Over the past 3-4 months I been teaching on prayer on Sunday nights at Neel Road.
This is by far one of my favorite quotes about prayer!
“Very few people think that we are in a war that is greater than World War II, or than any imaginable nuclear war. Few reckon that Satan is a much worse enemy than any earthly foe, or realize that the conflict is not restricted to any one global theater, but is in every town and city in the world. Who considers that the casualties of this war do not merely lose an arm or an eye or an earthly life, but lose everything, even their own souls, and enter a hell of everlasting torment? Until we feel the force of this, we will not pray as we ought. We will not even know what prayer is…Prayer is the communication with headquarters by which the weapons of warfare are deployed according to the will of God…Prayer is the walkie-talkie of the church on the battlefield of the world in the service of the word. It is not a domestic intercom to increase the temporal comforts of the saints. It malfunctions in the hands of soldiers who have gone AWOL. It is for those on active duty.”
There is a story in the Bible about a king named Jehoshaphat who once faced a huge battle with surrounding nations. (2 Chronicles 20:1-2) He was incredibly out numbered and according to the Scripture he “was afraid.” Did I mention that he was only 35 years old when he became the king and had to deal with this problem?
This was going to be the biggest battle he had ever faced in his life. So he came up with the very best strategy to make sure that he would win the battle…prayer.
Yep. He prayed. Or let me put it this way – he put his face down on the ground and prayed like crazy because he knew that there was no way in this world that he was going to win this battle by his own strength or power!
Actually the Scripture says this,
“Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 20:3-4)
So not only did he pray like crazy, but he asked everyone else involved to pray like crazy too.
What battles are you facing that you know you will not win by your own strength or power? Why not turn them over to God? After all, he wants to see you win.
I will be the first person to admit that sometimes I think I’m to busy to pray. But I have learned that out of everything I have to get done everyday – visits, meetings, planning – nothing is more important spending time in prayer. Here are ten reasons why I take time to pray everyday:
Because I am so selfish! Let’s be honest…you are too! Thank God that for his grace and power to change us from the inside out I’m not as selfish as I used to be. Through prayer I learn to discern between my own selfish desires and God’s will for my life.
I know that God has a plan for my life that is WAY BIGGER than the plans I can make on my own…and I want to know what His plan for me is! Check out Jeremiah 29:11-14.
To avoid temptation. That’s right. Even pastors face temptations and I know that I cannot resist Satan’s temptations alone. I figure that if the first disciples were likely to fall into temptation…I probably am too. Check out Luke 22:39-46.
So I don’t forget who God really is! Sometimes I get so caught up in life that I actually forget that God is perfect, holy, all-knowing, eternal, omnipotent, righteous, impartial, loving, merciful, infinite, wise, just, incarnate, faithful, transcendent, compassionate, true, and sovereign…just name a few!
For strength. Psalm 29:11 says, “The Lord gives strength to his people….” I often ask for strength when I have to have difficult conversations with people, when my family really needs me, or when I’m just not sure if I’m going to make it through the week. I don’t always have enough strength to make things work out on my own…but with his strength I do.
Because I genuinely love and care about people! Actually, this was the biggest reason that I ever considered going into ministry…because I genuinely love people and want them to know how much God loves them. Everyday I pray for neighbors, friends at church, and people I’ve just met just to ask God to touch their lives.
For guidance. Psalm 32:8 teaches us that we can trust in God and count on him to guide us through every decision and situation we face in life. Some of my most intense prayers are when I ask God to guide me through difficult decisions and situations.
Because I am so thankful! You know, my life’s not perfect and I’ll bet yours isn’t either…but I am thankful to God for the many ways he watches out for me and cares for me! I’m thankful that he loves me for who I am and that his grace is sufficient for whatever I face!
To get to know God better. James 4:8 states that if we draw close to God that he draws close to us. I believe that the more we try to draw close to him, the more we seek his will for our lives…the deeper and more meaningful our relationship is with him.
To grow up spiritually and become a mature believer. Ephesians 4:15 tells us that God wants us to grow up! Praying is just one of the ways we can grow up into the adult believers that God wants us to be. I don’t ever want to be content with who or where I am spiritually…I know that God wants us to continually be growing, changing, learning, becoming more and more the people that he wills and desires for us to be!
I will be the first person to admit that sometimes I think I’m to busy to pray. But I have learned that out of everything I have to get done everyday – visits, meetings, planning – nothing is more important spending time in prayer. Here are ten reasons why I take time to pray everyday: