Boldly approaching God

How do you approach God in prayer?  Boldly or tentatively?

In Hebrews 4, the writer tells us:

"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.  There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."

If you are like me, you may feel more tentative than bold much of the time.

Why is that?

One reason may be that we believe we are unworthy.  But does God demand perfection before he answers our prayers?  Clearly, no.  We all have to admit that we fall short of perfection.  If the Lord required us all to be super-saints, none of us would ever see answers to prayer.

The writer of Hebrews declares in chapter 4 that we need to hold firmly to what we believe because we have a great high priest in heaven - Jesus Christ - who pleads our case before the Father.  He knows we are weak and yet he speaks up for us.

He assures us that we will find grace and mercy in our time of need because he is a gracious God.

But, suppose our prayers don't match up with what God wants.  How can we pray confidently if God sometimes says: "No.  That is not what I want for you."

That is perhaps a more common reason we are hesitant in prayer.  We're not sure our prayers are according to his will.

As I think about this, I remember Jesus' words in Luke 11 about prayer.  He calls on us to be persistent and to keep on asking and God will give us what we need.

For me, the key is that God will give us what we need.  He knows what we need better than we do.

In fact, Jesus says, God will give us more than any earthly father could - the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Indeed, it is listening to the Holy Spirit that can increase our confidence in prayer.

The Spirit enlightens our minds as to what God wants for us as we read the scriptures.  And he arranges meetings and words from friends and drops thoughts into our minds to guide us.

The Book of Acts describes in chapter 10 how God gave Peter a vision that changed his attitude - and the attitude of the young church - towards accepting non-Jews as genuine followers of Jesus.  And in Acts 16, the Spirit stopped Paul from going into Asia in a vision.

The great British prayer warrior, George Muller, took major decisions in his orphanages after seeking God's leading through reading the scriptures and listening to the Spirit.  He acted once he was convinced of what God wanted.

I need these reminders when I feel twinges of doubt as I pray.

I can pray boldly because God loves me and wants to give me what I need.

Awe

Am I in awe of God?

The way we answer that question says a lot about how we pray.

A quick glance at the Merriam-Webster dictionary yields this definition of awe: "An emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred or sublime."

So, do we approach God with dread, veneration and wonder?

People in the Old Testament collapsed in terror before God and his angels.  They recognized he was holy and good while they were stained by sin.  They were aware of God's overwhelming power and majesty.

A good example is the prophet Isaiah who had a vision of God in the temple in Isaiah 6.  He cried out: "It's all over! I am doomed for I am a sinful man.  I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven's Armies."

God responded graciously, sending a seraph with a coal to touch his lips and tell him: "See, this coal has touched your lips.  Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven."

Today, we believers can enter the presence of God with confidence because Christ has died for our sins (Hebrews 4:16).

Does that mean we no longer need to come before God with awe?

No, it does not.  The mighty God of the Old Testament is still the mighty God of our day.

The apostle John presents a great picture of Christ speaking to him in a vision in Revelation 1:12-16.  The image of Jesus was glorious, a vision of overwhelming power with a thundering voice.

John reacted as Isaiah had: "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead."

But Jesus replied: "Don't be afraid!  I am the First and the Last.  I am the living one.  I died, but look - I am alive forever and ever!  And I hold the keys of death and the grave."

As with Isaiah, God was gracious toward his loved one.

Christians today worship the Lord just as Christians have for many centuries.  But do we see him the way John saw him in his vision?

I have been thinking and reading about the attributes of God recently.  Like many Christians, I tend to dwell on his qualities of love and healing.  But I usually pass over other aspects.

Now, I am beginning to meditate on the Lord's awesome character.  For instance, God:

• Has always existed;
• Created the universe and the ant - everything - out of nothing;
• Knew everything about me before I was created - even knew my thoughts, the things I think about today;
• Is everywhere in the world and the universe every moment of the day;
• Sets up kings and kingdoms - and tears them down;
• Judges and punishes evil; and
• Intervenes to bring healing and help when people run out of hope.

And perhaps God's most awesome quality: Loving us so much that the Lord became a man and died for us so we can be with him eternally.

I love the fact that Revelation describes Jesus as the sacrificial lamb and the "Lion of Judah".  He is both.

He is truly awesome.

Decisive praying

"The way we pray will decide the way the universe goes," says Derek Prince.

A bold claim.  But I believe there is support for what he says.

Prince, author of Secrets of a Prayer Warrior, uses the example of the prophet Daniel whose steadfast praying brought about a memorable response from the angel Gabriel in Daniel 10.

Daniel was terrified by the mighty angel's appearance near the Tigris River in Babylon after the prophet had prayed and fasted for three weeks about a vision he had received about a great war.

Gabriel told Daniel he had left heaven with the explanation of the vision as soon as the prophet prayed.  But he had been delayed by the "Prince of Persia", a demon angel, for three weeks and was only able to get through because the archangel Michael came to assist him.

Gabriel then gave Daniel a summary of future history - the rise and fall of empires.

Prince says this story shows that Satan "seeks to control the empires of earth through its rulers in order to make its leaders and governments instruments of his will".

He adds: "We must pray for our governments in order to frustrate Satan and to bring our governments under heaven's control."

Prince notes we humans find it hard to believe that our prayers have world-shaking significance.  We feel insignificant, but God has given us important roles as prayer warriors.  The Bible says we will see our prayers answered if we pray according to God's will (1 John 5:14-15).

The apostle Paul says that the weapons he fights with are spiritual and "have divine power to demolish strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:4).  The strongholds are spiritual strongholds under the control of Satan.

In Ephesians 6, Paul outlines the spiritual weapons available to all Christians in defending against attacks from Satan - and the offensive weapon of the word of God.  He concludes by urging believers to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18).

An example of a powerful intercessor springs to my mind - Rees Howells.

Howells was a Welshman who played a large role as a young man in the Welsh revival of the early 1900s.  That revival changed the face of society in Wales - God's influence spread everywhere.

But Howells felt that God was directing him to intercede for people and the world around him rather than become the face of the revival.  He was an effective evangelist but intercessory prayer was his calling.

He and his wife became missionaries to Africa where he continued his ministry of intercession.  Then, a revival broke out in southern Africa in 1915-1920.

Later, he founded the Bible College of Wales with prayer as a major priority.  Throughout World War II, the Bible College students prayed intensely against Satan and satanic forces as Britain was under attack.  They believed their prayers were answered as Britain emerged intact.

There are other examples in the Bible and history of God working miracles as people intercede for their cities and their nations and for the people around them.

Jesus used the word of God - the scriptures - as a potent weapon in fending off Satan's attempts to tempt him in the confrontation in the wilderness just after Christ's baptism in the River Jordan (Matthew 4).

Jesus spoke the scriptures.  Jesus had memorized scriptures and declared them with his mouth.

Prince says we should remember that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit as he rejected Satan's temptations.  Are we yielded to the Spirit's guidance as we face satanic attacks?

Other weapons are the name of the Lord and the blood that Christ shed on the cross on our behalf.  Praising God and testifying about Jesus' victory on the cross are ways of combatting Satan.

For many years, I ignored Satan and his work in our society.  But, like many Christians, I have become increasingly aware that the evil one is active in our country and in the larger world.

I am aware of the pitfalls of becoming obsessed with Satan.  He has been defeated by Christ on the cross.

I particularly like Guy Chevreau's approach in his book Spiritual Warfare Sideways: Keeping the Focus on Jesus.  Chevreau says that worshiping God is especially powerful in fighting evil.  Keeping the focus on God and praising him led to significant victories in the Bible.

The important thing for me is that I must be vigilant - "alert" as the apostle Paul says.

And I must be ready to put on the full armour of God as the apostle outlines in Ephesians 6.

I cannot disregard Satan's efforts to sideline the kingdom of God in our city and country.

Watchmen

Years ago, my wife  and I visited Nazareth and the guide pointed out a tower at a high point, declaring that was where the village's watchman stood in ancient times.

Watchmen were vital to the safety and security of towns in those days.  They were able to warn villagers of potential danger so they could be armed and ready for an attack.

The watchman role should be important, too, among us who are prayer warriors.

The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 6:18: "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion.  Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

And Peter says in 1 Peter 5:8: "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.  He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour."

Praying to protect our families, friends and fellow believers against Satan's schemes should be one aspect of the intercessor's role, says Dutch Sheets, author of Intercessory Prayer.  And some intercessors are especially equipped to be watchmen.

Sheets notes that biblical watchmen were tasked with keeping an eye out for animals and thieves who might make off with the village's crops along with giving an early warning of invaders.  They watched the surrounding countryside constantly from a high tower or high walls.

So, what should we watch for?

Sheets says that one thing we should watch for is false messengers.  Biblical watchmen could tell whether the messenger belonged to them from the way he ran towards them.  If he was not familiar, they might be wary about his message.

"Seasoned watchmen are often alerted by the Holy Spirit, before they even have any concrete evidence, that certain 'messengers' are not to be trusted."

He acknowledges we can make human mistakes, but, through experience, he has learned to trust the misgivings of certain "watchmen" because they are usually right.

Certainly, false prophesies and doctrines have sprung up in the church over the centuries.  False messengers can be very divisive.

Sheets says there is a difference between being preoccupied with Satan and being aware of him and his efforts to subvert believers.  "Be infatuated with and in awe of Jesus - be aware of the enemy."

A shepherd guarding his sheep at night is another feature of being a watchman.  The shepherd is watching for marauders and, at the same time, prepared to defend his flock from attack (Psalm 23:4).

There is a strong need for people to pray for God's protection against satanic attack.  Pastors, in particular, are a major target for the Devil because they play such an important part in leading churches.

Sheets says that there is still another way to look at watchmen in the Bible.  The word for watching in the Old Testament also suggests "laying siege" as in laying siege to a city.  This is used as an army seeks to keep supplies from flowing into a besieged city.

The author writes: "God is giving us the ability - by his Spirit - to discern the enemy's plans, strengths, weaknesses and points of entry - to cut him off and take nations, cities and individuals through prayer."

This may take weeks, months or even years of intercession and that can be discouraging for many of us.  But it is an important aspect of intercession.

He tells the story of Theresa Mulligan and her friend who prayer-walked a neighbourhood for a long time and stopped before every house, asking God to save the occupants.  Soon, stories drifted in about people giving their lives to Christ - a colonel's wife, a teenager, a college student and others.  Even after moving away from the neighbourhood, she continued hearing stories of people coming to the Lord.

This can be broadened to cities and nations - disputing the ground that Satan is claiming.

This kind of prayer has not been a strong point in my life.

But I have been sensing more and more that it is important to "watch and pray".

I need to be alert.

Your will, not mine

Do you ask God to carry out his will in your life when you pray?  If so, do you really mean it?

For various reasons, I sometimes forget - or avoid - asking for God's will to be done.

Why?  Because I  have my own ideas as to how God should answer my request.  Or, because I'm afraid God won't answer my request the way I want.

That is wrong thinking.

For example, it assumes that what I want is more important than what God wants.  When I think that way, I am out of tune with Jesus.

When Jesus outlined for his disciples the model prayer, he said in Matthew 6:9-13 that we should pray to the Father:  "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

We are here to help advance the kingdom of God.  And, in order for the kingdom to advance, God's will must be carried out.

