Ways to PRAY for your church...

THAT YOUR UNITY AND LOVE WILL ALWAYS BE GENUINE.

THAT EVERYTHING YOU DO WILL BRING GLORY TO GOD.

THAT YOU WILL REACH THE LOST AND MAKE DISCIPLES FOR CHRIST.

THAT YOU WILL GROW IN SPIRITUAL MATURITY.

THAT YOUR FAMILIES AND MARRIAGES WILL BE STRENGTHENED.

THAT YOU WILL TREASURE JESUS MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.

THAT THE LORD WILL USE YOUR JOYFUL WORSHIP AS A MEANS TO DRAW OTHERS TO HIMSELF.

THAT THE LORD WILL PROTECT YOU FROM SATAN AND SIN.

THAT GOD WILL ENCOURAGE YOUR STAFF AND THEIR FAMILIES.

What does it mean to pray in Jesus' name?

Did you know that the Bible never commands us to say, "in Jesus' name" at the end of our prayers? So, why do we do it? Well, because Jesus commanded and encouraged us to pray in His name (John 14:13-14). But, He wasn't commanding us to say, "in Jesus' name." He was commanding us to pray in His name. So, what does that mean?  Well, it means a whole lot more than simply saying 3 words at the end of our prayers. It is an attitude and recognition.  Here is my attempt to get at what it means:

Praying in Jesus’ name means recognizing that it is only through Jesus that we can ask anything of God.
We must come to the Father acknowledging that, without the atonement of Jesus, He would not even hear us.

Praying in Jesus’ name means praying for what will bring Him most glory.

 “In Jesus’ name” is another way to say, “for Jesus’ glory.

Praying in Jesus’ name means praying in submission to His revealed will.

  “In Jesus’ name” is another way to say, “if it be according to Your will.”

Paul Miller, A Praying Life, p. 134.

“Imagine that your prayer is a poorly dressed beggar reeking of alcohol and body odor, stumbling toward the palace of the great king. You have become your prayer. As you shuffle toward the barred gate, the guards stiffen. Your smell has preceded you. You stammer out a message for the great king: ‘I want to see the king.’

Your words are barely intelligible, but you whisper one final word, ‘Jesus, I come in the name of Jesus.’ At the name of Jesus, all of a sudden, the palace comes alive. The guards snap to attention, bowing low in front of you. Lights come on, and the door flies open. You are ushered into the palace and down a long hallway into the throne room of the great king, who comes running to you and wraps you in his arms.

The name of Jesus gives my prayers royal access. They get through. Jesus isn’t just the Savior of my soul. He’s also the Savior of my prayers. My prayers come before the throne of God as the prayers of Jesus. ‘Asking in Jesus’ name’ isn’t another thing I have to get right so my prayers are perfect. It is one more gift of God because my prayers are so imperfect.”

A Prayer for Orphan Sunday

Dear Father,
On this Orphan Sunday, we join with Your people across our country and beyond to
pray for orphans.

We know that love for these precious children begins not with us, but with You.  You
pursued us when we were wayward and alone.  You adopted us as your children.  You
invite us to address you as Daddy and to live as Your sons and daughters.  Truly, we
love because You first loved us.

You tell us also that You are near to the downtrodden and destitute.  Your heart aches
for children that face the world alone.  You champion the cause of those who have no
one else to take their side.  And You call us to do the same.

So we pray that You would rouse us to share your heart.  We ask that You would stir
Your people to passion and vision and action on behalf of children that have no family.
We lift up to You the millions of children in the world who have lost their parents to
disease, to war, to addiction, to poverty, to abandonment.  As You promise to do, place
the lonely in families.  Be their defender, their provider, their hope and peace.  Help us
to do the same.

We pray also for the five hundred thousand children in our foster system in America.
So often, they are bounced from home to home, knowing little love, consistency or true
nurture.  Please be their love, their consistency, their nurture.  Help us to do the
same.

We confess that we have often lived with little regard for these precious lives.  Please
forgive us.  Lead us to take up their cause, not in guilt or obligation, but as a joyful
response to Your great love for us.

