Beginning in personal prayer
This article is an excerpt from our study-guide entitled, A Call To Prayer: Addressing Spiritual Crisis in the Land,
WHAT’S NEXT?
Often in our fast paced, information driven society we forget to stop and ask ourselves the critical questions. It can be the same when learning something new from the scriptures.
We’ve just taken a look at some difficult things, none more challenging than the declaration that Joel’s message fits so well in our culture because our culture so closely reflects the spiritual condition of Joel’s generation. That sentence right there should make you stop and think for a minute. “What is he saying?” What I’m saying is that we’ve examined the call to understand what’s taking shape in our generation globally, lift our voice as a modern-day trumpet, gather people together in light of crisis and search the heart of God as He calls us to corporate repentance…so that we would PRAY. Now we must pray.
“How though? I mean how do I pray, for how long? I’m not a spiritual leader or an intercessor, actually I think I might be an evangelist, I might even have the gift of healing but I definitely wouldn’t call myself a prayer warrior.” That’s ok, whether you’re a seasoned intercessor and leader or your prayer life consists of groanings immediately preceding exams and job interviews, God is able to make all grace abound to you (that should make you smile!).
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
Let’s take a look at how to get started. First, it’s helpful to realize that a healthy prayer life has two broad categories; the first is personal prayer and the second is corporate prayer. Our personal prayer lives are essential to our personal growth and spiritual vitality. We are required to “get oil” ahead of time (Mt.25:1-13). This getting oil is directly related to dynamic interaction with the Holy Spirit.
Now, I realize that for many folks, rules are essential. I mean, if we don’t set parameters then we may as well head for the hills and avoid the chaos which is surely on its way, right? Seriously, imagine the carnage…(cold shudder)… For another group, I just said “rules”. Could there be a greater sacrilege? Probably not. Rules? Hey man, I’m not livin’ in your box, and neither is God… Ok, I get it, but let me explain it this way.
When the hole is dug and the foundation for a house is ready to be laid, forms are built. Large double-walls are constructed outlining the shape of the entire building. They’re fastened in place and then concrete is poured in and left to harden. Once the concrete is firmly set and cured, the forms are removed leaving strong, solid, perfectly shaped walls on which to build the decks and structure of the home. Well, our “rules” function a bit like those forms. We set parameters in place to help guide and govern our time and focus. This helps us to set a routine of sorts, you know, to get the current moving a bit. Kind of like heading to the gym for the first time in a long time, it takes a minute to settle in and see results. As any qualified trainer will tell you, day by day consistency is a lot healthier all around than seasons of overeating followed by seasons of crash dieting.
So, what kind of parameters are we talking about? Glad you asked.
TIME IN PRAYER
Time is a currency. We spend it on what we value most. And like currency, time is either wasted or invested to produce a return. So, this is where we start. We simply make time to pray. But we don’t stop there. We get a bit more intentional. We set a schedule, an appointment of sorts. We pick a time and commit to showing up.
Ok, so you’ve set a time. Now find a place. Preferably a quiet, out of the way place. This might be at home, your favorite coffee spot or even the local library. I laugh as I write this because I can think of many occasions where my prayer time involved me in a broken recliner with no less than three of my children perched upon my head and shoulders. I guess the lesson in that is something we begin to learn sooner rather than later; there is no perfect time and there is no perfect place. I can confidently assert to you however, that commitment, not circumstance, is the key.
My wife and I use the term intercessory missionaries, or prayer missionaries to describe our lifestyle. We do the work of missions from the place of prayer. This means that for us, we spend a certain amount of our time in prayer as part of our job. Sometimes, when I tell this to people, they stare at me wide eyed, imagining that for hours at a time I site, eyes closed, hands lifted, in silence, rapturous or not, immovable and unshakeable. My prayer time is pretty real, as they say. It involves music, Bible study, and intercession, oh yeah, and we home-school all four of our children, so my office door works overtime!
I do not believe that time in prayer is like those terrible high snap-backed hats I remember as a kid, where one size fits all. I believe that there are common elements to effective prayer but as far as what you do when, it’s a custom fit. There are times when certain songs or certain albums really help to guide my time in prayer, other times, silence is golden. There are seasons when I rely on my prayer lists to help me focus for consistency’ sake, other times prayer flows like a natural spring from my spirit, spontaneous and full.
