PRAYING

POWERFUL PRAYER R.D.Ice

James McGready came to Logan County, Kentucky, in 1796 with the intent of preaching the Gospel. Great difficulty faced him. The French & Indian War had left the Nation in a state of moral collapse. In 1797 McGready made a covenant with God to set aside every 3rd Saturday of the month for prayer & fasting for conversion of the lost in Logan County and the world; and to devote ½ hr every Saturday and on Sunday morning, beseeching God to revive His work. McGready had a deep sense of the divine side of the Kingdom.

You could not find a church on every corner. Those few Christians were without organized worship, and without the Lord's Supper. They did not know they could eat the Supper on their own. And so the offer of a celebration of the Supper would cause some to travel many miles to attend.

Beginning in 1797 through 1800, there was an awakening, an explosion of interest as sinners began to take God and salvation seriously. Amazing things began to happen. When Barton Stone investigated, he identified it as a genuine work of God, although he was shocked by some things. Some things were like the "Airport Revival" in Canada in recent years. People suddenly showed changed lives as they took God up on His offer of salvation.

This led up to the Cane Ridge Revival of 1801 which gave life to what we now call the Restoration Movement. People came on foot, on horses, and in wagons, from as far away as 100 miles. Hundreds were buried with Christ in baptism and the revival spread around the area.

Each Christian - man & woman - has the authority to go to God directly in prayer, asking in Jesus' Name. We have the right to ask God to bless us and meet our needs. Our focus, though, is to praise Him and thank Him for life and hope and salvation!

Note the model prayer in Matt. 6:7-13. God speaks all languages, and He knows beforehand what we will say. So the exact words we use may be our own. He hears His children - which we are.

Paul the apostle was a man of prayer. He prayed for the many he brought to Christ and for the new churches he helped establish. He also taught those Christians to pray for him. "Brethren, pray for us" [1Thess. 5:25]. In his Epistles, Paul requested that believers pray for him in prison and on missionary journeys. He also gave specific request for which they were to pray. He wrote the Corinthians: "you also helping together in prayer for us" [2 Cor. 1:11]. And to the Romans: "Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me" [Romans 15:30].

1. Pray for open doors. Paul wrote: "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I also am in chains" [Col. 4:2-3].

We are to pray that God will open doors of opportunity, doors of ministry, doors of blessing and doors of friendship, and that servants of God will recognize these doors and step through them.

2. Pray for Boldness. "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word" [Acts 4:29; compare Eph. 6:18-19].
Why was boldness so important to Paul? Boldness and courage is needed to confront the opposition of evil. Boldness is needed to overcome the fear of failure. Moving into the unknown future requires boldness.

3. Pray that the Word of God will continue to spread. "Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified, just as it is with you" [2Thess. 3:1]. Satan is always in opposition, hindering the gospel in whatever way he can. Christians have authority to resist the devil, and he will run away from us. [Note James 4:7; Eph. 6:10-18; Romans 16:20.] Closed minds and hearts must be opened to pay attention to the word of God. We should pray about these things.

4. Pray for protection and deliverance. "Pray . . that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith" [2 Thess. 3:2]. Believers prayed for Paul's safety and he was delivered from stonings, shipwrecks, beatings, whippings, mobs and snakebite. God overruled these things and made them work out for the spreading of the gospel [Phil. 1:12-18].

5. Pray the believers will accept the ministry. "Pray . . that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints" [Romans 15:31].
Workers need the hearty welcome and support of the believers. Cooperation, financial support, and emotional support are vital. Christians should be willing to "Amen" the efforts of the workers.

6. Pray for Divine Guidance. "Pray . . that I may come to you with joy by the will of God" [Romans 15:32]. Workers travel and this involves stressful situations: great distances, border crossings, bad weather, robberies, life threatening situations. Pray for protection, provision, timing and permission for things to be able to happen.

7. Pray for Refreshment. Spirits sometime lag and times of refreshment from God's Spirit are needed. Note Paul could feel discouragement when one of his fellow workers did not come to him as expected (2 Cor. 2:13; 7:5-7,13). Paul said: "Then God who lifts up the downcast lifted up our heads and our hearts with the coming of Titus. . . And then we saw how Titus felt - his exuberance over your response - our joy doubled. It was wonderful to see how revived and refreshed he was by everything you did." (Peterson)

* Pray the Scriptures. Pray: 2 Thess. 3:1-5; Col. 4: 2-6; Romans 10:1-3; Eph. 6:17-20; Jeremiah 29:11-13; Psalm 51:10-13; Isaiah 55:1-3; 60:1-5; 61:1-3.