As we do, we pray that You would use our humble response to transform.  To
transform the lives of countless orphans both physically and spiritually.  To transform
us as we encounter You in them.  To transform Your Church as we lift our eyes
beyond our own comfort and self-focused religion to live out the painful beauty of the
Gospel.  And finally, to transform a watching world as it catches glimpses of Your love
made visible through the actions of Your people.

We commit all this to You, the One who is both our Father and a Father to the
fatherless, in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Taken from here.

What is Prayer?

From John Bunyan: "Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God has promised, or according to the Word of God, for the good of the church, with submission in faith to the will of God."

Praying for the Gospel to Bear Fruit Globally

Jesus said to pray earnestly for the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers (Matthew 9:38).

So last night, my church gathered to pray for global missions. In preparation for the prayer time, I did some research on the most unreached people groups, the most persecuted countries, and the most Bible-less peoples. I put that information along with some suggested ways to pray in a one-page prayer guide. You can view and print this prayer guide here.

Please let me know if you find it helpful...

The Sin of Prayerlessness

I heard a quote from Greg Nichols last week that has exposed many of my sins of prayerlessness:

“A Prayerless person is ungrateful because he doesn’t thank God.
He is Self-righteous because he doesn’t confess his sins to God.
He is Self-centered because he doesn’t ask God to bless other people.
He is Presumptuous because he doesn’t pray for his daily needs.
He is Irreverent because he doesn’t praise God.
And he is Unfriendly to God because his prayerlessness evidences that he doesn’t enjoy being with God.”

Cultivating Private Prayer as a Pastor

Attention all pastors: Spend an hour listening to/watching this sermon by Joel Beeke. Seriously.

The Gift of a Prayer Closet

Earlier this year, I posted a picture tour of my office in which I had a picture of my prayer bench.
Well, I was mightly encouraged to get an e-mail from a reader of this blog who recieved a very meaningful and unique Christmas gift inspired by that post. For Christmas, his wife cleaned out a storage closet and made it into a family prayer closet (picture below).

Now that's a gift that will keep on giving!!

James, thanks for increasing my joy by sharing this with me. Enjoy the prayer closet!

The Equipment of Prayer

David McIntyre gives us the essential equipmnet of a life of prayer:

-A quiet place
-A quiet hour
-A quiet heart

The Hidden Life of Prayer, chapter 2.

The last one is by far the most difficult to find.

The Hidden Life of Prayer

I need all the help in prayer I can get. WTS has a new/old book on prayer for $5 for 48 hours. Piper says, "God brings books at their appointed times. The Hidden Life of Prayer arrived late but well-timed. This little jewel-strewn tapestry has done for me at 64 what Bounds' Power Through Prayer did at 34. I could be ashamed that I need inspiration for the highest privilege. But I choose to be thankful."

A Few Suggestions for Leading Corporate Prayer

Make your prayers:

• full of God
• full of Scripture
• full of passion
• full of reverence
• full of humility
• full of gospel

Learning to Pray from Psalm 86

I've been helped to pray by Psalm 86. You can listen to my sermon from Sunday at the Christ Baptist website.

Here is a Muller quote from the sermon that challenges me:
“The great fault of the children of God is, they do not continue in prayer; they do not go on praying; they do not persevere. If they desire anything for God’s glory, they should pray until they get it.”

The Prayer Bench

Last Friday I posted a tour of my office in pictures. By far, the most asked about aspect of my office was the prayer bench. Several of you wanted to know how I made it or where I got it. Here's the story:

When I was in Texas, my pastor had a very nice prayer bench in his office that was custom-made for him by a church member. I wanted one. So, I went on a search to find one to buy. Quickly, I realized that to buy a nice one is like $1,500 (an example here).

Unfortunately, I also realized that if you want to buy one, you have to get it through a Catholic supplier (Here's an example). Why is it that Catholics are familiar with the prayer bench and not protestants?

So, I printed some pictures from the Internet and took them to a local furniture maker. I sat down with the owner, showed him the pictures, and asked what it would take to make me a basic one. I think it cost me around $150. I had to stain the wood myself and a church member made the knee pad for me. I love it. I just don't use it near enough.

So, here are some more pictures and some dimensions in case you may want to make your own.

