, I have just been reading in Alex Rowlands' book The Presence: Experiencing More of God about the 1949 revival on the Scottish island of Lewis.  It began with a vision by two elderly women of a church packed with young people even though youth had long since abandoned the church.

They suggested to the church leadership that they should join them in their barn and pray about this for two nights every week.  They did this for six weeks until one of the elders read aloud Psalm 24 which says: "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart."

The elder fell to his knees on the barn floor and cried out: "God, are my hands clean?  Is my heart pure?  It is not the young people of this island that need reviving.  It's me!"

Shortly afterwards, a great four-year-long revival broke out with young people and old flooding the church to be touched in extraordinary ways by God.  Not only did it bring many into the kingdom of God, but it changed the whole of life on the island.

If we want to see our land healed, we need to pray for ourselves first.  Do we hunger and thirst for more of God?  Do we love our fellow believers or do we think and speak badly of them?  Do we cling to our sins and turn a blind eye to the needs of others?  Do we have God's heart for those who do not know Jesus?

Like Nehemiah, I confess my hands are unclean.  I need more of God.

No strings attached

I have been asking myself: Do I love God - no strings attached?

Or, do I love God only when he gives me things?

Those are key questions for people who pray - indeed, for any follower of Jesus.  It helps determine how we pray and why we pray.

What prompted these thoughts was something author Peter Lord wrote in his book Hearing God:

"If God gave you nothing but himself, would you be satisfied? The answer reveals whether you are loving God for himself or what you hope he will do."

Our pastor touched on this in a sermon today, saying he was frustrated with God after praying for something that was vital for his son and there was no answer.  And the next day, he prayed again and found what his son was desperately searching for.

The point he was making was that his mood - and even attitude - changed depending on whether God gave him what he sought or not.  I have felt the same way many times.

But our pastor underlined that God had not changed.  He is always the loving God we see in the scriptures.

How do we know what God is really like?

Our pastor pointed to key verses in the gospel of John including:

• "I and the Father are one." (John 10:30); and
• "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9)

In other words, the Father is like Jesus.  Jesus was the essence of love and truth.  He always wanted the best for those he spoke with and helped - sometimes sharing tough truths even with his closest friends.  All of this flowed from a heart of love.

We can be transformed when we realize that God is not a condemning judge but someone loves us and leads us and guides us through life.

Hannah Whitall Smith, one of my favourite authors, calls this the "unselfishness of God".  In one of her last books, she wrote that it took her a lifetime to realize that God is "really and fundamentally unselfish, caring not at all for himself, but only and always for us and for our welfare".

She came to this conclusion after seeing that Jesus was the exact image of the Father.  And Jesus said himself that he came into the world to serve.

So what do I take away from this?

It makes me look at the world around me in a different way.  I can see Jesus even in the hard things of life.

I am just starting a regular prayer journal devoted only to short items of praising God and brief notes of thanks for the everyday things that God has brought into my life - even for the little black dog running joyfully around the golf course.  God is at work everywhere.

I will still pray for things.  But my attitude will change.

I want to love God without strings attached.

The Name

The apostle Peter gave a startling answer to Jewish authorities who asked how a lame man was healed at the gate of the Temple in the early days of the Christian church.

Speaking to the men who arrested him and the apostle John, he said the lame man was healed "by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead." (Acts 4:10)

The name of Jesus?  Yes, the name of Jesus is powerful.

Joyce Meyer explains in her book The Power of Simple Prayer what praying in the name of Jesus really means.  It means that we are approaching God "on the merits of Jesus".

The precondition is that I must approach God with "a heart that believes in him, trusts His power, and is submitted to his Lordship".

She says a friend, who was a committed believer, was driving home and his son fell out of the car while he was making a sharp turn. (This was in the days before seat belts.)  Horrified, he saw a car speeding towards the little boy and he shouted in panic: "Jesus!"

He stopped his car and ran to his son who was fine.  The other driver was close to hysterics, so he assured him he could thank God because the boy was unscathed.  The man replied: "You don't understand.  I never touched my brakes."

When we are submitted to God, "there is unbelievable power in the name of Jesus", writes Meyer.

She quotes Andrew Murray, a great writer on prayer, as saying: "When I go in the name of another, I deny myself, I take not only his name, but himself and what he is, instead of myself and what I am."

Murray also wrote: "The use of the name [of Jesus] always supposes the surrender of our interests to Him whom we represent."

Whenever we are locked in battle with the devil, Meyer says, we need to use the name of Jesus.

She points out the Bible makes clear that the name of Jesus:

• has power to save (Acts 4:12);
• assures us of the presence of God when meeting with others (Matthew 18:20); and
• sets us free from spiritual darkness (Mark 16:17). 

All praise to Jesus!

Prayer flies through walls

Prayer flies through walls.  It can go where you can't.

Wesley Duewel, author of Touch The World Through Prayer, puts it this way:

"Prayer can give you instant entrance into any home, any hospital, any government office, any courtroom in any part of the world."

This is a wonderful truth - and an encouragement to pray.  God acts as we pray and God is always able to do the impossible.

Duewel gives an example in his book of what he is talking about.

He says Bud Robinson, a pastor, hung on the edge of death after a serious injury.  At that time, pastors from his denomination were meeting in San Francisco and stopped their conference to pray for Robinson.

He had been suffering terrible pain and, at the exact time of the prayer gathering in San Francisco, his pain left him.

Shortly afterwards, he lapsed into unconsciousness and had a vision of Jesus.  While he was talking to Jesus, he saw two ministers standing on either side of the Lord.  He recognized the two men - they were two of his best friends and they were praying for him at that moment.

Distance did not prevent prayer from playing a huge role in Robinson's recovery.

Duewel notes that the apostle Paul talks of being with believers in distant cities in spirit (1 Corinthians 5:3).  Praying fervently for them, he is present in spirit with them.  Through Christ, prayer plays a role in the lives of others although we may be apart.

"Through prayer you can place your restraining hand on the arm of a criminal or terrorist anywhere in the world.  Through prayer you can place your guiding hand on the steering wheel of a car."

But Duewel says that we must pray constantly for others in order to get to the point where Paul could say he was virtually present in spirit with the Corinthians and Colossians.

"Your heart must be beating with the heart of Jesus as he intercedes."

It's hard to pray that intensely for a multitude of people.  But Duewel says we can pray in that way for one person or a few others.

We can begin by asking Jesus to help us pray for others with his love.

God's co-workers

Prayer warriors are God's co-workers in carrying out God's will on earth.

In fact, God has designed things so that our prayers are essential to implementing God's plans.

In many scriptures, God says that when we pray, God acts.  We should not be surprised that when we don't pray, our plans are fruitless.

In a terrible indictment of the people of Israel, God says in Ezekiel 22:30: "I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land.  I searched for someone to stand in the gap of the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one."

There was no one to pray for mercy on Israel and God had to carry out his judgement.

Paul E. Billheimer, author Destined for the Throne, writes:

"Through the plan of prayer, God actually is inviting redeemed man into full partnership with him, not in making the divine decisions, but in implementing those decisions in the affairs of humankind."

Billheimer notes that the Bible speaks of the church as the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27 and Revelation 19:7-9).  In effect, the church is the companion of Jesus.

Indeed, the church is to exercise sovereignty as Christ's companion (2 Timothy 2:12 and Revelation 2:26).  As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, believers will some day judge the world and the angels.

So, Billheimer says that prayer warriors are in training for the day when they will join Christ in exercising sovereignty in heaven.

Of course, we believers are called upon to seek what God wants so that we can pray according to his will.  The ultimate plan is God's.  Our job is to help carry it out.

It is a responsibility that is both exciting and demanding.

