“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV).
Prayer is the privilege of believers to communicate with God. However, for many of us, we often fail to take advantage of this privilege. Communicating with God through prayer is a central spiritual discipline (or exercise) for all those who follow Christ. Richard Foster states, “To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue that God uses to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives.”[1]
While Don Whitney, an expert in spiritual disciplines, argues that Bible intake is the most important spiritual discipline,[2] Foster proclaims that prayer is the most central spiritual discipline.[3] From my perspective, they are both correct. For believers to experience growth in their spiritual formation, they must be reading, studying, meditating, memorizing, and applying the Scriptures. However, it is equally important to grow in intimacy with God through prayer. In the Bible, prayer moves from magic to the heights of spiritual communion where the will of God is revealed and God’s activity is divulged.[4]Neither prayer nor Bible intake is to be done in isolation. They work in tandem to expose God’s character, priorities, and pursuits.
Jesus, the incarnate Word of God, who is God, modeled a life prayer for his disciples. The Bible records that Jesus had intensive times of prayer in the wilderness following his baptism and his encounter with the devil. He prayed earnestly before choosing the Twelve, at his transfiguration, and at Gethsemane the night before his crucifixion. Further, prayer was a primary topic in his teaching. Prayer should not be a public religious production, but rather sincere time of seeking and following the will of the Father. Prayer is offered in faith with a forgiving spirit. One of my mentor’s, Buddy Freeman, presents a strong case that unforgiveness may be the greatest obstacle to genuine prayer. Prayer ushers in perpetual communion with God. William Carey professed, “Prayer—secret, fervent, believing prayer—lies at the root of all personal godliness.”[5]
A Suggested Prayer Plan
- Read a passage of Scripture listening for the voice of God as he speaks to you. Psalm 139: 23-24 could be a good place to begin, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous [wicked] way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (ESV).
- Praise God for who he is and thank him for what he has done. He is our creator, savior, redeemer, helper, healer, and so much more. He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He never leaves or forsakes us. He is always present with us.
- Confess and repent. We know our struggles very well. John 1:8-9 states, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (ESV). Turn away from your sin willingly by God’s grace.
- Pray for your family by name. Consider the challenges that each family member is facing. Ask God to intervene in their lives, drawing them close to his side, and directing their steps as they move forward.
- Pray for your pastor and your church. These are difficult and challenging days for those who serve in leadership. Pray for your pastor’s family. Ask God to give him grace and boldness as he prepares to preach Sunday.
- Pray for NGU. Pray for our students. Through academic discipleship across the curriculum, students are challenged to become transformational leaders for church and society. Pray for your colleagues and friends who serve at NGU. Pray for Dr. Fant and our leaders. May we be the faithful institution that God has called us to be in these arduous times.
- Pray for the lost. Life is short and eternity is long. Pray for the people you know who are far from God. May the Holy Spirit use you and others to draw them to salvation and discipleship.
- Pray for the nations. Pray that the Lord will raise up laborers and strategies to reach people from every tribe, nation, and tongue for the glory of God and the advancement of the gospel. The Joshua Project is a helpful resource (https://joshuaproject.net/). They list unreached people groups daily.[6]
- Pray for all those who are hurting and the divisions in our world. We have been reconciled to God through Christ’s finished work on the cross. May we be ministers of reconciliation for God’s glory in our world (2 Cor 5:17-21).
[1]Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, rev. ed. (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1988), 33.
[2]Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, rev. ed. (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2014), 22.
[3]Foster, 33.
[4]C. W. F. Smith, “Prayer,” in The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, vol. 3 (Nashville: Abingdon, 1962), 857.
[5]Quoted in E. M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer (Chicago: Moody, n.d.), 23.
[6]Unreached people groups are defined as those who have less than 2% evangelical Christians among them.