Sunday 22 October 2017

United, targeted, passionate prayer

James Banks tells a story that illustrates the power of united, targeted and passionate prayer.

The great American evangelist D.L. Moody launched a series of meetings at Cambridge University in the fall of 1882 and was nearly laughed out of town by the Cambridge students.

“The crowd heckled Moody’s simple speech, mimicked his down-to-earth mannerisms, and poked fun at Ira Sankey, Moody’s song leader,” writes James Banks in his book The Lost Art of Praying Together. “One Cambridge student, Gerald Lander, sneered, ‘If uneducated men will come to teach the varsity, they deserve to be snubbed.’”

The first two nights were very discouraging and Moody later said he felt like had “come up against a brick wall”.

Before the third night, he called together a group of 150 mothers to pray.  Moody said later: “Mother after mother, amidst her tears, pleaded for the young men of the university.”

That night, 52 young men gave their lives to Christ.  One of them was Gerald Lander, the scoffer.  He later became a missionary to China.

The mothers had a definite target - the salvation of the young students - and they prayed passionately together.  And God moved.

It reminds me of one of my favourite Bible passages - Acts 12:6-25 - where the young church prayed for their leader, the apostle Peter, imprisoned just after another leader, James, had been executed.

Peter was lying asleep in a jail cell, chained to his guards, while others in the church were praying fervently for him.  The apostle was to be put on trial by King Herod.

Suddenly, an angel appeared in the cell in blazing light and struck Peter on the side to wake him up. Then, he broke the chains binding Peter, led him right out of the jail through open doors and past guard posts and into the city.

At that point, the apostle realized this was not a dream - he was free!

Peter went to the home where many of his friends were praying for him.  At first, they thought he was a ghost - it was too amazing to believe.

Banks tells another story of organized, continual prayer by the Metropolitan Church in London, England under the famous Baptist preacher, C.H. Spurgeon.

“Spurgeon’s church practiced prayer strategically, with united prayer permeating the life of the church at multiple levels,” Banks writes.

People prayed in different groups for specific needs - spiritual protection for the elders, spiritual growth for the Sunday School, for the associated Bible College.  And they had a regular prayer meeting of thanksgiving.  Each member was also asked to set aside a special day to pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

In addition, Spurgeon listed items for prayer and these were prayed for in different groups spread throughout London.

Finally, they met for a week of prayer at the outset of the new year.

Spiritual growth - not numerical growth - was Spurgeon’s measuring stick for his church - the largest in London.

“If we restrain prayer, we restrain the blessing,” he said. “Our true success as churches can only be had by asking it of the Lord.”

What was true in the days of Peter, D.L. Moody and C.H. Spurgeon remains true today.

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