For some people, the idea of submitting to God's will in a situation is akin to giving up.

Catherine Marshall says in her book Adventures in Prayer that she had been in bed for months with a serious lung infection in 1943 when bitterly and reluctantly she told God that he could do what he wished.  In the hours that followed she felt Christ's presence in her room as never before and she recovered.

She calls this "the prayer of relinquishment".  Her prayer had been ungracious, but God loved her and wanted her to surrender to him.  When she did, he met her need.

Of course, we can't expect that the results of our prayers will always turn out the way we wish.

In a sense, a good case in point is Jesus' prayers to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before he died.

Sweating drops of blood in agony of spirit, Jesus prayed: "Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me.  Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." (Luke 22:39-44)

Jesus knew he was about to die on the cross for all the sins of humanity from the beginning to the end of time.  And he knew he was about to be cut off for a moment from the beloved Father as he suffered the consequences of mankind's sin.

Knowing this, he still obeyed the Father's will.

And, of course, he won the greatest victory in history - the defeat of Satan on the cross.

We are promised that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose". (Romans 8:28)

We know that our ultimate destination is an eternity with Jesus where we will be rewarded for our commitment to the Lord.  In the meantime, we may suffer but our suffering will not be worthless.  God will use it for his purposes - and his purposes are good.

For instance, I remember reading about a young Russian woman who was beaten to death by the Soviet secret police for worshiping God.  One of her tormentors was so impressed by her steadfast faith to the end that he began thinking about God - and ultimately became a believer.

That is something few of us will face.

But we can be sure God will work our our difficult situation according to his plan - and his plan is always good.

And the result is good for us, too.

Battles and blessings

Long-time Christians know that life is a mixture of "battles and blessings".

So, how do we pray as we travel this up-and-down road?

The apostle Paul says we pray much the same way in good weather and bad.  We take everything to him in prayer - good and bad - and we give thanks to the Lord because we know he is good and he gives good things to his children.

And the apostle's life is just as a good a guide to how we should pray.  As he travels life's bumpy road, Paul always looks beyond himself to what God wants - he is outward-looking.

A couple of things reminded me of these truths this week - a passage in a devotional on "battles and blessings" by Nicky Gumbel, Anglican pastor of Holy Trinity Church Brompton, London, England, and a men's group discussion on Colossians 4:2-4.

"When we are in the battle, it is hard to believe that it will ever come to an end," writes Gumbel.  "When we are in a period of blessing, we sometimes expect it will go on forever.  But life is not like that.  There are battles and blessings."

So, we have to "learn to steer through battles and blessings".

How do we do that?

The first answer that occurs to me is Paul's well-known statement in Philippians 4:6-7:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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."

I must admit I often let go of this truth and turn inwards, focusing on my troubles rather than on God.  But when I spend time in giving thanks for the many good things in my life - the Lord, in particular - my perspective changes and my view of life improves.

Of course, there is the danger that we will forget to pray at all if things are going so well that we feel no need to pray.

So, that brings me to the second way to navigate through the "battles and blessings" of life - turn our attention to what God wants in our lives.

Every Christian is given a commission by God to "be" Christ in our own little world.  God has a mission for each one of us.

That came out in our men's Bible study of the Colossians 4 passage this week where Paul urges his readers:

"Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.  Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ.  That is why I am here in chains.  Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should."

We marvelled that Paul would be more concerned about taking advantage of opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ than he would be about his own desperate situation - a prisoner in jail. 

Paul put God first in his life.  This wholehearted commitment to what God wanted in his life helped him overcome all the suffering he endured.

I believe God wants to hear about our personal problems and needs.  Paul says we should take everything - good and bad - to the Lord in prayer.

But I also believe I am called to pray with certainty that, ultimately, everything in my life is in God's hands.

He is preparing me - through battles and blessings - to be more like Jesus and ready for an eternity with a loving God.

Jesus and the fig tree

I've long been fascinated with the story of Jesus and the fig tree.

It tells me that followers of Christ can also issue commands of faith if their commands align with God's will and they trust the Lord to act.

You may recall the story of the fig tree in Mark 11 and Matthew 21. 

Initially, the story seems trifling - maybe even strange.  Jesus and his disciples pass a fig tree and Jesus walks up to pick figs to eat.  But there are no figs on the tree so he says: "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." (Mark 11:12-14)

The next morning, they pass the fig tree and Peter says to Jesus: "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"

Then, Jesus follows up with a profound lesson from this seemingly trivial incident.

"Have faith in God," Jesus answered.  "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes what they say will happen, it will be done for them.

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

I admit that my heart reaction to this story is: "Jesus, you can't really mean this!  That's impossible!"

But Jesus did say in John 14:12: "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father."

Jesus issued commands of faith on other occasions.  In Mark 4, Jesus and the disciples were in a boat when the winds whipped up the sea while Christ slept.  The disciples were terrified but Jesus woke up and simply told the blustery wind, "Silence! Be still!", and the wind stopped and the waters became calm.

Christ also rebuked demons and ordered them to leave afflicted people.

In the Old Testament, Joshua told the sun to stand still to enable the Israelites to win a battle - and the sun stood still. (Joshua 10:12)

Indeed, believers today have had remarkably similar experiences.

Derek Prince, author of Secrets of a Prayer Warrior, tells of a teenaged Zambian girl bicycling to one of his meetings in Africa, suddenly being confronted by a huge cobra, emerging from a 20-to-30-foot high anthill. 

She stopped before the snake, trembling.  Then, says Prince, the "Spirit of God came upon her, and she said, 'In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, go back into your hole.'"

The cobra stopped and turned its head towards its hole but remained motionless.  The girl repeated her command and it turned around and went back into the hole.

"When she got to our meeting place, she was still trembling," Prince writes. "In that command, God's strength was made perfect in weakness."

The passage about the fig tree indicates that these commands succeed when we have faith and we are right with God.  We do not depend on our own power, but on the power of God.

As well, we know our requests will be heard and answered if we ask according to what God wants.  (1 John 5:14-15)

There is much for me to ponder in this great story of the fig tree.  May the Lord increase my faith.

Pausing before praying

Do you consult God before you pray?

I admit that much of the time, I just plunge in and pray without asking the Lord to direct my prayers.

But seeking God's leading in prayer is important.

Why?  Because God's will always prevails.  And we find out God's will by asking him.

I am not saying that asking God what we want is wrong.  God listens to our prayers and responds to our heart cries.

But there is a chance we will miss what God wishes if we don't listen to him first.

What prompted this post was something a friend told me about a prayer experience he had at a conference on church renewal recently.

The conference leader asked those attending to break into groups of two and pray for each other's needs.

My friend and a young man presented their prayer requests to each other.  Then, my friend immediately prayed for the young man's requests - just as I would have done.

But the young man spent several minutes in silence before he prayed.  He was asking God for leading.

Did the young man pray what God wants?  I don't know, but I believe he had a good chance of so doing.

Inviting the Holy Spirit into our prayers is widespread these days - especially, in healing prayer groups.  But it is easy to forget the importance of the Spirit's guidance.

The apostle Paul urges us in Ephesians 6:18 to "pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion".

There are debates about whether this means speaking in tongues or not.  But what it surely means is that we should should seek the aid of the Holy Spirit in our prayers.

The great Norwegian Christian, O. Hallesby, writes in his book Prayer that we should "pray for the Spirit of prayer".

He notes that we often feel that our prayers are inadequate or that we are praying wrongly.  If so, we should ask God for the Spirit of prayer.

"He will not only show you the meaning and purpose of prayer; he will also lift you up in all your helplessness to the very heart of God where you will be warmed by his love, so that you can again begin to pray according to his will, asking for nothing except those things which are in harmony with his plans and purposes."

King David sought God's leading often during his life, even in battles.

The Philistines decided to attack Israel shortly after they heard David had become king (1 Samuel 5).

David asked God: "Shall I go and attack the Philistines?  Will you hand them over to me?"

God told David he would give him the victory.  David won an initial battle, but the Philistines marched against the Israelites again.

So David "inquired of the Lord" and God responded by giving him specific directions on how to defeat the Philistines including circling around them and attacking from behind.  The sign to attack was to be the "sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees".  David obeyed and won decisively.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to hearing what God wants is our own self-will.  Once we have elected to follow God's will, we are assured he will follow through (1 John 5:14-15).

So, the first step for me is to say to the Lord: "I will pray what you want, not what I want."

Then, I must pause and listen before I pray.

Praying in the moment

My wife and I were chatting about various people we know yesterday and found ourselves praying for them on the spot.

I mention it because more often we think of friends and their needs and resolve to pray for them later.  And we forget.

I realize I need to make a practice of praying in the moment.

It's all part of what the apostle Paul calls "praying continually" (1Thessalonians 5:17).

On the surface, it seems an impossible task - praying all the time.

I don't think Paul meant that we were to stop doing anything but praying.  But I do believe he meant we should pray often during the day - as we work, eat, and relax.

Brother Lawrence, a French monk who lived in the 17th century, said in his little classic The Practice of the Presence of God that he conversed silently with God as he washed dishes in the monastery kitchen.  He kept God in his mind and adored him as he worked - and he listened to his promptings.

Many people use prayer prompts to ignite prayers as they go through the day.

Janet Benlien Reeves says in her book Parachute Prayer: The Practice of Praying Continually that she uses everyday things around the house to remind her to pray.

"As we work with various items around our homes, let's pray for their owners," she writes. "As we fold laundry, let's thank God for the ones who wear the clothes."

If she sees her husband's keys on a table, Reeves prays for him at work.

When people come to the door, she prays silently for them - sales people or friends.

She prays for political leaders whose names come up in the news.

When someone from the past edges into her mind, she prays for him or her.

She thanks God for his provision as she pays the household bills.

There are all kinds of daily reminders that can spark prayer.

Decades ago, I attended a prayer seminar where the speaker asked us to choose something we were wearing or carrying and use that as a springboard to prayer.

I was wearing a watch and thought of God as creator of time.  I thought of him as eternal - beyond time.  Thoughts like these can lead to worship of our great God.

As I have said before, I find walking outdoors a great way to offer prayer to God.

For example, rocks can prompt us to think of God as the "rock of our salvation", the eternal one who never changes and can always be counted on.

And shoots of green grass poking up through dead lawns in the springtime can remind us that God wants to renew us spiritually.

There is no end to prayer possibilities if we keep our eyes and our minds open.

Hallow?

What does it mean to "hallow" God in prayer?

It means to worship him because of who he is - holy, set apart from us, great and awesome, and even terrifying.

In Christ's model prayer, it comes immediately after the very intimate term he uses for God - "Father" (Matthew 6:9-13).

As Elmer Towns writes, Jesus introduces the concept of God as "Abba" or "Daddy" to his followers - very different from the Old Testament terms for God.  A picture of a loving father cuddling his child springs to mind.

So, what does that tell me?

It tells me that I am to rejoice in the fact that God is my Daddy.  And, at the same time, I must realize I am in the presence of the creator of the universe, the Almighty God who has me and the whole world in the palm of his hand.

Intimacy and awe together.

Sometimes we fall into the trap of ignoring one of these very important aspects of God as we pray.

We may be feeling depressed and imagine that God must be displeased with us.  That may lead us to view the Lord as a terrifying judge.