Pray for the nation!

Tragedies like the terrorist killings in Paris drive us to pray for our country.

But do we pray when things seem normal?

I realize I am more committed to praying for Canada when there is a crisis.  I tend to neglect praying for the nation when things are quiet.

Why is that?

Perhaps it's because I forget the enemy moves by stealth until he sparks a sudden eruption.  Over time, he gradually extends his control over people and countries through this clever and effective strategy.

Maybe the most important time to pray is when things are calm.

Through the prophet Ezekiel, God speaks these sad and convicting words to Israel: "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none."

God looked for one person to pray for sinful Israel so he could spare his people.  But no one did.

His conclusion should ring in our hearts: "So I will pour out my wrath upon them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord." (Ezekiel 22:31)

God used Ezekiel to issue this warning to his people Israel.  But it could also be to any country in the world.

If we do not seek God's help, we should not be surprised what happens when the evil one has full freedom to do what he wants.

How can we pray for our country?  Several ways pop into my mind:

• We can worship God, praising him for winning the victory over Satan on the cross;
• We can call upon him to bring spiritual revival to our country;
• We can pray for godly men and women to rise up to confront spiritual and social evils in our land;
• We can pray that God would inspire all believers to reach out to others with love, good works, and the good news of Jesus Christ; and
• We can pray that God would give wisdom, strength, and courage to our government leaders in fighting attacks on our country and our social peace.

God wants us to pray for our nations.  Let's do it.

Praise: The invisible weapon

Praising God is an invisible - but effective - weapon.

It is so invisible that I often forget it.  As do many other Christians.

Charles Spurgeon, a great British Baptist preacher in the 1800s, was inspired by the story of Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, and the vastly outnumbered army of Judah and their amazing victory over the combined armies of three nations described in 2 Chronicles 20.

Spurgeon called the victorious army of Judah "the singing army" because they routed their enemies by singing praises to God.

In The Power in Praising God, a collection of his sermons, Spurgeon describes the confrontation between Judah and the invading armies before listing several key lessons we can learn from it.

When men reported the gathering attack, King Jehoshaphat called together his people and declared a fast as they sought God's direction in how to respond.

Spurgeon notes the people prayed with confidence in what God had done in the past.  When we face problems, we can approach God in faith, too, remembering what he has done before.

Then, the people recalled what God had promised them over the years - referring to scripture.  That is available to us, too.

Next, they admitted their weakness in the face of an overpowering enemy force.  We are strongest when we admit our weakness and our need for God.

Finally, they said "Our eyes are upon you", declaring their complete trust in God.

God responded through the Spirit causing a  prophet to assure the people of Judah that they need not fear because "the battle is not yours, but God's".  The people reacted by worshiping God. They started praising God in song.

"This is the way you should deal with God," Spurgeon writes.  "Before deliverance comes, praise him.  Praise him for what is coming; adore him for what he is going to do."

Jehoshaphat ordered men to go out before the army singing and praising God "for the splendour of his holiness".  They sang: "Give thanks to the Lord for his love endures forever."

It's hard to imagine a crazier battle plan - men singing praises to God rather than attacking with weapons.

But God responded by setting ambushes for the enemy forces, causing the three attacking armies to fight among themselves.  The army of Judah did not have to fight.

"Now, child of God, it will be the same for you," says Spurgeon.  "I do not know how, but if you can only trust God and praise him and go straight ahead, you will see such wondrous things that you will be utterly astonished."

Indeed, I have read elsewhere of people's lives being changed by praising God - even people being healed as they offered praises to the Lord.

Praising God destroys the schemes of Satan as he cannot stand adoration of God.

Praise is effective in changing us - and sometimes even our circumstances.

It's all because of God

A prayer movement is building around the world and exciting things are happening.

And it's all because of God.

One of the really heartening stories is the unlikely birth and growth of the 24-7 prayer rooms which sprang from a vision a carefree young British student - Pete Greig - had in Portugal one night.

In his book Red Moon Rising, Greig says he and a friend were hitchhiking along the coast of Portugal's Algarve after graduating from university and decided to camp on Cape St. Vincent one night.

Unable to sleep, Greig got out of his sleeping bag, looked out over the ocean at the star-filled skies, and had an extraordinary vision.  He imagined the nations in Europe, began praying for them by name, and as he prayed something like an electric current passed through him.

He began to see these nations as in an atlas and "I watched as young people arose out of the page, crowds of them in every nation, a mysterious, faceless army silently awaiting orders".

This vision changed Grieg and the direction of his life.  He did not really understand what it meant.  But he began a quest to find out.

His search began among young druggies, skinheads, and homeless youth in Chichester near London in the late 1990s.  He became involved in an unusual church that grew out of this motley crew.  These young people became turned-on to Jesus in the midst of their messy lives.

But Greig felt dissatisfaction within himself and spent some time asking God what he wanted of him.  He felt led to pray and he travelled with his wife and son in an old car through Europe.

One night they stopped at Hernhutt in Germany, the home of Count von Zinzendorff, father of the amazing round-the-clock Moravian prayer meeting that lasted a century and led to a major missionary movement and indirectly led to the conversion of John Wesley.  Maybe, Greig thought, prayer was what God was asking him to do.

Back home, he and his friends started small - 24-hour-a-day prayer for a month.  Then, it continued - people wandering in from the streets and praying in their prayer room in Chichester at all hours of the day and night.

From there, it spread.  The movement had a vision of prayer, mission and justice.  And right away, Greig and his friends found that God was moving in people throughout Europe in the same way.

News of the Chichester group travelled fast and now tens of thousands of people are praying in prayer rooms around the world - in Europe, North America, Mexico, South America, Asia, Africa.

The wonderful thing is that people who would never go near a church are coming to the Lord through these prayer rooms.  They wander in - sometimes simply out of curiosity - and the presence of God overwhelms them.

Pete Greig even thought at one time of closing down the 24-7 prayer efforts, thinking it had gone as far as it could.  But he found out quickly that God was in charge - not him.  The Spirit had lit a fire that wouldn't go out.  Stories and people flooded him from around the world, telling him what God was doing through these 24-7 prayer rooms.

Someone asked Greig what his group's five-year goals were.  He replied that he didn't know - God was in control.

"The most amazing thing of all has been the hunger," he writes.  "So many people from such different backgrounds just desperate to pray.  We've never tried to persuade anyone to open a prayer room.  People just do!"

You can't force people to pray, he says.

"But when thousands of people all over the world spontaneously develop such a longing for God's presence that they will rise in the night and sacrifice food, such a hunger comes from God alone."

May that hunger spread to me and to many more around the world.

A sacrifice of praise

It sounds strange - "a sacrifice of praise" - but it says so much about prayer and God.

The phrase comes from Hebrews 13:15 where the writer says:

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name."

The ancient Hebrews used to bring animal and other gifts to the temple which the priests offered to God to honour him and to atone for the sins of the people.

Why would the writer of Hebrews talk about praise being a worthy sacrifice to God?

He is certainly not talking about praise atoning for our sins - the only sacrifice that cleanses us from sin is Jesus' death on the cross.

But praise is our gift to God.  It honours him and gives him glory.

When we are in heaven, we will be so enchanted by God - so in love with him - that we will pour forth our praises to him continually.

The writer of Hebrews is saying we should start right now.  We should praise him constantly in our everyday lives.

Of course, a sacrifice costs us something.

For the Jews in Old Testament days, the cost was monetary.  They had to bring the best of their animals and crops to the temple as a gift.

For us, praise costs us time and turns our focus away from ourselves to God.

By nature, I want to think about myself and my own needs and my own pleasures.  I want to use up all my time for myself.

