Pray Network Forum

If you don’t believe we are in need of a spiritual awakening in our nation, you are not obsessed the news networks like I am! Seriously, you cannot live in this nation without some awareness that a movement of God is desperately needed.

Historically, this nation has experienced some powerful spiritual awakenings that have dramatically changed the spiritual climate of society. However, we are perhaps 150 years overdue for another nationwide, saturating awakening.

But there are hopeful signs! Before every great spiritual awakening, there were some common indicators that we’re beginning to see emerge once again. Billy Wilson of Awakening America Alliance shared some encouraging observations with me in an interview.

One of the first signs is an increase in the use of revival and spiritual awakening language. In the past few years, great movements of prayer have been rising up, including alliances of Christian ministries devoted to prayer for revival. Eighteen years ago I wrote my first article on revival. I wasn’t quite sure what it was, but I was aware that there had to be something more to faith in Christ than what I was seeing displayed in the Church. Now the call for revival is becoming commonplace in prayer circles.

Another sign is an increase in the fervency of prayer among the “remnant.” These are the pastors and intercessors who have prayed faithfully and sought God for a greater move of His power in our midst. More and more prayer warriors are joining the ranks of those praying fervently for revival. This is one of the most encouraging and hopeful signs, as almost all revivals have started with less than 12 people praying. God loves to work through a remnant!

As we close in on a desperately needed move of God in our nation, there are two more indicators that will increase just prior to revival breaking out:

• There will be an increase in united, extraordinary prayer. This prayer is passionate, fervent, and repentant in nature—and this is increasing exponentially!
• There will be a restoration of integrity to the pulpit. You will begin to hear greater boldness in messages based on the truth of the gospel, and it will include the message of repentance. Not only will the messengers of the gospel proclaim the integrity of the gospel more clearly, they will also experience their own repentance and transformation. This is something we should all long for our own lives.

Keep your eyes on the horizon. Revival fires are not far away. Keep praying; keep repenting. As we humble ourselves in brokenness, God will draw closer and closer to us. Come, Lord Jesus!

To be honest, when I read of violence like this, my first reaction is to be angry. I'd like to think that anger is righteous anger of the type that Jesus displayed in clearing the temple of the moneychangers, but in my more candid moments I know better. James says that man's anger does not bring about the righteousness of God.

So when I pray over situations like this, I first ask God to cleanse my own heart. I want to feel his grief for both the victims and the perpetrators. That's not an easy prayer; frankly, only God could do that.

Recently, I've begun to "go on the offense" in praying for the persecuted church. I realized that my prayers have been primarily defensive in nature: asking God to fix what was broken, to comfort grieving families, etc. These are important prayers, but for some reason God seems to be leading me to pray more aggressively these days.

In praying for the families of these murdered workers, I've been asking God to do for them what he did for Job - not just to restore what was taken, but many times more than that. I've been praying for an "abundantly more than all we ask or imagine" type of blessing for those impacted by persecution - something that only God could do, something that will bring honor to him by showing both his love and his power.

And in praying for the perpetrators of crimes like this, I've begun to pray for Damascus-road type experiences like Paul had: not just that the persecutors would stop persecuting, but that God would so change them that they become champions of his cause. We know that Paul's conversion caused no small stir in the early church - can you imagine the stir it must have caused among his former allies in persecuting the church? What better display of God's power and saving grace could there be than that he turns around the lives of those who have so set themselves against him?

The church is at war. So yes, I pray for God to protect, to defend, to restore. But more and more these days, I sense God leading me to ask him to take the offense - to break down walls, to change lives, to expand the kingdom. The "armor of God" passage in Ephesians 6 contains both defensive and offensive weapons. I think God is teaching me now that prayer is intended to be the ultimate weapon on both defense and offense. What do you think?

I recently finished re-reading a book that may well be my favorite book on prayer: The God Who Hears, by Bingham Hunter. I really appreciate the premise of the book that prayer begins with God, not with us. God is the one who draws us to prayer; we tend to see prayer as us coming to God when actually it's Him drawing us into His presence.

Hunter begins where prayer really should begin - with who God is. He deals with several aspects of God's character and how they impact our prayers. He asks questions like "If God is all-knowing, what is there to tell him?" and "How do I relate to a God who is Spirit?" He doesn't shy away from the tough ones, either, like "Why pray to a God who lets people hurt?".

I love Hunter's statement that "Prayer is not a means we use to get what we want from God; it's a means God uses to give us what He wants." Praying well, then, starts with understanding what God wants, and that begins with knowing who God is, what He is like, and having a personal relationship with Him. Hunter makes the observation that God responds not to our words but to our lives.