SCRIPTURE IN PRAYER
Scripture is central to prayer because it articulates eternal truths about God and gives us language to speak to Him. We want to incorporate Bible-reading time into a life of prayer. There are many good read-the-Bible-in-a-year type plans available for free on the internet to help you get started if this is new for you. I might just recommend something simple. I like to read a book at a time. Pick one from the New Testament and when you’ve finished pick one from the Old Testament. This is a great way to familiarize yourself with textual truths as well as to encounter God related to these truths.
As I’m sure you’ve realized, the Bible is a book like no other, whose words are living and active, able to convict, encourage, empower, and free us just by reading them and paying attention to what God is saying as we do. But we want to dive deep into the scriptures as well, so planning for times of study is essential.
Many folks imagine that they cannot understand the scripture, much less commentaries and scholarly articles. And while, admittedly, there are some difficult texts and commentaries to work through, you do not need to be a Greek or Hebrew scholar to study your Bible. Get a notepad and grab a pencil. Take notes as you read. Underline or write down what really stands out to you. Write down your questions and your own comments as you go. To aid you, there are lots of free Bible-study sites, commentaries and study resources accessible on-line. Remember though, that the point of Bible study is to aid in encounter. What I mean is that we don’t primarily study the scripture so that we can teach it to someone else. We primarily study the scripture so that we can better understand and walk with its Author. Jesus had these difficult words to say to certain Jewish scholars of His day,
“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”
John 5:39-40
TRANSFORMATION IN PRAYER
Time spent with the Holy Spirit ought to end up with a pretty good time to fruit ratio. It is possible to spend hours at length studying scripture and making requests in prayer without seeing a dynamic overflow in the rest of our lives. Throughout the Biblical narrative, those that spent time in the presence of the Lord were transformed. They didn’t remain the same.
Meditating on the scripture and making requests are not necessarily the same as encountering the Living One. Remember our text from earlier in the study,
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Cor.3:18
There should be an inward transformation as we pray and study. Jesus said,
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.” Jn.15:16-17
Jesus didn’t just appoint us to the Great Commission,
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Mt.28:19-20
He appointed us to the Great Commandment,
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.“ Mt.22:37
We are appointed not only to proclaim, but first to behold. We are a priesthood of believers. Our eternal commission will not always involve outreach and missions but will always involve ministry to the Lord through worship and intercession. Saying this however doesn’t diminish the importance of outreach and missions. It actually greatly magnifies its significance because missions is unto worship. We preach so that all may hear, so that as many as will, as many as are called, may believe, so that those who believe may behold His glory and those that behold his glory may become like Him and magnify Him and forever experiencing and proclaiming the endless depths of his excellencies. Therefore, as we minister to the Lord we are called to bear much fruit so that what we ask in prayer would be granted to us (Jn.15:16-17).
REWARD IN PRAYER
Jesus taught His disciples to pray because,
“…your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Mt.6:6
God seeks to motivate us to personal prayer by promising open reward. When we pray to the Father in secret, our Father sees what we are doing and greatly values it. He rewards us for those little moments and acts of obedience. Remember, Jesus didn’t teach us “if we pray”, He taught us “when we pray” (Mt.6:7). And just like any good father, we seek to teach our children primarily through encouragement and reward, especially when the task is difficult.
The promise of open reward isn’t necessarily that men would be notified of our achievements and laud us for our commitments. Actually, it would seem that Jesus taught the opposite,
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” Mt.6:5
In truth, the openness of our reward won’t be realized primarily in this age.
“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Rev.19:7-8
There will be a day when our righteous deeds will be on display and we will be fully rewarded for every act of obedience, whether small or great. But there is another dimension to the openness of our reward in this age as well.
One of the uses for the Greek word, φανερός [phaneros]; translated in Mt.6:6 as “openly” in the NKJV, is “obvious”.[1] In other words, the Lord’s reward, or blessing, on the life of one faithful in prayer will be obvious to others.
Jesus warned the church at Ephesus to repent of their backslidden condition or He would remove their lampstand. Now this is not talking about their salvation or their eternal reward, rather it speaks to their prominence in public ministry (Rev.1:12; 2:4-5). As darkness increases, the need for light increases. In the day of deepest darkness and the most intense pressure, believers and ministries with established prayer lives will shine like brightness. It will be obvious to those around them that God’s glory is resident.