But I am lost without God.  As the apostle Paul said, everything is garbage compared to knowing Jesus.

There is a yearning in me for God.  As I praise him, I enter his throne room and have communion with him.

There are many stories of the power of praising God - power to change us and power to heal.  People have testified of being healed while worshiping God.

Why is that?  I think that, as we praise him, God has freedom to work within us.  We have lowered our barriers to God.

So, praise is our gift - our sacrifice - to God.

But his gift to us is far greater - himself.

The path to peace

Prayer is the path to inner peace.

Who hasn't been troubled, anxious or depressed at some point in life?  I certainly worry and sometimes feel down.

The apostle Paul has a recipe for us on how to regain inner peace.  He describes it in these wonderful words in Philippians 4:4-7:

"Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

In my view, this passage speaks of a close, ongoing conversation with God - prayer.  I see several steps to inner peace in these words:

• Begin by focusing your thoughts on God, rejoicing in him and what he has done and is doing for you ("rejoice in the Lord always");
• Then, lean on the Lord and the fact he is with you at this very moment ("The Lord is near");
• While trusting in God, let your worries drain away because he is here and nothing in the world matters but God ("do not be anxious about anything");
• Constantly bring everything to God in prayer - even the seemingly small things ("but in everything, by prayer and petition"); and
• Thank God for everything and for what he is going to do in response to your prayers ("with thanksgiving").

The result is God's peace which guards our minds and hearts as we lean on Jesus.

Paul is saying that a supernatural peace will fill us as we give our concerns to God in prayer. Rejoicing in God and giving thanks revives our spirits and gives us a different outlook on our circumstances.

The apostle Peter gave similar advice in 1 Peter 5:7: "Cast all your anxiety on him (Jesus), because he cares for you."

There is no need for me to spend hours agonizing over problems or wandering around in a dark cloud.

I must simply give my problems to Jesus and say: "I don't know what to do.  Show me what to do or do what you know is best.  I trust you and love you."

I must stop trying to do everything myself, stop trying to control events I cannot control.

I must trust that Jesus will work out things for good in the long run (Romans 8:28).

Just Jesus

A friend is so depressed he can't concentrate on anything except the illness which has plagued him for seven years.

We talk about his illness and the hope that God offers through the scriptures.  But my friend says he can't get away from thinking about the fact he has not been healed.

What comfort and hope can I offer?

In the end, I think there is only Jesus.  Just Jesus.

I remember reading how Richard Wurmbrand, author of Tortured for Christ, felt closer to Jesus than ever before while suffering from torture in his Communist prison cell.  He was aware of the very presence of Jesus.

There is the vivid picture in Acts 7 of the Christian leader Stephen being stoned to death and crying out: "Look!  I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

Jesus knows our suffering and his heart goes out to us.

So, I am encouraging my friend to constantly call to mind Jesus.  Like the writer of Hebrews 12,  I am urging him to fix his eyes on Jesus.

When I feel I can't pray, I simply picture Jesus with me as he promised in the scriptures.  I don't speak to him, I simply rest in his presence.  And I find peace.

One of my favourite Bible passages is Psalm 27:4:

"One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple."

Gazing upon Jesus is a tonic for my spirit.

Over many decades, I have been drawn to "practicing the presence of God", the title of a wonderful little book by Brother Lawrence, a 17th century French monk.  Brother Lawrence carried on a constant conversation with Jesus, offering everything he did to God as a love-offering.  He did this even as he washed dishes in the monastery kitchen.

Similarly, Rick Warren, a leading Baptist pastor and author, says he invites Jesus into everything he does - even the most everyday things.  Joyce Meyer prays to the Lord as she goes about her tasks.

All these things are very good.  They draw us closer to the heart of God.

But sometimes even uttering words is too much.

Then, like the psalmist David in Psalm 27, I simply "gaze upon the beauty of the Lord".

Just Jesus.  He is enough.

God's army

Prayer warriors are God's army in the battle to advance the kingdom of God.

The current movie, War Room, is a reminder that prayer is vital in the battle against the evil one.  The "war room" is the name attached to her prayer closet by Miss Clara, an elderly prayer warrior, who encourages Elizabeth Jordan to fight for her marriage through prayer.

As I picture it, prayer warriors play a role in every aspect of God's plan to advance his kingdom and to defeat satan.  God is our commander and we are the soldiers, the recruiters, the medics.

Of course, there are good Biblical grounds for seeing the mission to spread the gospel as a war against satan and his kingdom.

The apostle Paul tells us as much in that great passage Ephesians 6:10-18.  There, the apostle says:

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

In other words, the real battle is against unseen forces - forces we do not see with our physical eyes.

The apostle John also wrote in 1 John 3:8: "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work."

Of course, as believers, we know that Christ won the victory over satan when he died for us on the cross and rose again, defeating death.  But believers are part of the mopping up action that will climax with Christ's return.

In the Ephesians passage, Paul describes the spiritual armour and weapons with which we are to defend ourselves against satan's attacks.  And he finishes with prayer, calling on us to pray on all occasions.

Here is how I see God's army operating in prayer:

• We seek our marching orders from our commander - God - through reading the word, meditating on it, and listening to the Holy Spirit in prayer;
• We equip ourselves with the spiritual armour described by Paul, including prayer;
• We support our "buddies" on the battlefield with the love of God, praying with them when they face trials;
• We invade satan's territory, praying for loved ones, neighbours and friends that they, too, may enter God's kingdom and escape the devil's grasp;
• We care for the wounded through healing prayer, just as medics do on the battlefield; and
• We seek recruits (through prayer) for God's army among those believers who are on the sidelines.  As Jesus said, we need more labourers for the rich harvest around us.

I have been captivated by this image.  For me, God's prayer warriors are esssential to God's work in our world.

Seeing the invisible

The prophet Elisha was so in tune with God’s heart that he could see what was invisible.

That is clear from the great story in 2 Kings 6 where Elisha asked God to reveal to the prophet’s fearful servant the armies of angels ready to defend Israel from invaders from neighbouring lands.  God did as he was asked and the servant’s eyes were opened to the armies of angels ready to act at the Lord’s command.

In his book Forever, Paul David Tripp calls on us to see with “eyes of our heart” - a heart committed to God - rather than relying on our earthly eyes.  If we do, he says the way we look at the world and at eternity will change radically.

Tripp quotes the apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:18:

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

“If you are ever going to be what God created you to be and do what God designed you to do, you must be constantly alert to the world of spiritual realities,” Tripp writes.

We must be “see” God’s presence, the resources of his grace, the truths he has revealed in scripture, and the reality of everlasting life.

Tripp acknowledges that we may feel this is impractical in our busy lives.

So he suggests that we “begin each day by praying that God would give you the eyes to see the spiritual realities that are beneath the physical things that keep you so busy”.

Then, we are to commit ourselves to open our spiritual eyes to what is going on in our lives.  We must believe that God is at work all the time in our lives - and so is the evil one.

For example, we can see that there is a spiritual battle behind parent-child struggles.  As we see this, we are better able to “parent with endurance and grace”.

Or, if we are disappointed with our friends, we need to see that always we have a relationship with a Saviour who “will never be disloyal or turn his back on us”.

“If our eyes are not focused on the physical, and by grace we are able to see what is spiritual, then we can live for things that are eternal.”

In effect, we realize that our lives at work and at home are not for our immediate pleasure and satisfaction but for something greater - for God and our eternal relationship with him.

To get to this point, we must get to know God through prayer and his word.  We must learn to “see” through his eyes. 

Praying Paul's prayers

The apostle Paul’s prayers are great models for praying prayers that please God.

And, if we pray according to God’s will, we can be sure that God will work with power in our lives.

