EXPOSE | True prayer is potent
“Prayer is the one prime, eternal condition by which the Father is pledged to put the Son in possession of the world… The praying ones are the channels through which the Son of God takes possession of the world which His Father has given Him for His inheritance.” – E.M. Bounds, mid-1800s author, attorney, and member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South clergy
EXPLORE | Struggling to pray
I can probably only get through 2-3 paragraphs of E.M. Bounds’ writings on prayer in one sitting. They are so rich, so deep, even overwhelming; I can’t handle much more of that at a time.
For me, it is a glimpse of clarity into the far-reaching implications of what Jesus and Paul meant by praying. Like, actually praying. The contrast between how they prayed and how I pray is, well, embarrassing.
I have had the pleasure and conviction of being in the presence of people who could really pray. And by ‘really pray’, I am not necessarily referring to passion, or length, but power. That power came from their being, as Bounds describes, a channel by which the Spirit of God causes His Words to be audible.
God’s Words are released through the heart of a person who really knows how to pray.
In the mid-1990s, I attended graduate school at Moody Bible Institute. There were several students in our class that were from other countries. We had a few students from China, but one, in particular, was an elderly man who longed to better understand God’s Word and made his way to America to attend Moody.
I distinctly remember his beginning humbly, but gradually increasing in volume and intensity by the time he finished praying. It was as though you were witnessing both his receiving what God would have him pray and then proclaiming it with the confidence of it being given to him directly from God.
You can tell how much of the Bible someone has absorbed by how they pray. Years of absorption of God’s Word would pour out in prayer from my fellow student from China.
It brings to mind that saying, when someone says they have 20 years of experience, but what is really the case is that they have one year of experience repeated 20 times. They learned the job, perform to expectation, then leveled off. Either nothing more is required, or there wasn’t the desire or motivation to go beyond what they had to do.
Does the number of years that you’ve been a Christian reflect the quality and potency of your praying?
What happens when you pray?
Of course, we get better or at least more serious with our praying when we have to pray well–when things get hard and messy–which strips prayer down to its essence: an attentive heart filled with the Holy Spirit.
“What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use — men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men, men of prayer.”
E.M. Bounds
It can be a struggle just to pray, let alone pray with biblical veracity.
A former colleague of mine wrote a book on this very issue. In “When Prayer Is a Struggle: A Practial Guide for Overcoming Obstacles in Prayer“, Kevin Halloran provides a guide for us in our struggle with prayer. Three points I recommend we embrace are that:
- We accept that the struggle to pray is normal. It shouldn’t be a surprise, nor should we be immediately concerned. Many Christians struggle with prayer at different times in their lives, for different reasons, so we need to accept that reality and that this struggle is not a sign of weak faith or spiritual failure. Kevin emphasizes that “we should not be ashamed to admit our struggles with prayer, but should seek to address them honestly and with the help of the Holy Spirit.”
- We need to identify the root causes of the struggle. Acknowledging the struggle and being honest with God about it are the first steps. But don’t leave off this important next step, which is to identify the root causes. Kevin points out that this could include “distractions, busyness, guilt, and spiritual warfare.”
- We develop a plan to address the root causes. Now comes the turning point. Having identified and presented the cause to God, His leading will direct us to the path we are to take to eliminate, or at least mitigate, the cause of our struggle(s).
This path of praying biblically rides on the rails of what He has revealed to us in His Word.
“In other words, God’s Word shows us both what to pray and how to pray. The Bible offers us countless examples of prayer—spanning both Old and New Testaments—that we can adopt as our own prayers to God. And the Bible also provides us with biblical principles that inform how we should approach God in prayer. As examples, consider the prayer life of Jesus in the Gospels and the prayers of Paul throughout his epistles.”
Jonathan Welch, the managing director of The Summit Institute (TSI)
EXECUTE | Breakthrough to praying biblically
I became a Christian in 1986. When I listen to myself pray, I sometimes feel as though I have one year’s experience, 37 times. If someone were to guess how long I was Christian based on how I pray, they very likely wouldn’t guess 37 years.
Simply put, if the Bible is “going into us”, that is what should “come out of us”–in the way we speak, the way we live, and the way we pray.
D.A. Carson has written an article on what a gospel-centered prayer looks like. I believe he provides us with a good place to start as we pivot to praying biblically. Now, I don’t want you to think that I think you’re not already doing that. As is the case with most things that I post, I am simply writing what I need to hear and sharing it with you in case it is helpful. So, think of this as me, helping me. =)
In the article, Carson points us to Phillippians 1 and what I would describe as our first set of pillars on which to build out our framework for praying biblically. In verses 9-11, Paul says that whenever he prays for the Phillippians, he prays specifically for five things: abounding love, knowledge and insight, what is best, purity, and the fruit of righteousness.
“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”
Phillippians 1:9-11
If we were to take these “pillars” and list at least 3 corresponding verses under each, we would have 15 verses we could pray that follows the very prayer Paul prayed for the Phillippians. We would be using the Bible to pray biblically.
The next time you’re asked to pray, imagine being able to pray this for the person or situation you’re asked to pray for: “…that they would abound in love that is patient and kind, doesn’t envy or boast, is not arrogant or rude, doesn’t insist on their own way, is not irritable or resentful, won’t rejoice at wrongdoing, but instead rejoice in the truth, and bear, believe, and hope all things because God’s love for us, and through us, will endure all things.” (based on 1 Cor. 13:1-7)
I’ve collected several comments on praying biblically that will give us both the right motivation and direction in our building on those pillars from Phillippians 1:
The struggle is real
I want to be sure to include what Kevin Halloran offered by summarizing it here. We can work through the struggle to pray by persisting in the following tactics: set aside time for prayer, use a prayer journal, meditate on Scripture, and even seek accountability and support from other believers.
Focus on God’s glory
In his book “Desiring God,” John Piper recommends praying with a focus on God’s glory, being humble before Him, and seeking His will. He emphasizes the importance of praying in Jesus’ name and being persistent in prayer.
Center on God’s Will
John MacArthur recommends that prayers should be centered on God’s will and purposes, rather than our own desires. He encourages praying for the salvation of others, for the spread of the Gospel, and for wisdom and strength to follow God’s plan.
Seek God’s presence
In his book “The Believer’s Secret of the Abiding Presence,” Kevin Hollaran emphasizes the importance of a deep and personal relationship with God through prayer. He encourages Christians to seek God’s presence, to pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and to be honest and transparent in prayer.
Build a close relationship with God
C. S. Lewis, in his book “Mere Christianity,” says that prayers should be focused on building a closer relationship with God. That would include things like confessing our sins, expressing gratitude for God’s blessings, and asking for help in growing in our faith.
Believe in your prayer
George Mueller was a well-known Christian evangelist and missionary who emphasized the importance of faith and prayer. If you read anything about his orphanage and how God provided, you would see that there was no doubt when he prayed. He prayed with persistence and faith, believing that God will answer our prayers–but in His own time and way.
Root your praying in Scripture
I attend The Orchard, which is led by Pastor Colin Smith. He recommends that our prayers should be rooted in Scripture, and that we should pray for God’s guidance and wisdom in understanding His Word. He also emphasizes the importance of praying with faith, and trusting in God’s goodness and sovereignty.
Pray with humility
The Puritans were a group of English Protestants who emphasized the importance of prayer and devotion in the Christian life. Thomas Watson, John Bunyan, and Richard Baxter, all recommended praying with sincerity and humility, confessing our sins, and seeking God’s guidance and wisdom in all things. They also emphasized the importance of persistence in prayer and trusting in God’s faithfulness.
The desire we have to pray biblically, as a way to seek God’s guidance, wisdom, and presence in our lives, requires sincerity, humility, persistence, and trust in God’s goodness and sovereignty.
As Halloran notes, prayer is a “privilege and a joy”, that, as Jesus models, is a crucial part of our becoming increasingly dependent on the Father so that our lives reflect the mind and heart of the Father.
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Further reading:
What gospel-centered prayer looks like
How to pray the Bible
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash