Posts Tagged ‘prayer’

May
21
2013

My Prayer Before the Illinois General Assembly

I had the honor of delivering the convocation on Monday afternoon before the Illinois General Assembly in Springfield. I was graciously invited by the state representative whose district includes Gages Lake, Rep. Sam Yingling. I brought my eight-year old daughter, Grace. We are kindly hosted down in Springfield by my friends, Dan and Linda Anderson and their seven children. Dan is the director of Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission. I also had a terrific time of fellowship with Shaun Lewis, who ministers with Capitol Commission  Shaun reaches out to the representatives, senators, supreme court justices, and staffers with Bible studies, prayer and any counseling they need. I also had the chance to catch up with some good friends: Rep David McSweeney, Rep. Tom Morrison, and others. Grace and I also got to tour the fabulous Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum. If you are ever in Springfield, you must stop there.

The prayer itself was a little nerve-wracking. I’ve done quite a bit of public speaking and preaching and praying–so I’m not usually that nervous with this stuff. But when the presiding speaker spoke my name and I stepped up to the giant lecturn to pray, I did get a few butterflies. I prepped last week by looking at the prayers of several who have prayed before the assembly. Then I wrote it out to the approximate length of what the prayers are.

I wanted to accomplish three things: a) sincerely pray on behalf of the families of the representatives. Politicians are so despised these days, I wanted to be the one person who prays for their well-being and strength. b) represent Christ well in this public forum. I was determined to pray a Christian prayer to our Lord, Jesus Christ. I didn’t worry about any retribution and, to the credit of those who invited me, I had no warnings on that. And the previous convocations included Christ. c) I wanted to offer a prayer asking for wisdom and guidance for our state in the many issues that face us.

At the end of the day, I hope I was a service to the men and women who serve Illinois in the general assembly. I hope I represented my Lord well. And I hope even this prayer might cause some, even one, to ask questions that might lead them to come to Jesus in faith.

Below is my prayer:

Prayer of Convocation

Illinois General Assembly

Monday, May 20th, 2013

2:00 PM

 Dear Heavenly Father. We offer our humble gratitude for the gift of freedom as Americans, forged over 200 years of messy democracy and protected by the blood of our fighting men and women. Let us be ever mindful of the many peoples around the world who are not as free, as prosperous, as blessed as we are.

 We are grateful to live in the beautiful and diverse state of Illinois. For the leaders who have risen from this hallowed chamber. For the movements birthed here on our rich soil.

 We ask humbly for your blessing on our great land. We offer prayer for the leaders today who serve you, here, in this town. As you have commanded us, we pray for them. For their families while they are away. For their safety while they serve here. For their integrity and wisdom in shaping the laws that will shape our future.

We are thankful for each representative who has stepped out of his ordinary life to serve in leadership here. They have spent countless hours campaigning and now serving. They have given up precious time and resources. They have sacrificed their privacy, putting their lives and their families’ lives on public display. Care for each representative, each senator, each staffer and all of the family members in a special way.

I pray that you’re Spirit visits this place in a powerful way. I pray these men and women find the fortitude to lead well. Give each leader rest, refreshment, and a clear mind. We ask you to move our leaders to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before their God.

Help each lawmaker to consider your command to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves, mindful of the dignity and worth of each human life, created in the image of God. Help them not to forget the poor, the immigrant, the marginalized, and the unborn. Help them create laws that support the institutions that make our communities flourish, that encourage and sustain healthy families, that give hope to those struggling to find their way.

We ask your forgiveness for yielding, too often, to the temptation to forget you in our national and political life. For the times we reject your gracious providence. For confusing courage with incivility. For confusing liberty with license. For substituting our own agendas for yours. For putting our own interests above those we serve. For the tendency to abdicate our responsibility to deal with the tough problems.

Lord, we ask for your grace this day as these men and women endeavor to govern the people of this great state. May they realize that their power is limited, granted to them by your gracious decree. Help them wield this power with caution and humility.

We long for the city to come whose builder and maker is God. We’re thankful for the gift of your Son, who has offered entrance into this kingdom by his sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection.

Grant each of these legislators fresh grace today.

In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.

 

Mar
06
2013

Prayer That Starts With God

On Sunday I started a brand-new series on the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) entitled, “Teach Us to Pray.” Let’s remember that this is not a prayer Jesus prays, but that a prayer He offers for his disciples to pray. One of the things that really strikes me about Jesus’ model prayer is just how God-centered this prayer is. The Lord’s Prayer contains six humble requests, the first three are God-directed and the last three involve human needs. This is very similar to the structure of the Ten Commandments, which first begin with our vertical relationship to God and then end with our horizontal relationship with our fellow man. It’s similar to the way Paul constructed his letters to the churches: he often began with who we are in Christ before fleshing out how that affects the way we live.

A.W. Tozer said this (and I paraphrase), “The first thing that comes to your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.” I hear a lot of Christian says things like, “I don’t worry about theology.” Well, yes you do. Everybody has a theology, whether flawed or otherwise. Sadly, most of our theology begins with me. We start our prayers with what we think we need and then, if we have time, throw in a few God cliques. But the most healthy theology begins where the Bible begins: with God. You will notice that the first words of the very first book of the Bible begin like this, “In the beginning, God.”

It’s easy to subtly devalue God by our prayers and our life. We say things like, “I don’t imagine God is like this.” Or “The God I worship doesn’t do this.” But if God is truly God–that is to say if God is sovereign, powerful, holy, compassionate, just–then it behooves us not to define God on our terms, but to bow before the God who is already there.

How does this affect our prayer life? Why did Jesus say to start our supplications with God? Because the way we view God affects the way we live. How much we reverence God informs the respect we have for our fellow man. And beginning with God in our prayers filters out the frivolous. It considers prayer as an act of worship, an acknowledgment that we are, in deed, not God. That God is God.

It means our prayers are in God’s will. It keeps us from destructive theology. It prevents us from saying foolish things like, “God told me to (fill in the blank)” when really it was our own fleshly desires that spoke. I once had a person tell me, with a straight and somber face, that God was telling her to divorce her husband of 15 years and go marry a convicted felon. Um, God won’t tell you to do something against His sovereign will.

Praying God-centered prayers takes some discipline and practice. I’ll admit that this is a struggle for me. I often want to begin what I think are my own needs rather than letting my Father in Heaven shape my them. But there is something refreshing about beginning with God. It reminds us of the awesome miracle of access to the throne room of Heaven, purchased at great price by Christ on the cross. It reminds me that God takes great delight in hearing my prayers and meeting my needs, needs he knows well before I know them. It comforts me to realize that I do, indeed, have a Father in Heaven with a hallowed name.

Jun
01
2012

Friday Five: Andrew Wheeler


Today I’m delighted to talk about prayer with my good friend, Andrew R. Wheeler. Andrew organizes the prayer ministry of the elders and Sunday service teams for Willow Creek Community Church–McHenry County. A member of the Church Prayer Leaders Network, he maintains the website Together in Prayer as a resource for churches growing in prayer ministry. He is the author of the excellent book, Together in Prayer. 

How important is it for Christians to pray together?

The early church set the pace and the importance of praying together.  In Acts 1:14 we see how the disciples joined together in prayer as they waited for the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49).  This prayer formed the backdrop of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.  Again, we see in Acts 2:42 that praying together was one of the four pillars of the early church, along with the apostles’ teaching, the breaking of bread, and fellowship.  All through the book of Acts we see a church at prayer – interceding for Peter’s release from prison (Acts 12:12); commissioning Paul and Barnabas as the first missionaries (Acts 13:1-3); Paul and Silas praying together while in prison in Philippi (Acts 16:25).

The epistles continue this emphasis on praying together.  We tend to read the epistles with Western eyes – individualizing the commands and teachings.  But the original audiences for most of the epistles were churches – communities.  Generally, the commands and teachings have their primary application to bodies of believers, and secondary application to individuals. So, for example, when Paul exhorts the Colossians to devote themselves to prayer, and to pray for him (Colossians 4), he’s not referring primarily to the prayer closet.  We apply these commands to the prayer closet, and that’s not a bad application, but that’s not the original focus.

In many churches today, the best place to really pray together in a meaningful way is in the small group setting.  This is the setting where we are at our most vulnerable and accountable.  I really think that the strength of the prayer movement within a church’s small groups will help determine the ceiling on the church’s effectiveness.

Why do people have trouble praying in a group setting?

Many people have difficulty with prayer in a group setting because of the difference in the relational dynamic from a private prayer setting.  Private prayer is basically a one-dimensional activity, with the only relationship in play being the one between the pray-er and God.  Community prayer – praying in a group setting – adds a horizontal dimension.  I like to think of community prayer as “praying to God, with people”.  Each of those aspects has implications for how we pray together, and balancing those two dimensions is the key to praying effectively.

When we pray alone to God, we pray to One who sees our hearts and is able to move past the words to the thoughts behind them.  God tracks with our prayers because, ideally, He is the One leading us to pray in the first place.  But when we gather to pray, we pray with others who cannot see into our hearts and who cannot necessarily track with us.  When we take the “anything goes” mentality from our prayer closets to the group prayer setting, it doesn’t translate well.