Joyce Meyer discusses her approach to praying Paul’s prayers in her book The Power of Simple Prayer.

Meyer says she is convinced that scripture combined with the power of the Holy Spirit are vital to effective prayer.  As we read and meditate on scripture, God can use the Bible to direct and animate our prayers.

She uses the words of Paul’s prayers for himself and for believers to illustrate what she means.

For example, Paul says in Ephesians 1:17 that he prays his readers will receive “the spirit of wisdom and revelation” from God.

“I believe that asking God for revelation - spiritual insight and understanding - is one of the most important prayers we can pray. . . We need him to reveal and uncover the truths of the Word revealed to us so that we will understand how to pray for ourselves and for others.”

In Ephesians 1:18, Paul says that he prays that the “eyes of your heart” would be “flooded with light so that you can know and understand the hope to which he has called you”.

Meyer turns to these words often as she prays: “God, show me the great hope that I have in you, so that I don’t become discouraged in my life.”

In Ephesians 3:16, Paul says: “I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”

Meyer comments: “We need to be saying ‘God, grant me strength and power in my inner man, and let the Holy Spirit indwell me and flow through my personality.’  That kind of prayer will transform us.”

She urges us to look at Paul’s prayers in Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians and write them out and study them and let them sink into our spirits.

She suggests that we take the apostle’s prayers and “praying them in a way that makes them personal or applies them to someone else”.

She even gives examples in her book about applying God’s word to specific situations in life.

Very good - and life-transforming - advice.

A boost for our spirits

I got a spiritual boost this morning, reading how people praying together can make a big difference.

Wesley Duewel devoted an entire chapter in his great book Mighty Prevailing Prayer to the power of praying miners in Wales and others in other parts of the world who prayed in groups.

At the request of a Welsh missionary in India, a group of Welsh miners, who had just been swept up by the great Welsh revival of 1904, began praying for revival in India. They met every day just before dawn near the mine pit opening to pray for India.

After some weeks of prayer, they received the message: "Revival has come to India."

Duewel described revival breaking out in an Indian school run by a Christian woman.  The girls went out into the streets to share the good news of Christ and many became believers.

There was a chain reaction as hundreds became believers in other parts of India, too.

Of course, Jesus promised in Matthew 18: 19-20:

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

But sometimes we need a true story to encourage us to pray.

Needless to say, we can find such stories in the Bible.  Moses prayed with Aaron and others and God moved in response to their prayers.

And the early Christians prayed together in the Book of Acts and many put their faith in Jesus and God moved miraculously among them.

I realize that God is calling me to trust his promises even if there is no immediate evidence of answers to prayer.

My part is to trust and the Holy Spirit's part is to act in power.

The power of two or three

The Bible speaks about the power of two or three - or more - in prayer.

In fact, Jesus' model prayer - known generally as the Lord's Prayer - assumes more than one is praying the words.  Many of his references - and the apostle Paul's as well - use the plural to indicate that group prayer was common at the time.

So, why do so many Christians avoid praying together?  And what can we do about it?

There are probably many reasons why North Americans reject - and even fear - praying together.  Some believe that prayer simply doesn't work; others don't want to appear foolish when praying aloud; and still others are simply bored by what passes as group prayer today.

Yet, Jesus gave special prominence to praying in groups.  He said that where two or three agree on something on earth, he will act in response.

The book of Acts shows what praying together can do.  The apostles spent days in prayer before Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on them and thousands joined the church.  Members of the young church continued to pray in groups and more people became believers and miracles happened.

Andrew Wheeler, author of Together in Prayer,  suggests there are several keys to good prayer meetings - ideas to encourage everyone to participate.

He says Jesus made clear the humility and simplicity are vital to prayer that pleases God.  He spoke against praying boastfully and at length the way the religious elite prayed.  Instead, short and honest prayers, acknowledging our need, is the way to go.

The Pharisees, Jesus suggested, were seeking "honour from men, not blessing from God".

"One of the great temptations in community prayer is praying for others to hear, and not for God to hear."

In other words, a short, simple prayer, focused on God's kingdom and his will, is the best route to take.

Another key to effective group prayer, says Wheeler, is to have clear and orderly groundrules.

He notes that Paul urged the Corinthians to follow an orderly procedure in church - not all talking at the same time and giving others a chance to speak.

Prayer gatherings suffer when a couple of people dominate and others don't have a chance to pray.

"Not all will participate in exactly the same way, but the time is not to be dominated by one person or a few people."

Finally, Wheeler says: "As prayer is an expression of a relationship with God, so community prayer is an expression of a community's relationship with God and with each other."

Love should be the hallmark of group prayer.  Rather than trying to get personal prestige and praise from praying, we should think of others and love them.

Wheeler says Paul "exhorted the believers to act out of love for one another and to honour each other above themselves".

Groups that pray that way can expect to please God and see him respond to their prayers.

And we can look forward to seeing God act among North American Christians the way he did in Jesus' time.

Pray - there's no other way!

Strange, isn't it?  We try to do everything ourselves and when we're at a dead end, we pray.

And yet, God calls on us to pray because he is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20).  In several instances, Jesus almost pleaded with people to pray because God is just waiting to give us good things.

I'm as guilty as anyone of this wrong way of thinking.  I plan, I work, I worry - and then I pray.

I was reading again this week the wonderful promise in Jeremiah 33:3:

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

This truth comes at a good moment for me.  I have been puzzling about some prayer plans I am working on for our church and I am feeling unsatisfied.  There is no "life" in my planning.

I have done what I usually do - I read and talk with people and discuss.  But I have not gone to God.

How ironic!  A prayer leader putting prayer last!

That's not how George Muller did things.  I talk about him a lot on this blog because he is a model of someone who prays before he acts.

Muller spent a lot of time in prayer in his very busy life managing homes for orphans in England in the 19th century.  He was a poor man himself and never issued a plea for money.  Sometimes, he would get up in the morning and not know whether he could feed the orphans at lunch - and, miraculously, a cheque would arrive in the mail to cover the expenses.

On key issues, Muller would spend time in prayer and reading the scriptures and listening to God before acting.  It was only when he was convinced God had provided the answer that he would move.

I realize I'm gripped with the modern disease of instant answers - I must know this minute what to do.  But waiting for God is vital.  As has often been said, his timing is perfect.

So, I'm determined this time to bring my prayer needs to God and ask him for his guidance in developing my plans.

I expect to be surprised - and delighted.

Invading Satan's turf

The apostle Paul tells us we are in a spiritual war with Satan and his forces.

In the Western world, this seems like an exaggeration.  But it isn't.

Every believer is automatically in a spiritual battle.  Whenever we pray for someone to believe in Jesus, we are threatening Satan's kingdom.

In many parts of the world, people are in a constant struggle with witch doctors and demons.  Satan and his schemes are very real to them.

And, we don't have to go far in our own comfortable societies to see the effects of Satan's work. Many people are caught up in a downward spiral of drugs, sexual abuse, and violence.

Of course, the good news is that believers are on the winning side.

As Pete Greig points out in a great video series on prayer, Jesus won the victory when he died on the cross for our sins and rose again, conquering death and sin.  But Satan and his works have not yet been completely destroyed.

As someone once said, it's like "D Day" in the Second World War when the allies landed in Normandy.  The victory over Nazi Germany was virtually assured after D Day, but there were months of war ahead before the Nazis surrendered.

The world will finally be freed of Satan and his works when Jesus returns.

In the meantime, Pete Greig notes in his video series "The Prayer Course" that we believers can engage in defending ourselves against Satan's attacks and even fight Satan by shedding Jesus' light on the world around us.  We defend ourselves by following Paul's guidance in Ephesians 6:10-18 and we advance the kingdom of God by sharing the good news of Jesus and praying.

He says we can pray the promises of God when confronted by evil; we can practice living a godly life in the world around us; and we can talk about the love of Jesus Christ with others.

Greig advocates taking a positive approach by focusing on Jesus rather than spending too much time concentrating on Satan.  It's generally better to "plant seeds than to pull up weeds".  Since Christ is victorious, we should find our strength and hope in him and use the authority he has given us to deal with Satan's efforts.

Greig suggests, for example, that we can pray good into people - and bless them - rather than "praying bad things out of them".  We can use the word of God to combat evil.

Others have noted the power of praising God in fighting the evil one.  There have been amazing stories of healing as a result of praising God - freeing those who are afflicted.  Satan cannot stand words of praise for Jesus.

He acknowledges that there are confrontations that require direct action against Satan.

You can find Greig's video series at the web site of 24-7 Prayer International, the organization he founded some years ago which now has more than 11,000 prayer centres around the world.  The link is http://www.prayercourse.org/

Prayer: A guided missile

Ronald Dunn says prayer is like a guided missile - it can travel around the world and hit a target thousands of miles away.

Prayer is powerful and it can do things we can't do any other way.

Dunn, author of Don't Just Stand There: Pray Something, says prayer gets a bad rap.  He tells the story of a pastor who heard him speak at a conference and came up to him afterwards worried that people would stop working if they started praying more.

"Prayer is not a substitute for work, or merely preparation for work," writes Dunn.  "It is work."

A fine Christian I know once told me that he was busy doing evangelism and didn't have time for prayer.  Another strong believer said to me he did not feel that prayer is effective.

As Dunn says, this is strange considering the strong emphasis on prayer in Jesus' own ministry and throughout the Bible.

As I see it, prayer is how we join our all-powerful God in implementing his plan for the world - and our own circumstances.

In fact, Dunn says, our prayers can have an impact on our descendants long after we have died.  In John 17:20, Jesus says he prays for those who will believe through the word of his followers.

Indeed, a good example of prayer being answered after a long time is the Israelite slaves pleading with God for generations for freedom.  God answered in his time - and his time is always right.

I like Dunn's comment that Satan has no defence against prayer.  An unbeliever can reject our words and refuse to believe what we say.

"But he cannot prevent the Lord Jesus from knocking at the door of his heart in response to our intercession."

Dunn gives a delightful example of an answer to prayer under great stress.  A woman was just placing a pie in the oven when the school nurse called to say her son had a high fever and could she come and take him home?

She wound up rushing him to the clinic where the doctor gave her a prescription.  She drove her son home and headed to the pharmacy to fill the prescription.  When she left the pharmacy, she realized she'd locked her keys in the car.

She called her son and he told her to find a coat hanger.  After finding one in the mall, she started towards the car and realized she didn't know what to do.  And she suddenly remembered the pie in the oven.

Crying with frustration, she prayed that God would send her someone who knew what to do with the coat hanger.  A young man with a scraggly beard came along who knew exactly what to do.

She hugged him and said: "The Lord sent you! You're such a good boy.  You must be a Christian."

The young man said he wasn't a Christian and had just got out of prison the day before.

She hugged him again and said: "Bless God!  He sent me a professional!"

He loves it when we come to him in prayer.  And often he responds in ways we cannot predict.

Like the woman in Dunn's story, we need to launch our prayer missiles and look for God to guide them home.

Holy Spirit, teach me to pray!

You may feel you have only touched the surface of prayer.

If so, that's good.  Join the crowd.

The Holy Spirit is in us to help us pray.  He will only help if we turn to him in dependence.

Andrew Murray, a great man of prayer, wrote in one of his many books on prayer The Master's Indwelling: "Now if we are to have the praying of the Holy Ghost in us one thing is needed - we must begin by feeling, 'I cannot pray.'"

Murray points to the apostle Paul's words in Romans 8:26:

"And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for.  But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words."

Paul goes on to say the Father hears what the Spirit is saying because the Spirit is praying in harmony with God's will.

If the Spirit prays for us, does that mean we don't have to pray ourselves?

In my view, the answer is "No.  God wants a relationship with you and me and he wants us to pray in tune with his will.  He wants the best for us and his way is the best for us."

Clearly, we can do things that God does not want us to do, even though the Spirit is praying according to his will.  In fact, it could well be that the Spirit is praying for ways to bring us back to God's path.

So, as other writers on prayer have said, we need to admit our ignorance - our inability to understand what God wants in our lives.

We need to turn to the Spirit and ask him to teach us to pray.

Yet, we cannot expect the Spirit to teach us if we are unwilling to be taught.  We must begin by saying as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Not my will but yours be done."

Being willing to do what God wants is a major step.  It is a question I wrestle with often.

Once we have taken that step, we can look forward to the Spirit teaching us how to pray.

The Spirit is a great teacher - he just needs willing hearts.

Prayer is relationship

The Garden of Eden is a picture of how important prayer is in our relationship with God.

God created Adam and Eve and loved being with them.  He talked with them face to face. (Genesis 1-3)

But Adam and Eve listened to the serpent - Satan - who convinced them to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil - an act forbidden by God.  Satan told them they would be like God, knowing good and evil - and they couldn't resist the temptation.

They became aware of their nakedness and tried to hide from God when he walked in the Garden. They broke their relationship with God through their disobedience.

Adam and Eve had a choice: They could have said "No" or, at the very least, they could have gone to God and spoken to him about the serpent's words.  They didn't.

I see similarities in our own relationship with God.

God has given us the gift of prayer so that we can talk with him, seek his face, learn from him, ask him for things, and receive guidance from him.  We can have the kind of relationship that Adam and Eve had in the Garden before their disobedience.

But, I confess that when I sin I often stop praying and seeking God's face - much like Adam and Eve.  And there is much in my life that I never pray about - things that God is interested in.

That is a serious mistake.  As Psalm 139 tells us: "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me . . . you are familiar with all my ways."

He knows me inside out - the good and the bad - but he wants me to be open with him.  He is interested in everything I do.

But this requires a change of mind and heart in me.  I must recognize that he is far greater than me and that he pursues me with a love that will not be denied.

We call God "Father" for a good reason.  We are like children in his sight - even if we are old.  He knows our weaknesses and our strengths.  He can see our futures.  He has a plan for us - and we are too short-sighted to know what it is.

So, why do we insist on going our own way without seeking his counsel and guidance?

God loves to talk with us - today just as much as in the Garden of Eden.  Prayer is our chance to enjoy conversing with him - anytime, anyplace, about anything.

What an honour!  What joy!

Guideposts for praying God's will

Bryan Chapell says seeking God's will in prayer can be a bit like driving through a blinding snowstorm in the country with fenceposts your only clue where the road is located.

He uses the analogy in his book Praying Backwards to describe how he determines what God wants him to do in important - and sometimes puzzling - situations.

The fenceposts he uses are "righteousness" and "prudence".

In effect, he asks two questions:

• What is the righteous thing to do in these circumstances?
• What is the prudent - or wise - thing to do?

Chapell acknowledges that God sometimes intervenes very directly through signs and wonders to make his will clear.

For example, I can think of a few cases from the Book of Acts.  Jesus spoke out loud from heaven to Saul - later called the apostle Paul - as he was walking to Damascus to persecute Christians.  And the apostle Paul was diverted from preaching the gospel in what is modern-day Turkey when he saw a vision of a man from Macedonia in Greece beckoning him to come there.

But, in most situations, things are not so clear.  You may be faced with a choice between two jobs which seem equally attractive.  Or, you may wonder whether God wants you to  marry someone you are in love with.