On the other hand, we may approach him as a kind of Easter bunny, handing out whatever chocolate eggs we ask him for.

In what is known as "The Lord's Prayer", Jesus says "hallowed be your name", a prayer that God's holiness be celebrated. 

I believe he is asking us to praise God for his unique qualities.  I think it also means we are requesting that God be worshiped throughout the world.

The Lord has said that, at some point, "every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God" (Romans 14:11).

We haven't yet reached that stage, but we should be praying for that even now.  It will be an amazing day when people all over the world bow before God.

Elmer Towns tells the story of watching a dramatic lightning storm over darkened Mount Rushmore in South Dakota with round after round of lightning blazing above.

He says it drove him that evening to "hallow" God's names in scripture.  He was reminded of God as creator, his kindness, his role as master of men, and his almighty power.

In his book Praying the Lord's Prayer for Spiritual Breakthrough, Towns writes:

"When you pray 'Hallowed be thy name,' you climb to a new level of respect for God and reverence for his person.  You are ascending into the very heart of God to recognize who he is, and what he has done for us."

When you pray "hallowed be your name", you are "placing God on the throne of your heart", says Towns.  As you enter God's presence, you know he is concerned for your needs and loves you deeply.  At the same time, "you also enter reverently and fearfully into the throne room of a God-King who demands obedience and reverence".

May the Holy Spirit help me understand ever more deeply how great is God - and how loving, too.

Dynamic, united prayer

United, Spirit-led prayer is a dynamic force.

We see it in the Bible and Christian history as people turned to God to transform their world.

I sense that we are moving in that direction in North America.

Houses of prayer are popping up in North America and Europe as people pray for themselves but also for the society around them.  The International House of Prayer in Kansas City is one of the best known and Pete Greig's 24-7 Prayer International has had a particularly great impact on young people in many countries around the world.

In our city of Ottawa, Canada, the National House of Prayer was established some years ago to pray for our government.  And in recent years, Pray Ottawa has organized a week of prayer annually for our city.

When people come together to pray for what God wants, great things happen.

A good example is the young Christian church just after Jesus' resurrection and ascension to heaven.

In Acts 4, we read how the believers reacted after Peter and John were arrested and told by the religious authorities not to preach the gospel.  They heard from the apostles and then prayed together as one.

Defiantly, they prayed: "And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word.  Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

God confirmed their prayers by shaking the house in which they were praying and giving them the boldness they requested.  Many people were healed and many became followers of Christ.

In Matthew 18:19-20, Jesus says that he will give whatever people request if they pray in unity and according to "my name" or will. 

Unfortunately, Christians are less likely to put aside their differences and seek God's will when times are peaceful and pleasant.  But as social tensions rise, the economy worsens, and persecution begins, Christians increasingly turn to God.

Some of those symptoms are already evident in our society.

The other elements in spiritual transformation are repentance and a vision of what the world can be.

Great revivals begin when Christians acknowledge that they have wandered from God.

And vision played a major role in the remarkable 100-year, round-the-clock prayer vigil of the Moravians which launched a great missionary movement around the world.

May we, as Christians, become conscious of the need to draw together and pray as one for God to change our world.

God's prayer request

What a request!

Through Jeremiah the prophet, God asked the captive Jews to pray for the welfare of the state of Babylon (Jeremiah 29:4-7).

To many exiled Jews, it must have sounded incredible.  "Pray for the evil people who enslaved us?"

But that's exactly what God wanted.

And Erwin Lutzer, author of The Church in Babylon, says that we should heed the same call in our own world where Christ and the church are either under attack or simply thrown aside.

Lutzer points out that Jeremiah's letter to the Jews in Babylon explicitly says that God "sent" them to Babylon for his own purposes.  They were certainly being punished for their rejection of God - but God had plans for their good in the long term.

In the meantime, they were to settle down in Babylon, build homes, have families, work for the welfare and peace of the city - and pray for the Babylonians.

Lutzer says God is "sending" us into our society to work for the peace and prosperity of our cities and nations - and to pray for them. 

I rejoice that many in North America are doing exactly that - praying for our cities and nations.  I sense that this prayer movement is growing.

In my own city, a group of Christians has founded a lay organization called "Love Ottawa" which has for several years worked to serve the needs of the city in various ways - including through regular annual prayer weeks.

Canada's National House of Prayer is based on our city.  It's purpose is to mobilize prayer for our government.

Lutzer, long-time senior pastor of Moody Bible Church in Chicago, cites similar prayer efforts in his own city of Chicago.

But he pleads for more prayer. 

"Despite our great needs here in America, few evangelical churches have a regularly scheduled prayer meeting," he writes.  "When I asked a megachurch pastor if they had a regular prayer meeting and he replied, no, I asked a follow-up question: 'How bad would it have to get before you scheduled a regular prayer meeting?' He did not give me a clear answer."

Prayer matters to God.  He works with us as we pray.

Several Bible passages make that clear, such as 2 Timothy l:1-2, 2 Chronicles 7:14, and Ezekiel 22:30.

So, how can we pray?

Some obvious topics spring to my mind: godly values in our schools; honesty and integrity among our civic and national leaders; sacredness of life rather than abortion; caring for the needy and oppressed; revival in our churches; and open hearts for the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout society.

A friend of ours recently sent us a note about advisors to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill spending one minute a day at a prescribed hour during World War II to pray for the safety of Britain and its people and for peace.  She suggested we all do the same.

My wife and I are heeding this call and making a regular practice of praying for our country.

Waiting

Waiting is important in prayer.

I say it's important because the psalmist says it is - frequently.

But how and why are we to wait?

I am naturally an impatient man.  I want to see results right away from whatever I do.

But I have learned that rushing things doesn't always yield dividends.