“For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.” Is.60:2
“Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament.” Dan.12:3
In His Olivet Discourse, Jesus is questioned by His disciples about the sings of His return and the end of the age. He speaks to them about tremendous social, political, and religious fluctuations that bring an increased world-wide difficulty and says to them, “See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” (Mt.24:6) In Luke’s version, he records Jesus describing this same time frame this way, “…men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” (Lk.21:26) In that day the open reward for prayer will be ministry that flows from a heart that is confident in love, unoffended at Jesus’ leadership ,and bold in its proclamation of the truth.
Right now, much of the church in the West is expecting more money, better circumstances, and less discomfort. But we know from the scriptures that all things will be shaken (Hag.2:6-7; Heb.12:27) and tested and we want to go deep ahead of time understanding that in no way, shape, or form do we have the strength to endure till the end apart from the effective working of the Holy Spirit within us and through us. Prayer releases the grace necessary for God to cut channels in us through which His river can powerfully flow.
“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive...” Jn.7:38-39
RESISTANCE IN PRAYER
Because of the way that God has established His kingdom, we are called to pray. But for different reasons, we can be tempted to give up. This is precisely why Jesus told the story of the widow and the unjust judge in Lk.18:1-8.
“Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart…” Lk.18:1
Jesus understands our weaknesses perfectly (Heb.4:15). He also understands the leadership of God perfectly. He knows that we are prone to wander. He knows that we have little faith and little courage. This is why one of the things I admire most about His leadership style is the complete lack of apologetics He provides when requiring difficult things from his followers. He never seems intimated by the reality that He may lose some folks if He doesn’t soften the blow. This is so unlike how we do things today! We’re professional softeners.
We do it with our children, we do it with our friends, and we do it with our congregations. But not Jesus. He assured his followers of His love, gave them a command, and promised them that He would help them to finish strong. He didn’t make excuses for His delay, He didn’t make excuses for His directives, and He doesn’t make excuses for His discipline.
There will be resistance to prayer. Sometimes the resistance comes from our own discouragement, sometimes it comes from our adversary, the devil (Dan.10:12-14), sometimes it comes from wicked human beings (2 Thess.3:1-2), and sometimes it comes because God’s leadership requires something from us that we would rather not embrace on our journey to answered prayer.
God is interested in our maturity more than He is interested in our comfort. This might be difficult to imagine until you consider a parent requiring that a child does his or her best in school, persevering through challenges, exercising diligence on projects and homework and choosing to cooperate with classmates, teachers, and school policies all in the name of future successes. Why should it seem strange to us that the journey is long and replete with difficulty.? Didn’t Jesus speak clearly when He said,
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Jn.16:33
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” Lk.9:23-25
“And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” Lk.14:27
And this also relates to prayer.
“And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, ‘Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.’” Jn.2:14-17
I have become a stranger to my brothers, and an alien to my mother's children; because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me. When I weptand chastened my soul with fasting, that became my reproach. I also made sackcloth my garment; I became a byword to them. Those who sit in the gate speak against me, and I am the song of the drunkards. But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, hear me in the truth of Your salvation.” Ps.69:8-13
Jesus, the greater David, carried on His shoulders what we might call today a burden for prayer. It brought tremendous resistance in his life. There was no portion of His existence that wasn’t radically prodded and altered by such an immense pressure. As intercessors, we too, must share in this burden. And this is why Jesus told the story, so that when we pray, we too wouldn’t give up…
Prayer is more than just an invitation to partner in requests. Prayer is the very conversation that takes place between the Father and the agonizing of a son or daughter being led down the way of the cross. Prayer is how we say yes to the processes that bring our maturity. Prayer is the safeguard we set in place on our own lives to ensure that in ten and twenty years we don’t ease into complacency as ministry increases and lose our first love. Prayer is the way of the kingdom. It’s the very umbilical cord that connects us to the nutrients of a God rich in love and desiring to show mercy to a thousand generations.
REVIEW
Let the ideas we’ve just discussed create a context for why we pray and let’s review how we get started:
1. SET A TIME
2. FIND A PLACE
3. INCLUDE YOUR BIBLE AND A NOTEBOOK
4. WRITE A PRAYER LIST
5. DON’T GIVE UP…
[1] Thomas, R. L. (1998). New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries: updated edition. Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc.