In using "righteousness" as a guide, it's easy to see that you should not pray for bad things to happen to someone you are in conflict with.  That is against the word of God - the scriptures.

The word of God is a key guide for our prayers.

"God's word is more authoritative than personal feelings or priorities," says Chapell.

So, we need to be familiar with what the Bible says in our circumstances.  There are broad principles which can help point us to the "righteous" choice.  Ultimately, we must submit ourselves to carrying out God's will through obeying him.

"As we obey him and pray for his purposes, [God] perfects his will in and through us.  We see his will through the events that unfold, but their significance may not be apparent for years or until we see the Lord."

Chapell says that if we face several choices that are equally "righteous", we can be confident that God will work things out for our good.

As for the fencepost of "prudence", Chapell says that here again the Bible plays an important role. Knowing the principles of the Bible helped him decide on the pastorate after considering two other equally good professions.  For him, it was the right choice.

"Christian prudence involves seeking wisdom from God's word, counsel from godly advisors, and insight from the Holy Spirit to make decisions according to the priorities of the Bible."

He offers several questions to ask when we're considering the wise and godly approach to decisions:

• Is the action we're considering loving?
• Is it legitimate?  For example, is it a wise use of our gifts?
• Is it responsible?

Great Christians such as George Muller, whose heart and life went out to orphans in England, have used approaches like this in seeking God's mind for the major decisions they made.  Muller read the Bible with these decisions in mind, sought the leading of the Spirit, and prayed.

Wise counsel, indeed.

Watch out! Jesus is with us!

United prayer among believers is potent - a weapon that Satan should fear.

Somehow, there is something special and powerful about group prayer as Jesus pointed out long ago.

He said in Matthew 18:  "If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.  For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them."

Speaking personally, I have yet to fully understand how powerful praying together can be.

But there are many instances in the Bible and in history of how praying together can bring dramatic results.

The early believers used to meet together regularly to pray and thousands of new converts flocked into the young church.

And when persecution broke out, they prayed in Acts 4 for boldness to preach the good news of Jesus Christ despite the threat to their lives.  The gospel spread even faster.

Revivals throughout history have broken out when people prayed for the Holy Spirit to come down and change them and their world.

The Welsh revival of the early 20th century led to many thousands entering the kingdom of God and the entire society was transformed with jails emptying and bars closing.

Typically, revivals lead to many people with closed minds and hearts suddenly melting in the presence of God.

Why does this happen?

For two reasons that I can think of:

• One is that the people who are praying want to do what the Holy Spirit is asking them to do.  More than anything else, they want God's will to be done in their lives and in the lives of those around them.  They want God's kingdom in heaven to come to earth.

• The other reason is that God wants his people to unite around what he desires for them.  A divided body will have trouble seeing answers to prayer.

A friend of mine said this week that he experiences God's presence most easily when he prays with other like-minded believers.

I agree.  I can remember coming home from work tired and reluctantly heading out to the weekly prayer gathering.  And when I left the group that evening, I was revived, knowing that God had been with us.

I know without doubt that Christ is with us when we pray with one heart.

To see what God can do, I must first get my mind and heart in tune with what he wants.

Rest

One of the hardest lessons to learn in prayer is - rest.

On the surface, it is easy -  you just stop trying to do things and you remain peaceful before God.

But when I slow down to do nothing but stay in God's presence, I find all kinds of thoughts clamouring for attention.

But great men and women of prayer have practiced resting until it becomes second nature - as natural as breathing.

I say it is a hard lesson to learn because I want immediate results from prayer.  If I have a need, I want God to deal with it.  I want action.

The problem with my thinking is that I want God to adapt to my agenda.  I have decided what is important and I want him to deal with it.

Yet, Jesus made this great statement which is familiar to most Christians:

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you.  Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

In these verses, he is telling me that he will give me rest if I come to him.  The suggestion here is that I must come to him to learn - not to order him around.

The words "take my yoke upon you" suggest that I must let him lead me.  He is the who will lead.  He will teach me.

He makes the promise that I will find this the easy path - the burdens of life will feel light in comparison to my worried demands.

One of my favourite authors, Jeanne Guyon, suggests in a book she wrote in 17th century France that one way to find this rest is to:

• Begin by slowly - and meditatively - reading scripture until you sense you are in God's presence;
• Give yourself up to God and what he wants with you;
• Rest quietly in his presence and enjoy him; and
• When you find your mind wandering, return to reading scripture and meditating until you are simply basking in his presence.

God will touch our hearts where we have sinned, but we are not to beat ourselves over what we have done.  We are to accept his correction and return to him.

Guyon quotes the great fourth century Christian leader, Augustine, as saying: "Love God and then do what you please."

His desires will become our desires.  And we will find answers to our prayers because we are praying his will.

For me the lesson is: "Less worry, less hurry, more resting in Jesus."

Surrender to God and win!

We Christians know this truth: "Surrender to God and win!"

But, speaking personally, I tend to avoid it.  I'm afraid God will ask everything of me.  In effect, I doubt in my heart he will fully satisfy me with himself if I give everything to him.

However, I'm learning there is no getting around this truth.  God does know what's best for me.  And when I don't obey, I live a half-hearted - even discouraged - life.

There are ample examples of people who live fulfilled, active and effective lives by surrendering everything to God.  The apostle Paul is an excellent example.

Heart-felt surrender in prayer is a prime way to obey and find the spiritual rest that comes from God.

Joyce Meyer discusses this well in a chapter on consecration and commitment in her fine book The Power of Simple Prayer.

"Prayers of consecration involve giving ourselves to God and prayers of commitment involve giving our situations to him," she says.

"When we pray the prayer of consecration, we choose to give ourselves, our entire beings, and everything about us to God," writes Meyer.  "This means an intentional decision to give him our bodies, our minds, our abilities, our weaknesses, and our attitudes and motives."

Meyer begins her morning with these words from Psalm 25:1: "Unto you, O Lord, do I bring my life."

In effect, she says, that prayer means that she brings everything to God in her life - herself, her family, her possessions, her money, her abilities, and her weaknesses.

"When we consecrate something, we set it apart for God's use.  Therefore, when we consecrate our lives, we turn our backs on fleshly desires, worldly values, carnal thinking, undisciplined living, bad habits, and on everything else that does not agree with God's word."

If we mean it, we can be sure God will start to work on us and deal with our weaknesses.

She tells of her own struggles with false accusations by friends which led her to leave a treasured position at a church.   She came to see that she had come to depend on her friends and position for security and value.  She also lived with anxiety and worries for a long time before surrendering them to God.

The prayer of commitment is closely related to the prayer of consecration.  It involves giving over a situation you are wrestling with to God.

"It means committing things to him, releasing the pressures and the problems of life and letting him work everything out . . . God can do more in one moment than we can do through a lifetime of struggles."

When I say "surrender and win", does this mean everything will turn out exactly the way I want?  Clearly not.  Even Jesus pleaded with the Father to spare him from being nailed to the cross.

But Jesus knew that the plan of God was ultimately the right one - a plan that would change history.

In the end, I am called to trust that God knows best.  And when I trust him, he will win - and I will please him which is my eternal reward.

The Olympic runner who prayed with power

Eric Liddell, a great Scottish runner who won an epic race at the 1924 Olympics, left an even greater legacy for Christ in China.

Many people know about Liddell today because of the 1981 film Chariots of Fire which tells how he sacrificed his chance to win the 100 metre race at the Olympics because it would mean running on Sunday, contravening his beliefs.   He did run the 400 metre race and won against the favoured Americans, coming from behind with a final burst.

But Liddell's story is much more than that.

In his book Praying Backwards, Bryan Chapell talks about Liddell's  prayer life and its impact on his work as a missionary in China.  He prayed persistently for Chinese to come to faith in Christ - and wound up in a Japanese prison camp where he died in 1945.

On the surface, his hopes would seem to have been dashed.  Instead of multitudes coming to faith, he died in an internment camp.

But Liddell's selfless service to others in the camp had a profound impact on others and Christian efforts in China.

A camp survivor said that without his cheerful and faithful support, many would have given up and died.  One of them said he was about to take his life when Liddell gave him courage and he later wound up training "hundreds of ministers and missionaries who have taken Christ's hope throughout Asia".

Other young men later rose to leadership of great mission societies in Asia, reaching many throughout the continent.

Chapell says: "Eric Liddell repeatedly prayed that God would use him to bring many in Asia to a saving knowledge of Jesus.  God did."

Chapell's point is that persistent prayer pays off.  If we are praying as God wishes us to pray, we can be certain that God will bring forth fruit from our prayers - eventually.

It is the word "eventually" which bothers us - including me.  I want results I can see now.  But God is calling me to trust that he will use my prayers for good - in his own time and for his own purposes.

Chapell reminds me that the Israelites prayed for hundreds of years to God, pleading with him to free them from Egyptian slavery.  God answered that prayer spectacularly through Moses long after many of those pray-ers had died.

Jesus calls us to be persistent in prayer and to leave the results in his hands.

Despite my impatience, I find that encouraging.  I can count on God to do what he says he will do.

Trouble is good for you?

Trouble can be good for you - if it drives you to God through prayer.

E.M. Bounds, a prolific author of books on prayer in the 1800s, says that God allows trouble in our lives to shape us into the likeness of Christ.  We need trouble.

Without trouble, we might easily believe we can manage everything on our own.  Trouble makes us realize we need help.

In his book The Essentials of Prayer, Bounds writes:

"Trial is testing.  It is that which proves us, tests us, and makes us stronger and better when we submit to the trial and work together with God in it."

Bounds says prayer "sees God's hand in trouble, and prays about it".

He suggests we should bow before God in the troubles we face and ask him what he will have us do.

"Prayer in the time of trouble brings comfort, help, hope, and blessings, which, while not removing the trouble, enable the saint [believer] the better to bear it and to submit to the will of God."

Bounds acknowledges that some troubles are of our own making.  But, whatever the problems we face, we can find hope, direction, and comfort in prayer.

Sometimes, we will find - like Jacob's son Joseph in the Old Testament - that the troubles God allows have a completely unexpected result.  In Joseph's case, he was sold into slavery and wound up becoming the Egyptian Pharaoh's right-hand man so that he could save his family, the future nation of Israel.

Bounds says: "God can and will lay his hand upon all such events in answer to prayer, and cause them to work for us 'a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory'."

He adds: "Prayer places us where God can bring to us the greatest good, spiritual and eternal.  Prayer allows God to freely work with us and in us in the day of trouble."

Of course, much depends on our attitude to trouble.  Do we accuse God of abandoning us?  Or, do we seek him to find out how he is using trials to make us more like him?

The apostle Paul bore suffering with the confidence that it would never compare to the glory he would see when he met Jesus in heaven.

That's something for me to remember when I'm struggling with anxiety.

A deeper love

How can I love God?

Most Christians know that obeying God is one way of showing love to him.  But is there more?  Is there a way of nurturing a true heart-to-heart love of the Lord?

Emily Lawyer, author of a short e-book Enough Already, says she stumbled across a way to love God through meditation and prayer while going through a couple of personal crises a few years ago.

The result, she says, is that her life has been transformed.  She has changed and the people she has shared this method with have been changed, too.

A pastor by training, Lawyer says she has seen people who struggled with reading the Bible become excited as they started looking for Jesus in the scriptures and then reflecting on what they found.

What Lawyer found was that God's grace and love are boundless.  And looking at his character - and appreciating it - helped her enjoy his love and bring about change in her life.

Most Christians, she says, feel that God wants them to meet certain standards of behaviour. 

She noted an instructor asked an adult Sunday School class what they thought Jesus would say to them if he visited their class that day. Most said they thought he would tell them to do better.

"Not one person . . . said anything about Jesus affirming His fierce love for them."

Christians have largely missed the truth that "change is the byproduct, not the goal," she says.  "Relationship is the goal."

In other words, our love relationship with Jesus is what we should be seeking.  Out of our love for him, we will become more like him.

Lawyer changed the way she read scripture.  Instead of asking what it told her to do, she started asking: "What does this make me appreciate about God?"

"The more you know someone, and find good character within, the more
you’re inclined to trust him," she writes. "The same applies to our relationship with God."

"It is virtually impossible to get to know the true God without falling more in love with Him," Lawyer adds. "And the more you believe that He loves you, the more you’ll trust and obey."

So, she launched several small groups using a three-step method:

1. Pray for God to show you what he wants you to see;
2. Choose a passage of scripture; and
3. Silently read looking through the lens of “What does this make me
   appreciate about God?” and then journal that truth.

Participants chose a scripture verse that caught their attention and then wrote a line or two in their prayer journals expressing their appreciation of God.

An example she gave was Jesus, filled with compassion, telling a widow whose son had just died: "Don't cry!"  And then he raised the boy from the dead (Luke 7:11-15).

Her response was appreciation for his compassion, for sharing the widow's hurts, and for making people the highest importance in his mission.

I am now incorporating Lawyer's approach in my own scripture reading and prayer.

You can find Lawyer's e-book on the Exponential web-site at exponential.org.  Here is the link to the book: https://www.exponential.org/resource-ebooks/enough-already/

A book that had a deep impact on Lawyer was Alex Aronis' Developing Intimacy with God, a book I have just bought.  I will likely explore this theme further in later posts.

Pray boldly and broadly

Our youth pastor urged us in a sermon last week to pray boldly with faith.

His point was that, too often, we pray as if God can only deal with easy-to-solve problems.  I know he's right.

But Jesus told us in Matthew 19:26 that all things are possible with God - ALL things.

If we pray boldly, we have to be prepared to be discouraged, but not to give up.

I must say I was discouraged a couple of years ago when I prayed for a large number of people to come to a healing prayer service and only a few came.  I felt I was praying for something that God would want - he wants to heal his hurting people.

But the Bible and experience teach us that we need to keep on praying boldly because God acts on his schedule, not ours.  His timing is always the best timing.

A Biblical example is the heartfelt cries of Israelite slaves in Egypt at the time of Moses.  The enslaved people appealed to God for many years before they were delivered in a spectacular way by God under Moses' leadership.

The Israelite prayers were bold - deliverance from an all-powerful oppressor - and they were persistent.  If we are praying for what God wants, we can be sure he will answer positively - at the right time.

A modern example of praying persistently and boldly is the outbreak of revival on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland in 1949.  Five people prayed for revival in Lewis for many years before the Holy Spirit descended upon the people powerfully, creating amazing scenes of people giving their lives to Christ.

Along with praying boldly, we may also pray broadly.  By that I mean we can pray for people and issues that seem impossibly big or far away.

Rees Howells, a prayer warrior who was at the heart of the Welsh revival in the early 1900s, led a group of young students and teachers at a British Bible college in intense and persistent prayer against the Nazi forces in the Second World War.

One of the results of the prayers of Howells, his students and many others was the miracle of Dunkirk when British forces were evacuated successfully from France when they were hemmed in and all seemed lost.

Bryan Chapell, author of Praying Backwards, writes:

"We have the right to speak with the voice of the Son in compelling the armies of the Lord to defeat his enemies, protect his servants, and change hearts in this generation and in the future.  When we do not exercise these rights, we indicate we are too willing to depend on human resources or are unable to see that the greatest battles of this world are spiritual.