Like many others, I have often gone to God with specific demands without asking him what he wants.  Sometimes he gives me what I request - other times, not.

But, looking at scripture, I see that the great people of prayer spent a lot of time with God, getting to know him and what he wanted in their lives.

For example, take Moses.

I turn often to Exodus 33 and its description of Moses going out to the Tent of Meeting to commune with the Lord, accompanied by his young disciple Joshua.  The people knew that this was Moses' special time with God where he would hear from the Lord.

Moses would sometimes question God, but he knew he had been commissioned by the Lord to lead the people God's way - not his.

So, he learned to listen and wait when others would have plunged ahead with their own agendas.

That teaches me an important lesson: If I want to see God work in my life, I need to wait, listen and obey.

My record in this area is uneven.  I have a lot to learn.

Dick Eastman urges me in his book The Hour That Changes The World to simply spend time in silence daily, just focusing my mind on God and his love - enjoying him.  In other words, I am to seek God for himself - not for his gifts.

I believe that was Moses' approach.  And David's, too.

I love David's words in 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."

Moses and David were leaders and men of action.  But they ardently sought God's presence - and waited upon him.

I can see difficulties in waiting.  It's hard not to decide what is right in certain circumstances and ask God to do my bidding.

And I believe we are to bring our needs before the Lord.  He wants to hear from us and help us.

But, ultimately, I know that there is blessing in putting everything aside and coming to God for himself alone.

All fears subside as I get to know the Lord better.

Winnie's story

Ready to give up on praying for your friend or family?

Maybe Winnie's story will change your mind.

A couple of years ago, Joseph M. Stowell, former president of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, was speaking at the great Keswick Conference in England, a three-week annual gathering of people seeking a deeper relationship with Christ.

One Sunday, he was about to speak in a church at the outskirts of Keswick when the church pastor asked a woman to come up front and lead in prayer and give her testimony.

The woman said she was a shopkeeper in a deli and gift shop in Keswick several years before when she met a visitor at Keswick named Winnie.  Winnie visited the shop every day for coffee and the shop assistant struck up a friendship with her.

Stowell says the shopkeeper "admitted that there was something different about this woman, and that at the end of the week she felt sorry that her new friend, Winnie, was leaving to go back to her home".

"Every year she waited to see Winnie again during the conference weeks, but as the years passed she never came back," writes Stowell in his book Simply Jesus and You.

"Several years after she had met Winnie, however, she began to have a drawing in her spirit to Jesus that was so strong that it was almost physical in its power.  After trying to dismiss it, she found that it persisted in increasing strength, until one day she wandered into a church.

"After meeting with the pastor, she accepted the Lord Jesus as her Saviour."

A couple of years after she became a believer, a woman walked into the Keswick deli and gift shop and asked her if she remembered Winnie from many years before.

She lit up at the memory of Winnie and mentioned to the visitor that years after meeting Winnie, she had become a follower of Jesus.

"The lady on the other side of the counter gasped in joy, and said she couldn't wait to tell Winnie, since Winnie had prayed for her salvation every day without fail since she left Keswick years before."

Stowell says he could hardly hold back the tears as he heard this testimony.

Winnie had prayed every day for years "until the enemy finally said, 'I give up, I can't hold on to her against the power of these persistent prayers.'"  The way had been cleared for Jesus to draw her to him.

Then, the woman finished her story by saying: "And I am so glad that Winnie is here this morning."

Winnie stood up to enthusiastic applause from the normally reserved English congregation.

After the service, Stowell went up to Winnie and her friend and said that Satan must have had a tight grip on the shopkeeper's life in order to take such a long time to become a believer.

"I cannot tell you how strong his grip was on my life!" she said.

Stowell writes that Winnie is a model of what it means to pray for people to become followers of Christ.

"She persevered in long-distance prayer without a clue of what was going on in the spiritual underworld.  The Spirit energized her undaunted commitment to the welfare of others and the battle was won."

God rewards persistence in the cause of Christ.

Hope out of hopelessness

The apostle Peter was devastated by the death of Jesus on the cross - he had lost all hope.

But three days later the impossible happened - he saw Jesus again.

This makes me think about hope and hopelessness.  And God.

It encourages me to wait in prayer for God to move.  Even if it means waiting until after I die.

I believe our view of God is very important in prayer.

I cling to the truth of Romans 8:28: "We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

In this passage, the apostle Paul doesn't specify what kind of good we can expect.  But we can be sure it will be good for us - even if we find out what it was after our death.

Take Paul himself as an example.

He suffered greatly in life as he spoke for Christ in many places around the Mediterranean Sea.  But God delivered him repeatedly from the edge of death.  Until he didn't.

Paul knew before his final journey to Rome to stand before the Roman emperor for judgement that he would die.  But he went obediently.

Paul died - history says he was crucified for his faith.  But he left a legacy of faith that rings throughout the ages.

My guess is that none of us will have that kind of impact.  But living with faith and trust in God will have an eternal impact, no matter what.

That faith and love may touch someone's life that you may be unaware of.

It may be that the person you pray for seems hopeless when you last see him or her.  But amazingly, God works in that person's life and you will find out in eternity.

One of the great prayer warriors, George Muller, prayed seemingly unsuccessfully for a friend to become a follower of God for more than 60 years.  That person became a believer at Muller's graveside.

I have pointed to extreme examples.  But we can be sure that waiting before God in hope will be rewarded often in our everyday lives if we trust him to bring good out of seemingly hopeless circumstances.

I write this to encourage myself.

I believe this to be true because God says it.

And he has proved it throughout history.

God's gifts

A church functions best when all members use the spiritual gifts God has given them.

Equally, a community is most blessed when all the gifts are distributed effectively among the local churches.