This book is not light reading, but it's the best perspective on prayer that I've ever read. Hunter's understanding of prayer keeps the believer from falling into "prayer fads"; he rejects formulaic approaches to prayer in favor of a relational approach. This is surely the way God meant prayer to be. Hunter sees prayer not as a separate activity but rather as a pervasive part of an overall relationship with God. If I could recommend one book on prayer for everyone to read, this would be it.

Celebrating 50 years (this year) in ministry I can assure you that misunderstandings, mistrust and betrayals are unavoidable. In fact, as odd as it may sound, they are actually part of the plan. After all, if we're to reign with Him, we must first suffer with Him. It's in our suffering that we are conformed into His image.

For resurrection life to exist, something must die. It's not "if I'm ever betrayed". It's "when I'm betrayed". You see, many people blame the devil, when all along it's God who provides our "Judas'".

Why? God provides our Judas' to get us to our crosses. We must take up "our crosses daily and follow Him". Those are the crosses on which we die--to ourselves, our dreams, our desires, self-will and even self-esteem. "Accept" myself? Certainly. "Esteem" myself? Never. God says I'm to esteem others better than myself. Esteem ourselves and in every betrayal, we'll see ourselves as victims and wallow in self-pity. That is not the role of a kingdom Christian. We are more than conquerors!

Let's get to it. As long as we can be offended, God will see to it that we are. It's a measure of our death to self. Spiritual maturity is growing to a place where we are "un-offendable". It's a long-term process. I'd like to live at the place where I can say, "You may grieve me, you may hurt me, but you'll never offend me. I don't 'rent space to people in my brain'." But such maturity isn't easily gotten.

So the question is--what am I to do when others hurt me? Here are three things I notice that Christ did when He was betrayed.

1. Jesus didn't allow His immediate pain to distract Him from His ultimate purpose. He knew who He was and why He was here. He had come to die. Regardless of the pain of His betrayal, Jesus kept His focus. So should we. The enemy wants to distract us. He knows that as long as we're focused on our betrayal or our betrayer, we will never reach our kingdom destinies. We must keep our eye on the prize. No successful football running back focuses on those who are trying to tackle him. His focus is on the goal line!

2. Jesus didn't hate His betrayer. When Judas betrayed Him, Jesus said: "Friend, why have you done this?" Judas was still his friend. Can we say that about those who betray us? Remember, it was Jesus who said we are to love our enemies; bless those who curse us; pray for those who persecute us; and do good to those who despite fully use us. Perhaps these are the three least obeyed commands in Scripture! Paul adds. if our enemies hunger, we're to feed them; and if they thirst, we're to give them drink. Us?

Most of us, who escape the tendency to hate our betrayers, usually opt to ignore or disregard them. This is actually, in one sense, worse than hatred. Why? Because if one hates another, at least he assumes his or her existence!

Understand, we are called to be ministers of reconciliation. That's our God-given assignment. We are to be in the restoration business. Ignoring a broken relationship is ungodly.

3. Jesus didn't drop out of the ministry. The easiest option when one is betrayed is to drop out of the ministry (one's personal ministry, professional or not). Often, church volunteers (i.e. Sunday School teachers, etc.) who become offended often turn in their resignations. Pastors, who are betrayed by churches, often resort to selling insurance, used cars or real estate. The pain of betrayal causes many to turn aside from their heavenly calling.

Not Jesus. He picked up the ear of the high priest's servant and placed it back on his head. You remember, the ear that Peter had cut off with his sword. Why did Jesus do that? He did it for two reasons. First, He knew that the man's wife expected her husband to come home that night with two ears! More importantly, because Jesus was STILL The Healer.

Have you been betrayed? Don't allow your immediate pain to distract you from your ultimate purpose. Don't hate, resent or even ignore your betrayer. Seek reconciliation. And, don't you dare drop out of your ministry--your God-given assignment and calling.

Thank God for your Judas'. You need them. Everyone needs a Judas to get them to their cross!

(More on this and other timely issues in our book:  Intercessors & Pastors: The Emerging Partnership of Watchmen & Gatekeepers, available at:  http://www.prayerbookstore.com/intercessors-and-pastors/  )

PRESS RELEASE
August 2, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Darrel deVille
press@pray-america-pray.org
www.pray-america-pray.org

Dallas Ministry Launches National "Pray, America! Pray!" Campaign
Dallas, TX – August 2, 2010

Shekinah Today Ministries announces the national launch of the “Pray, America! Pray!” Campaign – an urgent call for National repentance and prayer on a massive scale, from the Pulpits, to the Pews, then to the Multitudes.

Darrel and Cindy deVille, founders of Shekinah Today Ministries, believe 2010 is a defining year for America, and God in His abundant mercy, is giving His Church and America a “Window of Time” to respond to His cry for repentance and daily prayer to help change the course of this nation, before it’s too late.

