WHAT WE NEED WHEN WE NEED IT – Part 1 of 2

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”  (Philippians 4:6)

Few people have witnessed more miracles than George Müller (1805 – 1898).

Along with pastoring one church for sixty-six years, Müller established the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England. He cared for 10,024 orphans while establishing 117 schools for their education throughout England. Adjusted for inflation, George Müller raised $150 million dollars for those kingdom causes. This is an incredible sum of money by any standard, but what makes it even more remarkable is the fact that George Müller never asked anyone for anything – not a single penny. He made a covenant to ask only God. Müller figured that God knew exactly what he needed and when he needed it, and God could make provision for it. It is estimated that Müller experienced thirty thousand specific answers to prayer, as recorded in his journal. Time and time again, food would be dropped off on their doorstep right when they ran out, a donation was made right before a bill came due, or a plumber offered his services right when a problem needed to be fixed.

I live by an Oswald Chambers maxim: “Let God be as original with other people as He is with you.” So I’m not prescribing George Müller’s methodology across the board. I think it’s okay to verbalize a need or ask for help, but shouldn’t we put it to prayer first rather than last? And why do we take matters into our own hands when we can put them into the hands of God? Few things are harder than letting go and letting God, but that’s what George Müller modeled. And I can think of thirty thousand reasons to follow his example. 

-- Mark Batterson in “The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible” 

#6026

OUR MOST EFFECTIVE PRAYERS

Jesus said, “From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who He is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do.”  (John 14:13-14 MSG)

Healthy relationships are nourished by good communication, and good communication requires listening as well as talking. Relating to God is the same way -- it involves talking to Him in prayer, but it also requires listening to Him.

Our most effective prayers are those that we pray after having first listened to God. Our prayers are powerful when they are rooted in a knowledge of God’s person and based on His principles. Prayers that stake claim on God’s promises are full of promise, but prayers based on presumption profit nothing. Prayers that stipulate “Thy will be done” rise to heaven. Prayers that ask only “my will be done” fall flat. Prayers that embrace the diving purpose draw the petitioner into communion with God. Prayers that entertain only selfish interests draw little response from God…

Godly men and women guard their behavior and pray in keeping with what God has said. They can then claim God’s promises, pray with confidence, and anticipate the answers with uplifted hearts. 

-- Adapted from Stuart Briscoe in “Daily Study Bible for Men”

#5722

THE ANGUISHED CRY

The prayers of those whose lives are smooth and serene are markedly different from the prayers of those whose lives are ragged and rugged. The prayers of the latter are often anguished entreaties poured from hearts about to break…

God does the extraordinary when people realize their inadequacy and learn to call on Him in anguish of heart and utter dependence…

The pain that prompts the anguished cry does not magically disappear once the cry is uttered. But knowing that the cry has been heard and will be answered alleviates the pain. In the anticipation of the answer, healing has begun.

Then Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the Lord! Oh, how the Lord has blessed me! Now I have an answer for my enemies, as I delight in Your deliverance. No one is Holy like the Lord! There is no one besides You; there is no Rock like our God.”  (1 Samuel 2:1-2 NLT)

-- Excerpted from Stuart Briscoe in “Daily Study Bible for Men”

#5694

ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN

Our family has a handful of sayings that have been passed down from generation to generation.  They are part of our family folklore.  I'm not sure where this one originated, but I remember my grandma repeating it more than once:  You can't never always sometimes tell.  That tongue twister is a mind-bender, so you might need to read it twice.  Here's a translation:  "Anything could happen."

Let me redeem that saying and give it a prayer twist.  When you circle a promise in prayer, you can't never always sometimes tell.  Anything could happen!  You never know when or how or where God will answer it.  Prayer adds an element of surprise to your life that is more fun than a surprise party or surprise gift or surprise romance.  In fact, prayer turns life into a party, a gift, a romance.

God has surprised me so many times that I'm no longer surprised by His surprises.  That doesn't mean I love them any less.  I'm in awe of the strange and mysterious ways in which God works, but I have come to expect the unexpected because God is predictably unpredictable.  God always has a holy surprise up His sovereign sleeve!  The only thing I can predict with absolute certainty is this: the more you pray the more holy surprises will happen.  