For these reasons, we should pray that the Lord will stir up church leaders and community leaders to understand the importance of all the spiritual gifts for their congregations and their communities and to use them.

That’s the conviction of Eddie Smith and Michael L. Hennen, authors of Strategic Prayer: Applying the Power of Strategic Prayer. 

“God endows individuals, communities, and nations with gifts designed to help lead the nations to Christ,” say Smith and Hennen.

The apostle Paul outlines some of the gifts bestowed on believers by the Holy Spirit in such passages as Romans 12:4-8 and Ephesians 4:11-16.  These gifts range from pastor, evangelist, helps, hospitality, wisdom and leadership to miracles, healing, faith, and mercy.

The authors suggest that one of the problems in using all the gifts available is that Christians often move about from church to church without settling down in a congregation and establishing strong relationships.

“People who drift from one congregation to another never give their gifts opportunity to become rooted in a set of relationships that will enable their gifts to grow and operate most freely,” the authors say.

Christians should be accountable to one another to use their gifts for the good of others in their church community.

Smith and Hennen also say that God has given believers gifts to be used in reaching those who do not know Christ.

So they say we should pray that Christian leaders understand the importance of all the Holy Spirit’s gifts for their own congregations and their communities.

“Pray that they will welcome and encourage the use of these gifts among their members.”

I must say I had not considered how vital it is that every church make use of all the spiritual gifts, not only for their own church members but for the advancement of the kingdom of God in their own communities.

Most evangelical churches place a high priority on teaching and preaching.

But the gifts of helping, serving and generosity may have an even larger impact on reaching people outside the church doors.  People may be more willing to hear the message of Christ after demonstrations of Christ’s love.

So let’s pray that God will move believers to use their gifts for God’s purposes.

Discipline and delight

David Lee Martin likes to say "prayer is not something you HAVE to do - it's something you GET to do."

In other words, it's not a burden but a privilege.  You are meeting with God.

But like many Christians, I often find things to divert me from an extended time of prayer.  Occasional quick prayer darts to heaven during the day are not enough.

For people like me, Martin has some sage advice - you have to make a habit of praying alone every day at roughly the same time and the same place until you can't get enough of God.  You have to discipline yourself to set aside time with the Lord, no matter what is going on in your life.

The result in time is delight - delight in God.

Martin, author of Discovering and Developing a Secret Life of Prayer, speaks from experience.

"We begin by bringing our requests but soon realize that God answers with himself," writes Martin.  "His presence and knowing and walking in him is enough.  The focus soon shifts from things we want to add, to the satisfaction of seeking and finding greater depths of God to enjoy."

Martin has a loving relationship with God.  Sometimes he calls him Papa, a word which may seem disrespectful.  But it is a word - "Abba" - that Jesus used in Mark 14:36 just before his crucifixion and the apostle Paul used in several letters.  As one writer says, it is a word that expresses affection, confidence and trust.

Good fathers love their children and want a close relationship with them.  "God is more interested in you developing a deep, rich experience of himself than you are," says Martin.

There are many scriptures that speak of the benefits of prayer.  And there are plenty of biblical examples of powerful pray-ers: Moses, Daniel, David, Jesus, Paul and more.  All of these people made a habit of praying regularly and fervently to the Lord.

I especially love the picture of Moses and Joshua going out to the Tent of Meeting to spend a long time praying to God and seeking his direction in their lives and those of the Israelites (Exodus 33:7-11).  The tent was apart from the rest of the community and was intended for people who wished to pray to God in private.

Why such emphasis on private prayer?  Because that's where you can be yourself before God.  You can pour out your praise and your complaints without limit.  And you can listen for God's promptings in solitude.

Satan and our own appetites conspire to keep us from prayer.  So there is an initial hurdle we must leap in order to pray effectively.  We have to carve out a time and place in our schedule to pray.

Martin was just like many of us.  Decades ago, he had to make a decision to pray in the same place and at the same time despite all the diversions that popped into his mind.

His first prayer place was his bedroom, stripped of anything that might take his attention away from God.  Still, he often found it tough to pray for any length of time - sometimes appealing to God for help.

Over the years, he has set aside time in different places ranging from an abandoned warehouse to squeezing himself into his car to kneel on the floor and pray during lunch break at work.  He sought places where he would not be interrupted.

"Your secret place is in reality a place in the spirit realm where you engage in intimate communion and partnership with God," says Martin.

Once it becomes a habit, this kind of secret prayer time is "the flourishing oasis we flee to in an otherwise barren landscape".

Indeed, he says that this prayer habit "makes stepping between natural and supernatural almost seamless".  He no longer struggles with making a connection with God - it is almost instantaneous.

What an invitation to a prayer addiction!  One that I want.

Praying for the city

A conference in Ottawa last weekend highlighted the importance of Christians praying and working together to spread the love of Christ and the message of Christ in our cities.

The conference - Capitalyze - heard from speakers in Britain, the U.S. and India talk about how city-wide movements among Christians are helping transform their cities and others around the world.

These leaders stressed that prayer undergirds everything they do in their cities.

I'm excited by what is happening in other countries and in my own city.  I'm especially delighted that church leaders are turning to prayer to seek God's leading in reaching their cities.

Why should we pray for our cities?

A significant reason is that what goes on in our cities is close to the heart of God.

As one speaker pointed out, Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem on his last journey before the crucifixion.  He mourned because he knew what was going to happen to Jerusalem for rejecting the good news - destruction. (Luke 19:41-44).  The Romans destroyed the city in 70 AD.

Another reason is that God can work to bring peace and prosperity in our cities as we pray and actively seek to bring good to the people and neighbourhoods around us.

For instance, God urged Jewish exiles in Babylon: "Work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile.  Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare." (Jeremiah 29:7)

And the apostle Paul told his young disciple Timothy: "I urge, then, first of all that petitions, prayers intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." (1 Timothy 2:1,2)

Still another reason is God provides healing and protection for our cities - and our fellow citizens - as we pray.

In Psalm 127:1, the psalmist writes: "Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good."

And God warns Solomon that Israel will suffer if the people reject the Lord.  However, he adds this memorable promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land."

So, how can we pray for our city?

My city - Ottawa, Canada - has been organizing a week of prayer for our city every January.  Other cities do something similar.

Typically, this week of prayer involves churches organizing prayer services for the city - either separately or jointly with other churches.  There are also prayer points provided so that individual Christians can pray for such aspects as marriages, schools, churches, workplaces, police, firefighters, hospital workers,  city council members, city-wide ministries to the homeless, justice ministries and so on.

Others may choose to prayer-walk their neighbourhoods, go out to coffee shops with friends to pray for people as they come into the shop, or pray with fellow workers for their workplaces.

Of course, I realize that praying for our city should be a year-round activity.  

After all, prayer makes a difference.

The leaders who spoke at the weekend conference I attended would say: "Amen!"

Instrument of mercy

Ask to be used as an "instrument of God's mercy" and you're sure to get a "Yes" answer fast, says Anthony DeStefano.

That's because God wants you to touch others with his love and mercy, writes DeStefano, author of Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To.

Indeed, DeStefano says: "Mark my words, after you say this prayer, someone in need is going to practically show up on your doorstep - and he or she is going to be in dire straits."

That may be alarming if you already have a few burdens of your own.  But the rewards are great - in this life and the next - for those who pray this prayer with sincerity, the author says.

God has been using people like us throughout history.  The Bible is really a story of how God works through ordinary people to carry out his plans.

And one of the things he wants us to do is to "love your neighbour as yourself".  This love is a self-giving love - just as Jesus gave his life for us on the cross.

So praying to be an instrument of the Lord's is "really praying for God himself to come into our lives and act through us".

As we pray to be an instrument of mercy, we are offering to help reduce suffering in the world.  And "we are also helping to make ourselves into the kind of creatures God wants us to be - by loving others as he does".

By doing this, we are helping the Lord "pull good out of bad".

When we pray this prayer, God steers people in our direction.  And then, it is up to us to decide how to help them.

"If God sends you someone to assist, he is also going to give you the time, the resources, and the wherewithal to do it," says DeStefano.  "He's not about to answer such a wonderfully selfless prayer and then leave you stranded."

But many of us might feel we can't take on any more problems.  If that stops us, then we may miss out on some great benefits from being an instrument of mercy, declares the author.

He points to Jesus' startling statement in Matthew 10:39: "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

The Lord was saying that there is a strong personal benefit to giving ourselves to others for Christ.

"Happiness is the thing God is going to give you in return for selflessness," DeStefano says.

Indeed, it is good psychology to look outside ourselves and help others when we are going through tough times.  It helps us develop a more positive outlook.

Spiritually, as we rely on God to help others, we become more closely united with him.  And the result is greater spiritual and emotional health.  We will feel fulfilled.

"As long as you try your best to assist the people God sends to you, you are going to know that you are achieving something immensely important in life."

From time to time, the Lord will show us what kind of an impact our acts of love and kindness have had on the lives of others.

As well, we will see that God is working in our lives to deal with the problems we have.

"The result is that your life is going to change for the better - you are going to change for the better," says DeStefano.  " . . . In order to be a channel of God's grace, you are going to necessarily have to grow in grace yourself."

What a refreshing look at suffering, God's love and prayer!

Praying from God's throne

As Christians, we can pray from God's throne.

If you think about it, that is a great claim.  It gives us an even greater view of the power and privilege of prayer.

I take this claim from the apostle Paul's statement in Ephesians 2:6 that God "seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus".  So, because I have faith in Jesus, I am united with him and am sitting with him in heaven.

And Jesus is constantly interceding for me and all believers before the Father (Hebrews 7:25).

Now, I realize I am still on earth and have a lot of faults.  But, at the same time, I am in Jesus and Jesus is in heaven, praying for his people.

I believe I can pray what Jesus prays - if I surrender what I want and seek what he wants.  The apostle John says as much in 1 John 5:14-15.

Being seated with Jesus in heaven is a great honour.  Of course, we aren't there because of our perfect lives - we are there because God placed us in his family as a result of Jesus' sacrifice for us.

Still, it is a real privilege because God considers us as co-workers or partners in carrying out his plan on earth (2 Corinthians 6:1).

I draw several conclusions from this:

• I have an intimate relationship with Jesus;
• Jesus loves me and wants me to become more like him;
• Jesus is praying for me and other believers before the Father;
• I am a partner with Christ - in prayer and in other ways - in carrying out God's will; and
• Through prayer, I can help assure God's plan is carried out if my prayers are aligned with Jesus' prayers.

So, my vision as a prayer warrior can be as wide as the world.  Prayer warriors throughout history have prayed from great distances with dramatic results.

Is it possible to know what Jesus is praying for?  I believe it is.

The scriptures give us insight into what Jesus wants.  And the Holy Spirit prompts us.

In Psalm 37:5, David writes: "Commit everything you do to the Lord.  Trust him and he will help you."

Brother Lawrence, a French monk, said centuries ago that he did everything - even picking up a stick - for the love of God.  He "practiced the presence of God", conversing with the Lord and listening to his guidance during his everyday tasks.

He found that God guided him constantly, so that he could handle well even the tasks he hated.

I am convinced that kind of relationship with God is the key to powerful prayer - praying like Jesus.

It's up to me to live that kind of life.

The eternal benefits of praying like Jesus are immense.