Cindy says, “Like a prodigal, America has been raging down a path of self-destruction, and now our nation hangs in the balance. What we do or don't do as His leaders and people will determine the course of this nation – either the Greatest Awakening ever seen or the fall and destruction of America, including a serious economic collapse, war in the streets and on our shores. I also see a greater persecution of Christians coming if things don’t change. This is very sobering, and we must act now! God is counting on His leaders and people to seize this moment, to humbly unite across the nation, in repentance and prayer, and lead America back to God.”

The founders believe the biblical solution to begin changing the course of America and bring a Great Awakening must include 3 Keys, implemented on a massive scale, locally and nationally:
1. Repentance – beginning with the pulpits of America.
2. Unity through humility – with one heart, in one accord, for one purpose.
3. Prayer – daily focused prayer.

“We see this in 2 Chronicles 7:14, prayer must include repentance and humility, along with unity, being in one accord, as they were before the great outpouring in the book of Acts. All 3 keys are integrated into the National ‘Pray, America! Pray!’ Campaign action plan.” says Darrel.

Shekinah Today Ministries is sending forth an URGENT call to Christian leaders and churches all across America to join them in the “Pray, America! Pray!” Campaign, which is a united effort across denominational lines to call for repentance, daily prayer, and strategic action to help turn America back to God.

The “Pray, America! Pray!” Campaign Plan shows how this can be implemented both individually and corporately on a local and national level. To learn more about this Campaign and how you or your organization can take action today and help bring a Great Awakening to America, visit their website at www.pray-america-pray.org.

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“Why didn’t God answer my prayer?” That was the question posed by the new Christian, although the question is not unique to new Christians. First of all, there is no such thing as unanswered prayer, in spite of the old hymn text by B.B. McKinney. Sometimes, God says “No” or “Wait” but those are answers. When it seems God is not answering we tend to look for reasons. We blame God – “God doesn’t care about me!” We blame others. In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers wrote, “When prayer seems to be unanswered, beware of trying to fix the blame on someone else.” We blame self – “I must not be living right!” We even blame circumstances – “That’s just the way things are right now!” Understanding that God is also present in apparent silence, what ought we to do? Three suggestions: (1) Listen more intently; (2) Walk more closely; (3) Wait more patiently. In Matthew 7:7, Jesus said to “ask,” “seek,” and “knock.” While each of those actions promised response, none of them implied the response would be immediate.

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Recently, I enjoyed the honor of providing teaching and leadership in prayer at the Moody Bible Institute’s Pastors’ Conference in Chicago, Illinois. In addition, I was joined by both my sons, who helped lead worship for the prayer sessions, and my brother, a pastor from Texas, who assisted in the prayer times and co-taught my workshops. It was a great reunion of “the brothers” from two generations.

For over twenty years, MBI has served pastors through this conference with a strong emphasis on biblical teaching and practical training in church leadership. For the last two years, they have allowed me to lead an early morning prayer session for those willing to attend. Last year, it was in an auxiliary auditorium and attracted hundreds of pastors each day. This year, they moved it into the main auditorium and graciously promoted it as a plenary session. Again, hundreds of pastors came each morning as we engaged in powerful sessions of Scripture-fed, Spirit-led, worship-based prayer.

A Bold Decision

I applaud the leadership of MBI for this commitment. Strange as it sounds, it is a bold move, as very few pastors’ conferences today give any priority to extended sessions of prayer. Content is always king. Music is usually paramount. Articulate and dynamic personalities are the draw. Prayer is typically an “opening” and “closing” formality in most cases. Thank God for Moody’s willingness to begin to find the balance we see in Acts 6:4 where the culture of church leadership was marked by a commitment to “prayer and the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). It did not matter who led these sessions at Moody. The victory is in the fact that they existed at all.

The Biblical Ideal of a Young Heart
Last week, after the first morning prayer session, a young man who appeared to be in his early 20’s approached me. He was blessed by the prayer time and asked if I led events like this at other pastors’ conferences. He asked what I felt about the attendance that morning. I told him I was thrilled that 400 or more came. In his idealism, he responded, “I was shocked that all of them did not come. I thought pastors were supposed to be committed to prayer. These are the guys leading our churches. No wonder we are in the condition we are in.” I tried to explain to him that it was an early hour, men were tired and perhaps they had scheduling conflicts. He was not to be deterred. His angst was obvious. I fear his concerns may be more legitimate than I wanted to admit. In all honesty, I had to search my own heart as I wondered if I would have attended if I were not leading the sessions. We all fight the battle of prayerlessness, distraction, and apathy.

Dreaming of a Better, Biblical Balance
As I reflect on the conversation, I do wonder about where pastors really are in their true passion for Christ through prayer. On a broader level, I wonder why pastors’ gatherings, particularly major conferences, feature so much emphasis on information with so little real time dedicated to the actual experience of praying together. As I thought of all the answers that might be proposed, I have decided to leave it up to you, the reader, to draw your own conclusions. Most of my ideas really are not edifying to share in this context.

Rather, I want to take a positive approach and consider what it might look like in the days ahead if major pastors’ gatherings began to move toward a better balance between prayer and the Word. Of course, it could be argued that because prayer is mentioned first in the priorities of the early church leaders in Acts 6:4 (and in the example of Jethro’s three-fold advice to Moses for establishing leadership priorities in Exodus 18:19) that prayer should have a more prominent place than the Word. Realizing this may sound like heresy, I would like to suggest the possibility of equal time: fifty percent prayer and fifty percent preaching. How about one-third prayer and two-thirds preaching? How about one-fifth prayer and four-fifths preaching? Any of the above would be a monumental move toward biblical balance, fresh power, and extraordinary unity.

A Radical Scenario
Imagine with me the possibility of an upcoming national pastors’ conference, held in a major city, conveniently located somewhere in the central U.S. Let’s call it “The Reconfiguration Conference.” The slate is filled with the ten most popular preachers, all with blockbuster books and mega-churches. A half-dozen Grammy Award-winning Christian artists are scheduled to provide the music. No expense has been spared in promoting the conference and every imaginable technological tool has been arranged to make the conference “high-impact.” Thousands of pastors have registered and are beginning to arrive with great expectancy of an experience that will really pump them up.

However, the conference planners encounter a major complication. All ten of the keynote speakers and every one of the musicians slated for the program happen to be in the same city the day before for a different event. That night, the airport in that city is shut down by fog and is projected to remain closed for three days. None of the featured platform personalities can get to The Reconfiguration Conference.

After a stressful night of reconfiguring The Reconfiguration Conference, the organizers step to the platform for the opening session with the shocking announcement. They share, “Due to circumstances beyond our control, none of our speakers or musicians will be able to attend. Nevertheless, God has clearly spoken to us about an even better plan. We have a small, local worship band ready to help us for the next three days – and we are going to spend every session at the feet of Jesus in prayer.“

It is rather fun to imagine the response from the crowd. Would they be disappointed? Thrilled? Angry? Eager? Of course, the real question is, how many would actually stay? What would they do instead?

Imagine the Possibilities!
Imagine if the pastors did stay – with open hearts, eager to seek God’s face, worship in spirit and in truth, and call out in faith to our great God. Consider what could happen if thousands of pastors spent hours together in simple but sincere worship, praying from the Scriptures, following the prompting of the Spirit.

More specifically, think on these possibilities:
• Pastors would discover a fresh spiritual delight and joy in the presence of Christ
• Pastors would find fresh encouragement in the application of God’s Word in the course of praying from the Scriptures for several days
• Pastors would experience an organic and powerful unity, together on their knees
• Pastors would open their hearts to Christ in ways that might cultivate fresh repentance, faith, and commitment to His Lordship
• Pastors would open their hearts to one another, experiencing deep healing and bearing each other’s burdens in a posture of prayer
• Pastors would receive fresh vision and direction from the presence of Christ, even as they did in Acts 13:1-2
• Pastors might find greater reward at the feet of Jesus than they would have in the crowd listening to gifted speakers and talented musicians

It could be the “accidental” beginning of a new day. It might spark a genuine revival. It might ignite a fresh passion for pastors to go home and lead their churches in similar experiences.

Dreaming of a New Direction
It does not hurt to dream, even if you have to create bizarre scenarios to make it work. Yet, this is the kind of dreaming we desperately need if things are going to take an exponential and supernatural step in the “revival” direction.

Yes, I think it can be, should be, and must be. Thank God for places like the Moody Bible Institute, along with other conferences, that imagine these possibilities and take steps to move in that direction. God is able, if we are willing. The world is waiting for a fresh revelation of their only hope – which is Jesus Christ, living through a revived church. May that hope burst forth among pastors all around our nation for Christ’s glory.

Copyright © 2010 Daniel Henderson. All rights reserved.

Brain Washing

Jesus said that we are made clean by the Word. "You are already clean because ofthe word I have spoken to you" (John 15:3). Speaking of the church, He said that He would "make herholy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word" (Ephesians5:26-27). He prayed, "Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth"(John 17:

The first way that Jesus begins to clean us out inside is by speaking His Word inHis present-tense, living voice.When you read the Scripture, when you meditate on the Scripture, and memorizethe Scripture, hear His voice speaking to you. It washes your brain clean.