-- Mark Batterson in “The Circle Maker”

#5646

PRAYER CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…”  (Colossians 1:9-10 ESV)

I believe the greatest cry around the world today is “Pray for me.” All of us are here today because someone has prayed for us. I know I am indebted to so many people for their wonderful prayers. Martin Luther said that the shoemaker makes shoes, the tailor makes clothes, and the Christian prays. Prayer can change a person’s life; it can change the world. Prayer is a challenge to me. If I pray for someone, it challenges me to love and to help that person. 

-- James H. Davis, as quoted in “Stories of Prayer for a Healthy Soul”

#5595

ABIDING IN CHRIST

Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”  (John 15:5 NKJV)

Abiding in Christ is essential for prayer that pleases God and brings answers. Trying to cultivate prayer without abiding in Christ is like trying to grow palm trees in Siberia. The climate is all wrong.

Abiding means keeping our shared life with Christ harmonious, free from the discord of sin. It is closely related to cherishing and obeying His Word: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7 NKJV)

A vine sustains its branched so that they bear grapes. So Christ, as we abide in Him, provides the life and strength we need for obedient, productive lives, as well as for effective prayer.

Abiding kindles within us a craving for the greatest gift we can receive through prayer -- a richer experience of God Himself. Whatever else He gives is secondary… Abiding means we will experience intimate fellowship with the King. This is the crowning privilege of being a member of His kingdom and family. 

-- Warren Myers with Ruth Myers in “Prayer: How to Be Effective in Prayer”

#5593

THE EFFICACY OF PRAYER

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light.”  (Colossians 1:9-12 NIV)

Can we believe that God ever really modifies His action in response to the suggestions of [humans]?  For infinite wisdom does not need telling what is best, and infinite goodness needs no urging to do it.  But neither does God need any of those things that are done by finite agents, whether living or inanimate.  He could, if He chose, repair our bodies miraculously without food; or give us food without the aid of farmers, bakers, and butchers, or knowledge without the aid of learned [men and women]; or convert the heathen without missionaries.  Instead, He allows soils and weather and animals and the muscles, minds, and wills of [human beings] to cooperate in the execution of His will...  It is not really stranger, nor less strange, that my prayers should affect the course of events than that my other actions should do so.  They have not advised or changed God's mind -- that is, His overall purpose.  But that purpose will be realized in different ways according to the actions, including the prayers, of His [people]. 

-- C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) in “The Efficacy of Prayer”

#5589

PERSISTENT IN PRAYER

One day Jesus told His disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” He said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people.  A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”  (Luke 18:1-5 NLT)

The parable of the persistent widow is one of the most pixilated pictures of prayer in Scripture.  It shows us what praying hard looks like: knocking until your knuckles are raw, crying out until your voice is lost, pleading until your tears run dry.  Praying hard is praying through.  And if you pray through, God will come through.  But it will be God’s will, God’s way.

The phrase used to describe the widow’s persistence, “she is wearing me out,” is boxing terminology.  Praying hard is going twelve rounds with God.  A heavyweight prayer bout with God Almighty can be excruciating and exhausting, but that is how the greatest prayer victories are won.  Praying hard is more than words; it’s blood, sweat, and tears.  Praying hard is two-dimensional: praying like it depends on God, and working like it depends on you.  It’s praying until God answers, no matter how long it takes.  It’s doing whatever it takes to show God you’re serious. 

-- Mark Batterson in “The Circle Maker”

#5588

GOD IS AT WORK

In prayer we gain the confidence that, in the midst of all that is happening, God is at work bringing about a good that we can never anticipate (Romans 8:28).  If we feel God-forsaken (and there will be such times), prayer will drive away that despair.  In prayer we experience the indescribable assurance of the Holy Spirit that all will be well.  I love the verse that reads, “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God," (Romans 8:15-16 NRSV).  But the best news of all comes from the same eighth chapter of Romans -- the promise and confidence that all things will work together for an incomprehensible good.  It's a promise that we know will be realized, because the Holy Spirit -- that crucial third member of the Trinity -- prays to the heavenly Father on our behalf, thus overcoming our own limitations in prayer.

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.”  (Romans 8:26-28 NRSV) 

-- Tony Campolo in “Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God”

#5512

THEY PRAYED FOR BOLDNESS – Part 1

Living in a multicultural world, the disciples easily could have remained silent about their dramatic encounter with God in Jesus Christ. In a world of many religions, they might understandably have been timid about even mentioning their faith in Jesus Christ. In a time when allegiance to the official religion often was demanded, they would have found it so much simpler to go along with the crowd. In a time when advocacy of any religion was dangerous, they would have been so much safer to hide any evidence of faith in Jesus Christ.