Paul recognized a similar problem when it came to the worship service.  He gave specific instructions to the Corinthian church in the second half of 1 Corinthians 14 as to how they were to worship together – in an orderly way that glorifies God.  The theme of those instructions was that individuals needed to rein in their own participation in the worship service to make room for everyone to participate and allow God to move through multiple people.  This same theme applies to our group prayer times today.

What are your “top tips” to help groups pray together more effectively?

I like to think in terms of the “ABCs” of community prayer – Agreement, Brevity, and Christ-centeredness.

Agreement means that we’re praying together in one accord and it’s really the main ingredient that distinguishes community prayer from private prayer.  It means that we come together seeking God’s agenda rather than each person bringing his own agenda, that we listen to each other as we’re praying rather than focusing our thoughts on what we’ll pray when our “turn” comes, and that we’re praying alongside each other, picking up the theme rather than skipping around with each person praying a different topic.

Brevity may be the single biggest hurdle for most groups to overcome in praying together effectively.  We tend to take our somewhat long-winded closet prayer patterns and bring them to the group setting.  This is where the idea of submitting to each other and valuing the contributions of others in the group – as in 1 Corinthians 14 – comes in.  When I pray briefly, I make it easier for other group members to track with me and to pray alongside me in agreement.  When I limit my own prayer time, I communicate to the group that I value their contributions to the prayer time and foster the environment of really being together in prayer.

Christ-centeredness is the key to honoring God with our prayers and seeking His will.  Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and God will take care of our physical needs.  Focusing on kingdom prayers is a way of seeking God’s kingdom first.  This isn’t to say that we don’t bring material needs before God, but they should not dominate our prayers.

Christ-centeredness also means that we’re addressing God in our prayers rather than addressing group members.  We’re asking for His intervention rather than putting pressure on group members to change.

Can you expand a bit more on the idea of praying to God rather than praying to people?

Perhaps the biggest subtlety to community prayer is keeping straight the vertical and horizontal dimensions.  Going back to the idea of “praying to God, with people,” we often skew this a bit and end up praying more for people to hear than for God to hear.  Usually, this isn’t a heart problem with pride the way it was for the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable (Luke 18:9-14) but it still shifts the focus away from God and onto people and circumstances.

Here’s an example.  Suppose John, a member of our small group, is struggling financially and has been out of work for some time.  A typical prayer for John might sound something like this: “Father, may John have the faith to trust in your provision in his time of need.  May he be diligent in his search for a job and may he grow spiritually through this time of trial.”

Did you notice how this entire prayer was about what John needed to do?  Have faith, be diligent, grow spiritually – these are all things that the prayer directs at John.  John, if he’s present, is going to feel more burdened after this prayer than before it; more importantly, this prayer asks nothing of God and leaves no room for His work.

Consider a different frame of reference.  “Father, please strengthen John’s faith and encourage him as he goes through this difficult time.  Provide for his needs and guide him to the job that you have for him.  Open doors for witness to others in need and bear much fruit in this chapter of John’s life.”

This prayer asks nothing of John, but everything of God.  Strengthen faith, encourage, provide, open doors, bear fruit – these are all things that God is being asked to do.  A prayer like this will encourage John as he senses God on his side.  Further, such a prayer anticipates God’s work in John’s life and gives Him the glory.

How important is praying briefly?  How do you encourage it?

As I mentioned earlier, for most small groups, getting in the habit of praying briefly will make the single biggest difference in their effectiveness in prayer.  Prayer is conversation with God, and group prayer is the group’s conversation with God.  Any conversation dominated by one or two people is far less engaging and less interesting than a conversation in which multiple people are participating.  And in a prayer setting, praying briefly encourages others to participate and values the work of the Holy Spirit in the entire group rather than just in one individual.

Most small groups can benefit from a brief period of instruction or “rules of the road” prior to praying together.  I encourage brief prayer by emphasizing the need to value the prayers of others in the group.  I invite people to pray multiple times on a single topic if they feel so led, limiting each individual prayer to allows others to participate.  And I stress the need to stay on one topic at a time, allowing others to come alongside that prayer in agreement.

For example, suppose a group member is in the hospital.  A typical prayer for this situation would cover the group member’s health and healing, the doctors and nurses, peace for the family, financial provision, etc.  Covering the topic so completely leaves little room for others to come alongside the prayer in agreement – they’re left with either repeating what was already said (which God does not need) or moving on to another topic.

