Is Your Prayer Life "Odd"?

-

 

   When was the last time you prayed—not because you needed something immediately, but simply because it was the most important thing you could do that day? When was the last time you prayed not to receive something from God, but to simply worship the God who can supply all your needs? 

    For many of us, prayer is a "break glass in case of emergency" tool. We know it’s a good idea, and we often promise to do it for others, but in our hectic, busy schedules, those prayers frequently get lost in the cracks of our busy lives. 

    Interestingly, while prayer meetings are often the least-attended services in American churches, the same is not true globally. In countries where Christians face fierce persecution, prayer is not an optional extra; it is the absolute foundation of the church.

    According to a 2021 Barna Group report, while 65% of Americans say they pray at least once a week, only 26% say they prioritize prayer as a communal or foundational activity in their daily lives. We treat prayer like a luxury, but the Bible treats it like a vital necessity.

The Letter Birthed in Prayer

    The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians actually began as a prayer request. Their pastor, Epaphras, traveled all the way to a Roman prison to ask Paul for advice on the problems his church was facing. Paul’s first response wasn't to write a clever strategy; it was to labor in prayer. This entire letter was birthed out of a season of deep intercession.

"Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak."- Colossians 4:2-4 

Understanding the Call

Paul’s "post-script" to this letter provides a masterclass on how to cultivate a prayer life that actually changes things. He isn't just giving "lip service" to a nice idea; he is describing a spiritual engine.

Paul outlines five ways we should engage in this vital exercise:

  • Pray Continually: Don’t stop. Pray when you are anxious, pray when you are on top of the world, and pray for every decision, no matter how minor it seems. There is not one situation that does not need prayer. There is not one moment in your life that you can't go to the Lord in prayer. 

  • Pray Watchfully: Paul tells us to "watch" in prayer. This means praying with the expectation that God will actually answer, and then keeping our eyes open to see how He does it. So often we pray with out actually believing that God will answer our prayers. We need to pray and immediately look to receive the very things that we are asking God for. 

  • Pray Contently: Our prayers should be seasoned with thanksgiving. We should not go to God always requesting things from Him, yet never thanking Him for the things He has already provided. We must be grateful for what we have even as we ask for more. Our prayers can sound like the rants of spoiled child, when we go to God in prayer with a ungrateful heart. In fact our own ungrateful attitude maybe the very hindrance to our prayers being answered. If we will go to the Lord in prayer and begin thanking Him for what He has already given us, we may find that what we thought we needed has already been provided for.

  • Pray Collectively: There is unique power when God’s people pray together. Historically, great revival—were not fueled by programs, but by small groups of people meeting specifically to pray. Their is power when one person goes to the Lord in prayer, but that power is only magnified when we gather together to seek the Lord as a group. 

  • Pray Evangelistically: While praying for health and finances is okay, Paul’s supreme focus was praying for the Gospel to be proclaimed. Our greatest desire should be for others to know Jesus Christ and be saved from their sins. So the one thing that should weigh most heavily on our hearts is the lostness of mankind. We need to pray that we might have an opportunity to share the gospel. We need to pray that God would prepare the hearts of people who have yet to be saved. We need to pray that Holy Spirit would move in a person's heart that they may see their urgent need for salvation. 

Why Your Prayers Matter

    The work of saving souls and changing lives is not a mental or physical work—it is a spiritual work that requires the power of the Holy Spirit. We cannot save a single soul on our own; therefore, our work must be "bathed in much prayer".

Moving Forward

    Jesus said, "My house shall be a house of prayer". He didn't say a house of programs or a house of social gatherings, though those things have their place. He prioritized the direct line to the Father.

    If your life feels out of sync or your church feels powerless, go back to the foundational advice Paul gave Epaphras: Pray. Don't just skim past the words. Set aside the busy schedule for a moment and talk to the One who actually holds all the answers.

What is one "impossible" situation in your life right now that you have been trying to fix with effort instead of bathing it in prayer?

Location: Ashmore, IL 61912, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

In case you missed it

Ruined but Renovated

-
When I moved to Ashmore IL a little under 10 years ago to answer the call to pastor Ashmore Baptist church a lot of things have changed. For instance Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital in Charleston IL has expanded and grow exponentially. I have seen businesses come and go. Pastors of other churches have come and gone. But one thing that has not changed was the eyesore across the street from the church. What is interesting is at one time this house was a very nice house in Ashmore. You can tell that this house at one time was beautifully constructed and well made. It was a house that at one time sheltered families, where children would run and play in the yard. It was a home where memories were made, and families were raised. However over time, as it changed from owner to owner. The house slowly became neglected. Needed repairs were not made and the small problems started to grow into bigger problems. So a once beautifully made house that housed families, and rasied children and m...
Read more

What is Your Story?

-
 I am excited for this Thursday night. Me and my wife will be going to a red carpet showing of "This is Our Story",a project of EIU that will highlight several stories about Ashmore, Oakland, and Kansas. If you would like more information on this project and watch it when it comes on the air check out this link . As I was thinking about this project and looking forward to seeing the finished product. I thought about how everyone really enjoys stories. This is something that I have learned in the past several years and something that I have added to my ministry/ preaching. Most of Jesus teaching ministry was focused on telling stories. In fact the vast majority of the bible is story after story, many of which have stood the test of time.  The reason this is the case is because stories connect us together. Stories speak to us, we relate to them on a personal level. The stories we hear and love relate to us because it speaks to our common problems, or our common loves, or hopes ...
Read more

Taking God's warning seriously

-
    Cindy had just got a new job at her town's Dairy Queen. As she worked there she could not help but notice something that concerned her. She could not help but see how blackened, crusted the ventilation duct was in the ceiling over the top of the grills. What concerned her even more, is that she began to notice that the grill seemed to smoke a lot more than she thought it should.  Each day she worked she continued to observe this more closely.        Finally she could not help but bring her concerns to the Manager, supervisors and to her co-workers.  However no matter how much she tried, they seemed to not pay to much attention to her warnings or her concerns. They would tell her "Oh it's ok, Its been that way for years and there is nothing to worry about. Cindy could not help but feel that the more she called this to there attention, the more and more annoyed with her and her warnings they became. No matter she was insistent that they nee...
Read more

Straddling the Fence: Christ’s Treatment for a Divided Heart

-
     Have you ever found yourself "straddling the fence"—holding onto your faith with one hand while flirting with the world’s values with the other? It is a common struggle in our modern walk. This is especially true as we see the divide between God and the world to continue to widen.       We often try to hide our compromises and our hypocrisies. We strive to keep on pretending we have it all together, but Jesus reminds us clearly: "I know where you dwell". You might try to cover the scent of compromise with the "perfume" of religious activity, but God sees right through to the truth of our conduct. We play church on Sunday and live like the Devil throughout the week and think that we have fooled everyone. Yet you will never fool God!       The church in Pergamum was exactly in this position. They were living in a "corrosive culture" and, while they held onto their faith in some areas, they had begun to ignore sin and false teachi...
Read more