However, these very risks and dangers that could have sent the disciples running in fact prompted them to pray for boldness to declare the gospel. They did not ask for security, relief from persecution, or the demise of the opposition. They asked for boldness to declare the gospel. They were not longing for their own safety; they were longing for faithfulness. And as soon as their prayers subsided, the place where they were gathered was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31). Their prayers were instantly answered. 

-- Reuben P. Job in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God”

#5442

GRACE AND PEACE THROUGH PRAYER

“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”  (2 Peter 1:2 NIV)

Prayer is not a luxury or merely a spiritual exercise. It is the greatest integrative force we know. I don’t mean the kind of prayer that asks for things to support our lifestyle or prayer to vindicate the rightness of our understanding, but prayer that with an open heart and open mind brings the things of everyday life, our problems and concerns, and the people of our life to God. This prayer bridges the gap we so often sense between our daily lives and our spiritual lives. It relates everything to God in the knowledge that He cares and understands. And often in praying about the things that confuse us and pull us in many directions, we find that in laying them out before God the relative importance of things becomes clearer, we remember things we overlooked, and in that we begin to sense something of God’s “grace and peace.” 

-- Earl F. Palmer in “Integrity in a World of Pretense: Insights from the Book of Philippians”

#5282

THE EFFECTIVE PRAYER

My relationship with God is part of my relationship with human beings. Failure in one will cause failure in the other. It isn’t necessary that it be a distinct consciousness of something wrong between my neighbor and myself. An ordinary current of thinking and judging -- the unloving thoughts and words I allow to pass unnoticed -- can hinder my prayer. The effective prayer of faith comes from a life given up to the will and the love of God. Not as a result of what I try to be when praying, but because of what I am when I’m not praying, is my prayer answered by God. 

-- Andrew Murray in “With Christ in the School of Prayer”

#5224

STOP, LOOK, LISTEN, AND TRUST - Part 1

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea… ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’”  (Psalm 46:1-2,10 NKJV)    

The Psalms are a tapestry of human emotions. The poetry of prayer weaves together anger, fear, joy, longing, despair, praise, and passion. This verse sums up God’s response to those prayers. Its truth is the thread of peace and comfort that runs through the entire book of Psalms, as well as the rest of the Bible -- and the life of every individual who walks with God. God’s answers to those who are emotionally troubled is brief and straightforward: stop and remember Who is on your side.  

-- From “100 Favorite Bible Verses”

#5219

PRAYER – THE GREATEST INTEGRATIVE FORCE

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 1:2-6 NIV)

Prayer is not a luxury or merely a spiritual exercise. It is the greatest integrative force we know. I don’t mean the kind of prayer that asks for things to support our lifestyle or prayer to vindicate the rightness of our understanding but prayer that with an open heart and open mind brings the things of our everyday life, our problems and concerns, and the people in our life to God. This prayer bridges the gap we so often sense between our daily lives and our spiritual lives. It relates everything to God in the knowledge that He cares and understands. And often in praying about the things that confuse us and pull us in many directions, we find that in laying them out before God the relative importance of things becomes clearer, we remember things we had overlooked, and in that we begin to sense something of God’s “grace and peace.” 

-- Earl F. Palmer in “Integrity in a World of Pretense: Insights from the Book of Philippians”

#5093

A MOTHER'S PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER

The story is told of Monica, the mother of St. Augustine.  This fourth-century woman had a son who was so perverse that almost anyone else's child would have been considered to be no problem at all in comparison.  But through Augustine's difficult years of rebellion, Monica never stopped praying for her son and she lived for the time when he might give his life over to God.

One day, Augustine announced to his mother that he was leaving his home in the city of Hippo to live in Rome.  He wanted to go to the big city where the action was, and he let it be known that Hippo was no place for a lover of nightlife, like himself.  When she heard the news, Monica's heart broke.  She was sure that by going away to Rome her son would be lost to her and to God forever.  She begged Augustine not to do this and, in an act of desperation, pleaded with him to go and sit with her in the church while she prayed about it.  He yielded to his mother's request that he go to church with her, but while Monica was on her knees in prayer, Augustine sneaked off to the harbor and boarded a ship sailing for Rome.  When Monica discovered what had happened, she was deeply hurt, but she never despaired; she just kept on hoping and praying.