But suppose a group member opened the prayer time by praying for God’s healing, then another added prayer for the doctors and nurses, another prayed for the family and someone else prayed for financial provision.  Such a prayer gets the whole group involved and enables a level of agreement that you don’t see when one person dominates the prayer.

In a small group setting where we’re praying for each other, I like to break up the time and focus on one person at a time.  Rather than have everyone read a litany of prayer requests (which tends to take most of the prayer time and causes everyone to forget the things that were mentioned early on), I divide the time up by person.  So if we have 6 people and 30 minutes to pray, each person gets 5 minutes.  I have them share what’s on their heart for the first half of that time (or less) and then the group prays for that person for the remainder of the time.  That way, each person is covered in prayer and the time really moves, keeping the group engaged.

Feb
15
2012

5 Ways to Pray for Your Church

A couple weeks ago I wrote a blog, How to Help Your Church. It was one of the most popular posts of this year so far, perhaps because it struck a chord with pastors and church leaders working hard to serve God’s people. Interestingly, I wrote a similar post a few years ago.

However it occurred to me that neither of those posts mentioned perhaps the best way to help your church: prayer. Perhaps this speaks to my woefully inconsistent prayer life or the tendency among leaders in my generation to rely on our own strength to do God’s work.

But I’m realizing ever more the need, my need, for God’s help in serving the church. I’m realizing the need for us to fall on our faces before the Lord. Only God can grow the church. So, as you consider how to make your church better, here are five ways to help your church:

1) Pray for your pastor. I know this is clique. I know people pray for me. But I really, really need prayer. And your pastor does too. He may not ask you for it. He may seem strong and courageous and “with it” all the time. But underneath that is a fragile, desperate soul often squeezed by the pressures of serving God’s people. So pray for faithfulness, refreshment, wisdom, creativity, humility, people skills. I never fully realized the need to pray for pastors until I actually became one.

2) Pray for the pastor’s wife. This is a tough role. There is really no template for the pastor’s wife. She’s thrust into a role that often asks more of her than she can handle. She’s the one keeping the home life somewhat normal and consistent. She’s the one holding things together when the pastor is at the bedside or meeting with someone in crisis. And sometimes the pastor’s family has their own crises that need prayer. Pray for your pastor’s wife.

3) Pray for God’s spirit to move in the hearts of people in the community. In our community, something like 85% of people are unchurched, likely unconverted. That’s a huge mission field. And it seems that with every passing day the church is becoming less of a factor in people’s lives. Pray that your church would be a lighthouse, a place where people discover the eternal truths of the gospel, where the Word would shine and the Spirit would convict hearts to repentance. Sometimes we get so program-oriented that we forget to pray for a mighty moving of the Spirit.

4) Pray for unity among God’s people. The devil loves to divide and conquer. He loves to sow seeds of strife in a church. He loves to prey on the natural, human, sinful tendencies of God’s good people. Unity has to be intentional. It’s not natural. It must be a spirit-connected thing. It’s fragile. And here’s a secret. If you are praying for church unity, you will be spending less time focusing on the hurts and faults of others that moves to destroy that unity.

5) Pray for the church staff and leadership. Don’t just pray for the pastor, as if he’s the only one who is on the frontlines, as if he’s the only important, exalted member serving your local body. He isn’t. Pray also and earnestly for the paid and volunteer staff, for the leadership team–elders, deacons, team leaders. Pray for their families, their spirituality, their faithfulness. Pray for God to enrich and refresh them and give them strength for His work.

 

Oct
28
2011

John Chrysostom on the Power of Prayer

 

The potency of prayer has subdued the strength of fire, it has bridled the rage of lions, hushed anarchy to rest, extinguished wars, appeased the elements, expelled demons, burst the chains of death, expanded the fates of heaven, assuaged diseases, dispelled frauds, rescued cities from destruction, stayed the sun in its course, and arrested the progress of the thunderbolt. There is (in it) an all-sufficient panoply, a treasure undiminished, a mine which is never exhausted, a sky unobscured by clouds, a heaven unruffled by the storm. It is the root, the fountain, the mother of a thousand blessings!

- John Chrysostom (HT: R. Kent Hughes)

Oct
21
2011

Friday Five: Craig Von Busek

Today I have the privilege of interviewing my friend, Craig von Buseck. Craig is the Ministries Director for CBN.com, one of the largest Christian websites in the world. He is a prolific writer and popular speaker. His latest book, Praying the News has recently been released by Regal.

Today, more than ever, we are inundated with news across a variety of platforms. How does this affect our psyche? 