The top of the bench (where the Bible would sit) is 24 inches across and 10 inches wide.

The bench is 33 inches tall and 23 inches deep (from the front of the cushion to the back of the cross).

I love that the knee part folds up for easy storage and moving. This was the maker's idea and design.

The cross is basically glued on.

The "shelf" is not necessary but provides extra space if you want to keep a journal or other books close at hand.

Any questions? Are my dimensions clear enough? Let me know if I can provide any more information. And, by all means, send me a picture if you make one yourself.

Hope for Prayer

"Prayer finds its hope not in the qualifications of the one praying, but in the character and plan of the God who is hearing."

-Paul Tripp, A Shelter in the Time of Storm, p. 53.

Please pray for me today.

Blog readers, please pray for me today. I have the privilege of preaching the gospel tonight and desperately want God to reveal Himself and save those who hear. We had our outreach soccer camp this week and tonight is our closing assembly with parents, participants, and other family members. Many of those who will be there tonight do not trust in Christ.

Please spend a few minutes asking God to use me. Pray that I might preach the gospel clearly. And, pray that kids and parents would repent of their sin and embrace Christ as their treasure.

I'd like to know who is able to pray for me in this regard. Please leave a comment letting me know that you are pleading with God for these requests.

"...if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him." 1 John 5:15

A Praying Life

I just finished reading, A Praying Life by Paul Miller. I read the majority of it a chapter at a time before bed at night. It is a good book. It is a helpful, enjoyable, inspiring book.

Here are some of my thoughts about A Praying Life:

1. This is a good read. At times, I couldn't wait to read another chapter.

2. I'm putting this book back on the shelf more aware of God and the power of prayer. The real value of a book lies in what it teaches you about God.

3. This is not just a book about how to pray. This is a book about something deeper than prayer: desperation. This is a book about the reality of our helplessness. Miller writes, "Learned desperation is at the heart of a praying life." No matter what prayer strategies you develop, no matter what your theology of prayer, you will not pray if you are not desperate. The majority of this book is simply a call to recognize how much you need God. Apart from Christ we can do nothing; therefore, pray.

4. This book is about real life praying in the midst of all the distractions of our world. I love the personal stories throughout this book.

5. This book helped me want to be a better parent.

6. Miller makes clear that the best gift God gives is His Son. Jesus is God's most clear answer to our pleas. God allows suffering and leaves prayers unanswered so that we can grow in our love for the Savior.

7. I have reinstituted my prayer cards as a result of this book. I desperately want to obey Colossians 4:2: "Devote yourself to prayer."

Sitting the Bench and Sinking Your Roots into God

"Emily loves field hockey, which is like ice hokey except it's gentler and rquires eleven players on a grass field. Her school had a superb, well-coached program. Their team usually won its division and was frequently in the running for the state championship. The coach was excellent, although Emily thought the coach played favorites. That year she and her friend were not the favorites, and occasionally Emily sat out the entire game.

Another parent heard about the bench warming and, while chatting with me at the local gym, said, "Isn't that unbelieveable what the coach is doing? Doesn't that make you mad?" I replied, "Actually, no. We are thankful Emily has this low-level suffering while she is still on our watch. It is a wonderful opportunity for her to grow in faith. She'll learn far more about God on the bench than out on the playing field."

The other parent expected Jill and me to be angry about what was happening to Emily. Her goal for her child was tied to the child's accomplishments. Our goal was tied to Emily's faith. Because of that, we saw sports as just another venue where she could learn to sink her roots into God. I saw the bench warming as an answer to my daily prayer that Emily would not love the world of the things in the world...Life is more about bench sitting than about being a star."

-Paul Miller, A Praying Life, p. 170-171.

God-Centered Prayer

Daniel 9:1-19 contains Daniel's prayer for the restoration of Jerusalem. It is a fantastic model of God-centered prayer.

1. This prayer is prompted by Daniel's study of God's Word (9:1-2).
-We should allow God's Word to inform our prayer life.

2. This prayer is based on God's character (9:4).
-Daniel recognizes the greatness of God and pleads with God to act according to His character.