"The power we need will be ours only through prayer."

To that I say: "Amen."

Living thankfully

A woman told me yesterday how heartening it was for her to sing "Bless the Lord, O My Soul" repeatedly in a small group the night before.

She felt uplifted and she continued to sing the song yesterday morning.

I found this striking because she is worried about her husband who is gradually declining with a chronic illness.

Her words reminded me that Christians are called to praise the Lord and offer thanks continually, no matter what the circumstances. Too often, I forget this truth and allow myself to plunge into irritation or even gloom.

When I do praise and thank the Lord, I find my outlook on life changes.  I am aware that God is in control of my circumstances and I can relax in him.

Joyce Meyer, author of The Power of Simple Prayer, says that praise, worship and thanksgiving are "the simplest prayers we can pray and they will release great power in our lives".

Meyer notes that there is a great deal of overlap between praise, worship and thanksgiving.  But the common thread is God - putting God at the centre of our attention.

"God responds to . . . respectful, heartfelt corporate worship," Meyer writes.  "He sends his glory - his manifest presence and power - to people who are truly praising and worshiping him.

"And when his glory comes, miracles happen, people are healed, lives are changed, and transformation takes place from the inside out."

I have read stories of healing taking place as people worship and praise God.

Meyer says every time she speaks, she spends time worshiping and praising God - "not because God needs it, but because I need it".  She expresses joy for what God has done for her and what he is going to do.

She adds that "I need to make sure that I have a clear connection with heaven".

She notes that praise is a form of spiritual warfare because it drives away Satan and fear.

Meyer urges us to make praise and thanksgiving a natural part of everyday living - even in the minute it takes to walk from a parking lot into a store.

She offers simple prayers, such as thanking God for what he is doing in her life; for taking care of her family; for ordinary blessings such as electricity; and for working things out for her good.

Praise, thanksgiving and worship draw us closer to God.  And they enable God to work powerfully in our lives.

Chosen to pray

Sometimes God taps you on the shoulder to pray about someone or something.

Wesley Duewel, author of  Mighty Prevailing Prayer, calls this a prayer burden.  It is the Holy Spirit stirring you to pray.

Often, it is not more than a thought.  But occasionally it is more intense.

Duewel says the Spirit "summons you to pray for the need, guides you in your praying, and fills you with holy desire so intense that it becomes not only a deep concern but a consuming spiritual passion to prevail with God and over Satan".

My own experiences of being prompted by the Spirit to pray have not been as dramatic as Duewel describes.

But I have read amazing stories of people who have woken up at night and felt an urgent need to pray. 

Sometimes, they feel a need to pray specifically for a loved one and discover later that a family member was in danger and was delivered at that hour. Other times, they don't know what the need is but they pray anyway and find out later why the Spirit touched them at that moment.


"You may never know clearly the reason for your SOS prayer burden until sometime later," Duewel writes.  "You may never know.  That is not important.

"It is important that you go instantly to prayer.  Of this you can be sure - God does not play games with you."

These prayer burdens are not always emergencies.  Sometimes they develop over time.  At first, you think of these promptings only once in a while.  But gradually you find yourself thinking about these matters all the time.

You may not realize at first that it is the Spirit leading you to pray about that person or situation.  But eventually you know you have been given a prayer assignment.

There are clear examples of prayer burdens in the scriptures.

Nehemiah, an Israelite in exile, hears about the desperate state of ruined Jerusalem from his brother.  He breaks down and weeps.  He fasts and prays for days.

God responds to his prayers and clears the way for Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls.

The prophet Daniel had a similar experience, fasting and praying for his exiled people who were living in Babylon.

The key point is that when the Spirit moves us to pray about something, we should pray.

"A Spirit-given burden is a special mandate from the Lord," Duewel says.

If God is prompting us to pray in a certain way, it means he wants to answer that prayer.

Solomon's prayer

When Solomon started out as a young king of Israel, he prayed a prayer that so pleased God that the Lord gave him much more than he asked for.

That prayer is still a model for us today.

As our pastor said last Sunday, it is a prayer that is humble, unselfish and aimed at benefiting others more than himself.

In 1 Kings 3, God appears to Solomon in a dream and makes an astounding request: "What do you want?  Ask, and I will give it to you!"

Why did God approach the young king in this way?  As the writer of 1 Kings said a few verses before, the Lord already knew that Solomon loved him - at least, at that time.  He knew Solomon's heart.

Solomon responds by saying that "I am like a little child that doesn't know his way around".  Right away he puts aside all kingly pride and admits his vulnerability and dependence on God.

Then, he adds: "Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?"




Solomon did not ask for more money, more pleasures, more foreign conquests, more personal glory.  He asked for wisdom to be a good ruler of his people.

God is so pleased with Solomon's response that he says he will make Solomon the wisest man who ever lived. 


"And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life!"

God followed through with his promise as he always does.  Solomon's wisdom became known throughout the known world - and his power and personal glory spread.

His prayer was unselfish.  He wanted to be a wise and understanding ruler, working for the good of his people.

What can we draw from this?

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said that we are to "seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need".

Often, my first thought is for myself and my needs - not for God and others.  God wants to deal with my needs and it is not wrong to ask him.  He wants to hear our requests.

But nothing pleases him so much as to seek what the Lord wants and the good of others.  As Solomon found out, he promises to fulfill our other needs at the same time.

Unfortunately, Solomon was human and allowed himself in later years to be diverted from worshiping God.  But God kept his promises to Solomon.  The king of Israel remained wise and his power and glory was sustained until his death many years later.

May we, who belong to Jesus, follow the example of that early prayer by the young king.

Pray simply and often

Joyce Meyer has a good rule for praying - pray simply and often.

She says in her book The Power of Simple Prayer that prayer should be like breathing, natural and continual.  Always, we should depend on the Holy Spirit as we pray.

The more we involve the Holy Spirit in our prayers, the better we get to know God and the more likely we will know what God wants us to ask.  And when we ask, we are more likely to see God's answers.

"We can pray things like, 'Thank you, Lord, for everything you're doing,' or, 'Praise God, I need you to help me,' or, 'Oh, Jesus, help that lady over there who looks so sad.'"

Too often, she says, we tend to put off needs to later when we tell ourselves that we will spend a long time in prayer.  But that is Satan's work - getting us to delay praying.

"God will strengthen us and enable us to handle life peacefully and wisely if we start praying about things instead of merely trying to get through the day," Meyer writes.

These prayers could involve a young mother taking a few moments to pray for strength as she cares for her small children, or a garage mechanic worshiping God and praying for help to be a good father as he works under a car.

"I believe God wants all of us to pray that way - to just offer up little acknowledgments of him, make brief requests, and offer short thanksgivings," Meyer says.

As for the Spirit, she urges us to wait quietly in God's presence for his promptings as to what to ask.

The author suggests that "if we will pray about our inner lives - about our thoughts and motives and about our relationship with God - he will take care of the externals."  She noticed a change in her prayer life when she began to pray as she thought Jesus would pray.

She says that we should trust God to take care of our needs while we spend the majority of our time on talking to him about the needs of others, the growth of God's kingdom, and our spiritual needs.

"I need to abound in love and show kindness to people at all times much more than I need a larger house."

She illustrates what she means by talking about a parent frustrated with teenaged children.  The parent might thank God for the gift of the children, but ask for wisdom in dealing with them.  The parent might ask for understanding and help in aiding them.

The parent might also ask for God's peace to reign in the home.

"Pray continually," says the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18. "In everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Advice that can change my life - and perhaps your life, as well.