Read More

Sep
24
2010

Friday Five Interview: Jennifer Kennedy Dean

When my first book was published, I remember attending my very first ICRS (then it was call CBA Convention). It was in Indianapolis and I had a radio interview scheduled. I was as nervous as a cat. I had just driven 5 hours from Chicago area, got a speeding ticket, and was a bit overwhelmed by all the publishers and books and agents and media.

I was met at CBA by a fellow New Hope author named, Jennifer Kennedy Dean. We waited together outside the recording room where the interview was to be held. She leaned over and said, “Hey, you’ll do just fine. Just relax, take a deep breath, and talk about your book.” I never forgot that. I’m thinking the interview was less than memorable, but that experience gave me insight into Jennifer’s life and ministry. Since then, she’s become a great friend.

Jennifer Kennedy Dean is a multi-published author, most famous for her book, Live a Praying Life. She is the executive director of The Praying Life Foundation. She is the author of numerous books, studies, and magazine articles specializing in prayer and spiritual formation. Her book, Heart’s Cry, has been named National Day of Prayer’s signature book.  Her book, Live a Praying Life, has been called a flagship work on prayer.

Jennifer is in demand as a speaker and has spoken in such venues as The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove and Focus on the Family.

She is a board member for Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, a member of America’s National Prayer Committee, a board member and broadcaster with WebTV4Women and a member of National Professional Women Association.

1) How did you get your start in writing, publishing, and a speaking ministry?

I started teaching a Sunday School class when I was student at Baylor From that, I had invitations to speak at different college events, and things grew from there. After I had been speaking a few years, I had honed my message to topics related to prayer. In today’s vocabulary, I guess you would say that prayer became my brand. At some point, a publisher approached me about writing what I was speaking. Writing and speaking grew hand-in-hand from then on.

2) You travel around the country speaking to big and small groups on a variety of Bible subjects, but you’re main focus is prayer. What led you to dive so deeply into prayer?

I consider my Bible study, Live a Praying Life, to be my life’s purpose. That’s how important it is to me. It is the culmination of almost 40 years of searching. I’m trying to think back and trace the beginnings of that consuming passion, and I find it interesting to remember that, even as a child, I was always experimenting with prayer. By experimenting, I mean putting it to the test. Trying it out. Trying to figure out its intricacies and what made it work. So maybe it is the culmination of more than forty years of searching. Maybe 57 years of searching. Decades ago, the Lord introduced me to a praying life. When that phrase came to my mind, it changed the way I thought about prayer and opened the door to a whole new concept.

My mother had a great interest in prayer, and always had prayer groups and prayer partners. We had front-row seats for all her prayer adventures, I’m sure I was infected by her. When I started defining my own relationship with Christ, prayer was its center.

God created me to be a left-brain thinker. I need logic. Part A has to fit into Part B. An argument has to hold together from beginning to end. I can’t take things at face value, no matter how hard I try. I need to know how things work. Isn’t it funny that such a person would be called to a passion for prayer? On the surface, prayer seems to be the most illogical proposition ever tendered.

I’m delighted to be in relationship with a God whose invitation is, “Come, let us reason together.” As I probed and questioned and searched, I found that God welcomed my questions and could teach me prayer in a way that satisfied both my heart and my mind. To my relief, I found that faith does not cancel out understanding. In fact, faith produces understanding.

Live a Praying Life is the record of my search. Of course, the search continues. I will never understand everything about prayer, but every day I can understand more. The more I understand, the more I am compelled to put it in practice. Prayer is the conduit through which the power of God is released into the circumstances of earth. That’s what motivates me.

3) You talk about the difference between a “prayer life” and a “praying life.” What do you mean by that?

A praying life is a life lived in an open and receptive attitude toward God.  An undercurrent of prayer is always flowing in the life of a believer… sometime articulated in sentences, sometimes not. When you begin to live a praying life, you leave behind the idea that prayer is a group of words sandwiched between “Dear God” and “Amen.” You are always walking in the flow of God’s power and provision; always engaged in an interchange between heaven and earth.

4) You’re latest project is Life Unhindered. You write about walking in freedom. Do you think many Christians live unnecessarily shackled?

Because the Scripture has so much exhortation and instruction on living in freedom, it seems that this is a topic that requires continual growth and reinforcement. We are so accustomed to the things that hold us captive that we often consider them irreversible. We might not even see them as holding us back. But the Scripture strips away the pretense and exposes shackles for what they are. And gives us the keys to throw off every hindrance.

5) What advice would you give to an aspiring Christian writer or speaker?

Everything starts small. Do faithfully what the Lord has put in front of you to do. Live the message you speak from the platform. Trust that God will place you where He wants you, obedience by obedience.