3. This prayer is permeated with confession and repentance.
-v. 5 – “we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled.”
-v. 5 – “we have turned aside from your commandments and rules.”
-v. 6 – “we have not listened to your servants the prophets…”
-v. 8 – we deserve open shame
-v. 8 – “we have sinned against you.”
-v. 9 – “we have rebelled against him.”
-v. 10 – “we have not obeyed his voice.”
-v. 11 – “All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice.”
-v. 11 – “we have sinned against him.”
-v. 14 – “we have not obeyed his voice.”
-v. 15 – “we have sinned, we have done wickedly.”
-v. 18 – we do not present our pleas because of our righteousness

4. This prayer in grounded in God's passion for His own glory (9:17-19).
-Daniel appeals to God to act on behalf of His own name.

Praying in Jesus' Name

"Imagine that your prayer is a poorly dressed beggar reeking of alcohol and body odor, stumbling toward the palace of the great king. You have become your prayer. As you shuffle toward the barred gate, the guards stiffen. Your smell has preceded you. You stammer out a message for the great king: "I want to see the king." Your words are barely intelligible, but you whisper one final word, "Jesus, I come in the name of Jesus." At the name of Jesus, as if by magic, the palace comes alive. The guards snap to attention, bowing low in front of you, Lights come on, and the door flies open. You are ushered into the palace and down a long hallway into the throne room of the great king, who comes running to you and wraps you in his arms.

The name of Jesus gives my prayers royal access. They get through. Jesus isn't just the Savior of my soul. He's also the Savior of my prayers. My prayers come before the throne of God as the prayers of Jesus. "Asking in Jesus' name" isn't another thing I have to get right so my prayers are perfect. Is it one more gift of God because my prayers are so imperfect.

Jesus' seal not only guarantees that my package gets through, but it also transforms the package."

Paul Miller, A Praying Life, p. 134.

The Silent Steam-Roller

CH Spurgeon addressing his church before a prayer meeting:

Did you observe, last Sunday, a notice at the bottom of a street, at the back of this Tabernacle, warning us in large letters against a terrible monster? Thus ran the oracle: "Beware of The Steam-roller."

I always feel inclined to turn down a side street when I see the red flag and that admonitory sentence; for useful as the steam-roller certainly is, I cannot persuade horses to believe that it is their true friend. On this particular occasion, there was no cause to fear the steam-breathing, coal-consuming leviathan, for its fire was out, its steam was a thing of yesterday, and the creature rested in perfect quiet, under cover of a tarp. It is quite right that even engines should have their Sabbath.

I thought, as I passed it, - a steam-roller at work is the pattern of what a church ought to be; but this particular steam-roller is a type of what many churches are. A church should be “terrible as an army with banners;” but, oftentimes, it is not. “BEWARE OF THE STEAM ROLLER!” seemed rather a humorous notice, under the circumstances. Why, a kitten need not be afraid of the huge machine, or its big wheels, when the fire is out. Satan, who is said to tremble at the sight of a single praying man, might laugh in the presence of some of our churches, for there is no fear of their doing any harm to his kingdom. We must have the steam up if we are to crush the granite, and prepare a highway for our God. The weight of our numbers, and the excellence of our machinery, will go for nothing unless the inward fires are glowing, turning lukewarmness into heat, and impelling every wheel to strong, all-subduing motion.

The steam-roller could do nothing without the stoker, and his coals and fire; and a church can do nothing if love, and fervour, and enthusiasm are not produced in it. It is my longing desire that we may ever be filled with the Divine energy. I see in our congregations, and in our societies, the altar and the wood; but what sacrifice can we offer to the Lord if we lack fire? One of the great uses of a prayer-meeting is to keep the fires burning. By earnest pleadings, we heap on the fuel; and the Holy Spirit comes to us as a heavenly wind, and makes the fire burn vehemently.

There may be wild-fire about, and, if so, I deplore it; but as far as my observation and experience have gone, I am more afraid of the want of fire than of the excess of it. The majority of our brethren are in no danger of becoming fanatical; the danger lies in the opposite direction: they are more likely to have their boilers cold, and their wheels rusted, than to burst with excess of force, or fly to pieces with perilous velocity. At any rate, let us cry for the fire tonight.