Soaking in the Scripture lets its living power penetrate into the marrow of yourpersonality, changing every part of you. As the Word pours into you, the truthconfronts lies you didn't even know you believed. It takes lies head on andoverpowers them.

Do you remember the very first video games? There was one called PacMan. I can'tremember what the object of the game was, but I remember a big round head witha mouth overtook little dots and swallowed them up. That's all I remember.Chomp, chomp, chomp. Little dots disappearing into the giant head never to beseen again. That 's my picture of how the living Word works on the inside. Itovertakes and chomps down lies.

The same voice that created the universe in the beginning is speaking to you now.The same Spirit who hovered over the chaos in the beginning and called orderinto being is living in you now. "By the word of the Lord were the heavensmade, their starry host by the breath of his mouth" (Psalm 33:6). He stilldoes His work by His word.

Take the Word in and let it do its work. Expose yourself to all the Word of God youcan, and trust that He will make it effective in your life.

From Life Unhindered! by Jennifer Kennedy Dean

Sometimes you discover a new truth by accident.

That happened to me recently as I was reading through Ephesians. Actually I’ve beenreading and re-reading Ephesians for the last few months. When I read David Powlison’s advicethat we should master Ephesians and be mastered by it because “in apinch you could do all counseling from Ephesians” and “It’s all there:the big picture that organizes a myriad of details,” I decided to goback and make it the focus of my daily Bible reading. So that’s whatI’ve been doing for the last few months. Sometimes I read a few verses,sometimes a chapter or two, sometimes I read the whole book.Occasionally I ponder a single verse.

I’ve been struck repeatedly by how Paul emphasizes the cosmic dimensions of God’s plan. He does itin Ephesians 1 where he talks about God bringing all things togetherunder the headship of Christ (v. 10) and how Christ is now seated farabove all authority and power (v. 21). He does it again in chapter 6when he says that we wrestle against principalities and powers and thespiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (v. 12). Paul sees what happens here on earth as being closely connected to events in the spiritual realm.So with that in mind, I’m reading along in chapter 3 where Paul talksabout how in the church Jews and Gentiles stand on an equal basis, withthe same standing and the same privileges. That’s a tremendous truth tothink about. Then you come to this verse:

“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of Godshould be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenlyrealms” (Ephesians 3:10).

That’s the sort of verse you might read quickly and not think about. But it deserves closer examination. Paul says that God has arranged things so that the church of JesusChrist displays the “manifold” wisdom of God. The word means“many-colored.” Picture a bouquet of multi-colored flowers or a piece offabric with a vast variety of colors, red and pink and blue and brownand green and yellow. I have seen computer programs that promise thatthey can print pictures in “millions of colors.” That’s the idea here.God’s wisdom has many hues, many varieties, and God intends to use thechurch (meaning those of us in the church) to display that wisdom.

Ray Stedman explains it this way:

The word translated manifold here is literally the many-colored wisdom ofGod. Why did the apostle choose this poetic adjective? It is becauselife consists of many colors. We all have blue days. And red hours ofanger and passion. And golden moments of glory. And dark, somber valleysthrough which we must pass. And lush, green pastures into which we aresometimes led. God’s love is manifest in all of these hues of life. Sowhen you go through a blue time, it is God’s love that you are learning.When you go through a dark and pressured time, the love of God is beingmanifested there. You may not see it, but God knows how to make itclear. And even the joyful times are manifestations of the many-coloredwisdom of God.

So far, so good.

But then look at that last phrase. God intends to display his“many-colored” wisdom to “the rulers and authorities in the heavenlyrealms.” That can only be a reference to the angelic beings watchingfrom heaven. When Ligon Duncan preached on Ephesians 3:8-13, he painted this word picture:

The Apostle Paul is saying that God has put you up on the stage of historyand that when you look up into the galleries and into those expensiveboxes you are going to see the angelic powers of heaven, good and evil,because God is putting them in graduate school to learn from you of Hiswisdom and glory. In other words, God is going to display His glory togood angels and bad angels. He’s going to display the wisdom of Hisplan to principalities and powers through you as the church.

Kenneth Wuest offers this succinct summary:

The Church thus becomes the university for angels, and each saint a professor.

Folks, that’s a mind-blowing insight. It’s telling us that what happens to us on earth has a purpose that goes far beyond us personally. God intends to use the events of this life, the good and the bad, thehappy and the sad, the positive and the negative, all of it together andeach part individually, to make a display for all the universe to see.He does it so that the angels scattered across the universe, in alltheir various ranks and orders and levels, will see something of God’swisdom worked out through what happens to us here on earth.

Unanswered Questions

I find this perspective helpful because so much of what goes on around usseems to make little sense. I’m thinking of the heartaches of life, howone person gets cancer and dies while another person is spared cancerand yet another person gets the same cancer, goes through chemotherapyand survives. Why does one child live and another die? Why is one familyhit with a seemingly endless series of trials? Why did this husbanddecide to walk away from his marriage? Why did the car wreck leave thisman crippled but the man next to him walks away unscathed? The list goeson and on and on.

Why was this person promoted and that one passed over?
Why do some people want to get married but never find the right person?

Ephesians 3:10 offers us a unique perspective that we need to consider. I can say it in one simple sentence:

Something big is happening here.

Something much bigger than us.
Bigger than our own personal agenda.
Bigger than anything we’ve ever dreamed.

If we are Christians at all, we know that life isn’t about us.
We’ve heard that for years.

But here is an insight that may bring light on some of those “why” questions.

God intends to use us as a demonstration of his wisdom to a whole galaxy ofangelic beings who watch with great interest as we move through life onour way to heaven. They see us struggle, they watch us grapplewith tragedy, they see us deal with setbacks, they pay attention when wecry out to our Father for “grace to help” in the nick of time. They seein ways we don’t see how God’s plan is moving forward through oursuffering and pain and tears.

Now if this is so–and this seems to be exactly what Paul is inferring in Ephesians 3:10, lots of thingsthat happen aren’t just about us. Something much bigger is going through our struggles in this world. We wouldn’t understand it even if God tried to explain it to us. But we get little hints of it in verses like this.

As I pondered this some more, I remembered that Jonathan Edwards commentedthat in heaven we will spend the vast stretches of eternity marvelingwith other believers about how the wisdom of God was displayed in hisplan to save us and shape us into the image of his Son. When I firstheard that, I thought to myself, “Well, fine. But I think after maybe250 years or so, I’ll have fully covered all the mysteries of my ownearthly journey.” I admit that’s a very human way to look at it, butthat’s what I thought. But suppose God intends to use our life journeyas a canvas on which to paint the richness of his wisdom for the angelicbeings to study. Suddenly that lifts us into a realm of cosmic purposethat will truly stretch across the endless ages of eternity.

I think it means that at some point when we face hard times and when lifemakes no sense whatsoever, we need to stop and say to ourselves,“Something big is happening here." God never wastes anything. Not even the tiniest tear falls without a purpose.

Sometimes we think that life should get easier as we get older. I doubt that is the case for most people. If anything, the mysteries of life become more profound as we realizehow little we understand about why things happen the way they do.

Two people die every second.
But you are not dead.
Why?

Three Quotes

As a means of helping us think about this a little deeper, consider thesethree quotes gathered from very different authors in very differentplaces.

The first quote comes from a pastor who asked the following question, “Where in the Bible did God ever give someone aneasy job to do?” Now we may quibble with the question, but I think thelarger point is quite true. It’s hard to think of anyone in the Bible towhom God gave a truly “easy” job. Now why is that? God puts all of usto the test so that we will be forced to trust in him. If he only gaveout “easy” assignments, we wouldn’t have to trust him very much. Maybewe would conclude we didn’t need him at all. But hard assignments driveus to our knees in prayer.

The second quote comes from a certain TV preacher. A few months ago, while listening to asnippet of a program, I heard him offer this insight: “God will neverbring us to the place where we no longer need him."

And all God’s children said, “Hmmmm.”

That’ll make you stop and think. Down deep there is a part of us that would like to come to a place where we don’t have to trust in the Lord so much. Not that we don’t want to pray, but secretly we’d like to be in such aplace of earthly fulfillment where we didn’t have to pray desperateprayers to the Almighty. It would be wonderful (or so we think) ifthings were going so well that all we had to do was to praise the Lordall day long.

Not going to happen.
Not this side of heaven.

If all our needs were met, we’d end up forgetting God just like the children of Israel did in the Old Testament. Earthly prosperity tends to be no friend of spiritual growth. And total prosperity generally means total disaster. I think thatpreacher was right on in what he said. God intends to bring us again andagain to the place where we are crying out to the Lord, begging for hismercy and his grace.

That’s not a fun place to be.
But it’s where we need to be.
Anything that drives us to our knees is good for the soul.

The third quote comes from my friend Peter who pastors a house church in China. Lastmonth he and his wife came to the U.S. for a special seminar in Dallaswhere they spent a week with leaders from other countries at a fancyretreat center. Peter said it was a very good week, but there was onedrawback. “We had a beautiful room, wonderful meals, and everything weneeded was provided for us. We didn’t even need to pray.”

It’s always easier to pray when we have a consciousness of our own need.While we were with Peter, he prayed powerfully for us and for my wife inparticular who was going through some physical difficulties at thattime. It was a transforming moment to hear this Chinese pastor pray sofervently to the Lord.

So much faith!
So much earnest desire!

Later he told us that the Chinese church has no choice but to pray and askGod for healing. Given the pressures of the last sixty years, the churchhas learned to call upon the Lord fervently. I know I’ve used that wordtwice, but then I think of James 5:16, which in the King James Versiontells us that the “fervent” prayers of a righteous man avail much withGod.

The end of the whole matter is clear. Do not lose heart when hard times come. Something big is happening here.

Something bigger than you can see.
Something bigger than you can imagine.
Something so big that you can’t begin to figure it out.

I believe God brings us back again and again to these times ofdesperation so that we will see that it’s not about us and our problems.God intends to use our trials to teach us to pray and to trust him moreso that (and this is the point of Ephesians 3:10) the angelic beings will behold in us the many-colored wisdom of God.

When we see a fellow saint going through hard times for which there seems tobe no earthly explanation, let us erect over that spot a sign withthese words:

Quiet
God at Work

When I was a teenager, I used to attend country churches where they wouldsing, “We’ll understand it better by and by.” Back then I didn’tappreciate the depth of theology behind that song, but with the passageof many years I see it more clearly now. And in this one verse Paulpulls back the curtain to give us a peek at God’s purposes that we wouldnot otherwise know. As you face the trials of life, keep this truth infront of you and make it a bedrock of your faith:

Something big is happening here.

Proverbs 8:34 “Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.” (NIV)

Believing that God is calling His people to stand watch with Him in prayer during these critical times,America’s National Prayer Committee is calling upon the Lord’s peopleto pray with them for 66 hours of intense intercession and worship,August 26-29, 2010. From 6pm on Thursday, Aug. 26 until Noon on SundayAug. 29, prayer leaders from around the world will gather in KansasCity, MO at the facilities of the International House of Prayer toworship and pray. Live streaming of this event will be seen around theworld, and portions will be seen on GOD TV.

Dave Butts, Chairman of the National Prayer Committee said, “God’s Word is filled with the commandto ‘watch and pray’. This type of intense intercession is increasinglyneeded in a world that seems to be unraveling before our eyes. As thosewho belong to Jesus, we want to proclaim His Lordship over the nationsof the earth, and ask Him to intervene to bring about His purposes inour day.”

There are a number of passages of scripture that call us to this sort of watchful praying:

• Psalm 5:3 “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”
• Luke 21:36 “Be always on the watch, and pray.”
• Isaiah 62:6-7 “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day ornight. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give himno rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of theearth.”
• Habakkuk 2:1 “I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what hewill say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.”
• Micah 7:7 “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”
• Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

The theme that continued to arise during the planning of this initiative was “preparation”. There is astrong sense that God is calling us to the walls of our communities andnations to watch and pray as an act of preparation. It may bepreparation for something that God is going to do that will shake thenations. It may be preparation within the Church, a calling toholiness, purity and repentance. It may even be preparation for theLord’s Return. All we know is that God is calling us to Watch and Prayin order to prepare us, and to prepare the way for something that iscoming. We call on the Church to stand with us in prayer. For more information go to: www.prayerwatch2010.com ;

"Secrets to a Powerful Prayer Culture"

by Daniel Henderson

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• "Be still and know that I am God." I need to get my attention off the bothersome habits of others onto the amazing beauties and stunning glories of our great God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe boring is an opportunity to give God the praise I've been too busy to offer throughout the day.
• Pray for each person as they pray. Ask God to inspire their praying by giving them a deeper hunger and thirst for Spirit-led, worship-fed, corporate-bred praying. It is easy to judge; more difficult to bless.
• Read scriptures. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to a passage related to the prayer focus or simply a passage that you can pray back to the Father as you silently read it. "Father, we seem stuck again on rehearsing our list but I want to pray from Your Word and declare Your intention for us to _____."
• Write a prayer. So, if you've already prayed several times or the focus is stuck in a myopic groove, then write a better prayer. The written prayer of a no-longer-judging person is powerful and effective. Read it silently or alound.
• Prayerwalk. Everyone will think you are going to the rest room so get up and get out. Take a prayerwalk to your child's Sunday school room or to the front door of the church facility and ask God to send the believers out and to bring the lost and lonely in. Or, if all else fails, or simply walk out of the room and take a break to get your mind off the boring prayer meeting for awhile.
• Cover your pastor. Spend time thanking God for your pastor and other leaders. Intercede for their needs; body, soul (mind-heart-will) and spirit. Include their family. Bless them with an increasing vision for a hunger and thirsty for prayer ministry.
• Meditate on a name of Jesus. "Holy Spirit, Your role is to reflect Christ to us; remind me of His greatness and glory." Then as He does, give thanks for this amazing-grace Savior and invite Him to be the center of your lifestyle and the first love of the entire congregation.
• Add "so that" to the end of someone's prayer. Turn a reactive prayer ("Lord, our sister is sick, please heal her") into a proactive prayer (..."Yes Lord, heal our sister so that she can return to her fifth grade Sunday school class and disciple those boys into authentic followers of Christ.").
• Inject a scripture rather than a prayer. As the Spirit leads you to a scripture verse or passage, read it aloud as your prayer, maybe changing pronouns to personalize the word of God into your petition or praise.
• Start a song everyone knows. Sing a chorus or hymn with lyrics directed toward God or relevant to the focus of previous prayers.
• Share a Holy Spirit thought. (Speaking to the group) "As I listen to our prayers and mediate on the scriptures, it seems to me the Lord might want us to go back to our earlier burden about the young people in our community. Let's pray for God to raise up leaders they will respect who can point them to Christ on their campus."
• Cry out . . . Kneel . . . Lay prostrate on the floor . . . Raise holy hands. Use sound or posture to reveal the depth of your burden or joy.