While in Rome, Augustine quite miraculously came to Christ through the witness of St. Ambrose.  Under Ambrose, he was nurtured into Christian discipleship, and when it was learned that the city of Hippo needed a new bishop to lead their church, Ambrose recommended the once wayward son of that town for the office.

Can you imagine the surprise and joyful amazement of Monica the day she went down to the dock with others from her church to meet their new pastor?  None other than her own Augustine walked down the gangplank!  The mother who never gave up on her son had been rewarded.  Monica's story is a reminder to mothers everywhere that where there's life, there's hope.  It may be that, even when the life of your loved one is ended, there is still hope. 

-- Tony Campolo in “Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God” 

#5035

RETURNING THANKS

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.”  (Psalm 107:1 NLT)

Returning thanks for blessings already received increases our faith and enables us to approach God with new boldness and new assurance. Doubtless the reason so many have so little faith when they pray is because they take so little time to meditate upon and thank God for blessings already received. As one meditates on the answer to prayers already granted, faith waxes bolder and bolder, and we come to feel in the very depths of our souls that there is nothing too hard for the Lord. As we reflect upon the wondrous goodness of God toward us on the one hand, and upon the other hand upon little thought and strength and time that we ever put into thanksgiving, we may well humble ourselves before God and confess our sin.  

-- R. A. Torrey

#4980

GOD IS ABLE

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 1:6)

God is alive and active, able to do what we ask. God hears and answers prayer, as our true friend. God is able to do what we imagine. He reads our thoughts and can interpret the thoughts and feelings we cannot express as we cry out to Him in distress. God is able to do all that we ask or think. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He knows everything and can complete the work He started in us.

“Now to Him who is able to do infinitely more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”  (Ephesians 3:20-21)

-- James Houston, quoted in “In This Quiet Place: Discovering the Pleasure of Prayer”


#4697

LIVING BY FAITH

“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith…By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going… And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered Him faithful who had made the promise.”  (Hebrews 11:7-11 NIV)

When you live by faith, it often feels like you are risking your reputation.  You’re not.  You’re risking God’s reputation.  It’s not your faith that is on the line.  It’s His faithfulness.  Why?  Because God is the one who made the promise, and He is the only one who can keep it.  The battle doesn’t belong to you; it belongs to God.  And because the battle doesn’t belong to you, neither does the glory.  God answers prayer to bring glory to His name, the name that is above all names.

-- Mark Batterson in “The Circle Maker”


#4646

PRAYER IS A RELATIONSHIP

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”  (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV)

Prayer is not a one-way conversation where you simply recite everything you want God to do for you. It is a two-way fellowship and communication. You speak to God, and He speaks to you. Prayer also includes listening. In fact, what God says to you in prayer is far more important than what you say to Him. After all, God already knows what you’re going to tell Him, but He has amazing things to reveal that you don’t know.

Prayer is a relationship, not a religious activity. Through prayer, you adjust to God; God doesn’t adjust to you. He wants you to pray, but He doesn’t need you to. You, however, need to pray because of what God wants to do in your life during your prayer time.

When the Holy Spirit reveals a truth to you in prayer, He is present and actively working in your life. This kind of prayer is a divine encounter.

-- Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby and Claude King in “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God”


#4615

A SPORADIC PRAYER LIFE?

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”  (Ephesians 3:20 NLT)

What would my life be like if I just stopped praying altogether? I mean, what if God promised me that things would stay the same regardless of whether I prayed or not: would I still continue to pray? That’s a hard question. But I’ve thought about it because on a whole other level I’m a little curious about why some of us feel compelled to pray, even when our scales of belief are tipped toward the negative.

But even with a sporadic prayer life, I can’t imagine a life without prayer, without some effort to reach for God with all the cares and worries I drag with me wherever I go, and without some effort to invite God to speak to me in the times when I am sensible enough to just be quiet. Plus there’s a side of me that doesn’t really know how to express my love for God without prayer in my life. I’m not sure when or how I started feeling this way, but somewhere along the line, I’ve discovered that when I do pray, I am reminded of who God is and who I am. It’s hard to pray for anything without at some point naming God as one who is capable of all things.

-- Enuma Okoro in “Reluctant Pilgrim”


#4590