Are Your Prayers God-Centered?

Kingdom Prayer Perspectives from John 17:1

By J. Chris Schofield

Office of Prayer, BSCNC

www.praync.org

Intro

One day while preparing to speak at a conference I went into a small Sunday school classroom to pray. As I sat in a chair and prayed I scanned the room and noticed that numerous prayer requests were listed on a white board. I thought it was interesting that all the prayer requests on the white board were focused on upcoming health tests and various physical needs in people’s lives. In fact, none were focused on spiritual issues or the Father and His work in the circumstances of these people’s lives.

Through the years I have observed that we often spend much of our time praying toward temporal issues that are focused on our circumstances and desires. The reality is that if North America is to be penetrated with the Gospel, our prayers will need to focus on our Father and His purposes and desires. Jesus shows us how to pray toward the Father in John 17:1.

John 17:1-Focusing on the Father and His Desires

“…Father, the hour has come: glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you…”

The “high priestly” prayer of John 17 takes place in Jesus’ passion during the last week of His earthly life. Despite these intense circumstances, His prayer was focused on the Father and His mission being fulfilled.

The God-centeredness of Jesus’ prayer is first seen with the use of the term “Father” in verse 1.[1] Jesus shows us that prayer is relational and is not just something we just do, like a ritual or task. He is modeling the principal that intimacy with the Father is essential as we pray.

The phrase “the hour has come,” points to Jesus’ awareness of the significant times that were near. He was sensitive to the Father’s hour. Jesus was praying with a view toward what the Father was accomplishing in His world. Are we praying toward the Father’s hour in our world?

Jesus’ prayer “Glorify the Son, that the Son may glorify Thee” demonstrates selfless praying. His desire is that all would recognize who the Father was through His own glorification.[2] His act of obedience in surrendering to the cross allows for the completion of the work of the Christ beyond that event. As Jesus is glorified, the lost world is redeemed and the Father is ultimately made known as His followers tell the story of the Christ down through the ages (see John 17:20). Warren Wiersby correctly comments, “We glorify our Father in heaven by being what Jesus told us to be: salt in a decaying world and light in a dark world (Matt. 5:13-16).”[3] God-centered praying produces passionate and effective witnesses-- It did then and it will now!

How then shall we pray?

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus answered, ^“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment.” We know this and we want to obey, but what does whole-hearted devotion look like?

There is much media attention given to physical heart care – do this exercise, eat this healthy diet, take this medication to keep that ever rising cholesterol in check and on it goes to prevent heart attacks, keep us healthy, and give us long lives.

Exercise and diet are also important to strengthen our spiritual hearts against distractions that try to upset our total devotion to Jesus. Romans 12:2 reinforces that whole-hearted devotion includes our mind, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is.”

We renew our minds by hunger for God’s word and the discipline to consume it daily as a regular diet. Also, James 1:22 warns us not to delude ourselves by being just hearers of the word, we are obey God’s word through the exercise of living it out. Read Romans 12:9-21 for a great check list to allow God to point out areas that need improvement, and to hone your skills for living out whole-hearted devotion as a way of life.

The reward personally and the impact culturally is worth the investment of our time. Let’s pray Psalm 86:11, “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.”

Elaine Helms is a prayer leader at the North American Mission Board, SBC. Visit www.namb.net/PrayerConnection.

Do you ever get distracted when you are praying? What do you do to bring your mind back to conversation with God?