* Praying the Scriptures. R.D.Ice 2-22-04

1. Lord's Prayer - an example. Matt. 6:9-13
Note each translator is trying to express the words of the ancient language to make us understand in the same way that the early church understood.

The KJV uses the stately language of Tyndale in the 16th century.
"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." [KJV]

Petersen uses the language of the college campus to communicate the Message of the Bible. "With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who You are. Set the world right; Do what's best—as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with You and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You're in charge! You can do anything you want! You're ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes." [MsgB] [note: Amen means Yes!]

Jordan wrote to make the Bible understandable to the field hands in the South of the 40s &50s & 60s. He said: "This version puts Jesus and His people in the midst of our modern world, living where we live, talking as we talk, working, hurting, praying, bleeding, dying, conquering, along side the rest of us. It seeks to restore the original feeling and excitement of the fast-breaking news - good news - rather than musty history."

"So here's the way you all should pray: Father of us, O Spiritual One, Your Name be honored. Your Movement spread, Your will prevail through earth, as through the heavens. Grant us sustaining bread each day. Forgive our debts as we forgive the debts of all who cannot pay. And from confusion keep us clear. Deliver us from evil's sway. For You are the Boss. You are in charge. You are full of kindness and integrity. Surely so! Amen." [Jordan]

2. Here are some more examples. Read the scriptures and then the words of the sample prayers.

2 Thess. 3:1-5. "Heavenly Father, we pray that the gospel message will spread rapidly and with honor. May the good news of Jesus, the power of His life and death and resurrection, touch hearts and lives around the world. Guard us from evil, and crush Satan under our feet. We claim the victory in Jesus' mighty Name, Amen."
Col. 4: 2-6. "Almighty God, Holy Father, we lift our voices to You in praise and devotion. We earnestly pray that You will open a door for the word - the gospel message - in the midst of our world with all its confusion and strife. May those who are in chains for the gospel be set free. And may their suffering help to bring glory to You and point others to Your Christ and this wonderful salvation You have given us. May we always walk in wisdom as we relate to our world and all the people in it. Help us to make our speech pleasant and interesting. Help us to give the right answer on every occasion. We want to help others find You. We want to be right with You. We pray in His Name, Amen."

Romans 10:1-3. "Holy Father, we join with the Apostle Paul in praying for the salvation of the Jewish people. We know that some have found Jesus - Jews For Jesus - and others. The first Christians were Jews. We pray for everyone to come to a saving knowledge of the Resurrected Christ. We pray in Jesus' Name, Amen."
Eph. 6:17-20. "Father, we take up the sword of the Spirit - the written word - to battle Satan. And we pray as the Holy Spirit guides us. We pray for each one of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. We pray that the gospel message will be communicated with all confidence and love. May each of us be bold in a holy way as we lift up Christ Jesus in our own lives. We pray through Christ, Amen."

Jeremiah 29:11-13. "Dear Lord, we know You think thoughts of peace and good for each of us, to give us a future and a hope. We know You love us and care for us. You sent Jesus to be our Savior. Teach us to seek You, Heavenly Father, and may we seek You with all our heart. Bless us and save us. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Psalm 51:10-13. "O Lord, create a new heart in each of us! Renew us and give us a steadfast spirit of love and praise. Give us a clean heart; revive us. Give us the holy joy of salvation. You are generous, O Lord, and your grace and mercy are precious to us. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit. We pray through Christ, Amen."
Isaiah 55:1-3. "O Lord, our Lord, we hunger and thirst for Your righteousness. We come with nothing in our hand, knowing that You have provided all things in Jesus Christ our Lord. We claim the everlasting covenant, the sure mercies of David. We confess our sins to You, Lord, and ask You to forgive us and strengthen us. You are high and holy! We lift our hands to You in praise and devotion. Through Christ, Amen."

Isaiah 60:1-5. "Holy Father, we read the words of Isaiah: 'Arise, shine; For your light has come!' Jesus is our light and we know He has come into our world. We pray against all the darkness and evil we see. We pray for the light of Christ to shine into every heart. May we each see the cross of Christ and the power of His resurrection. May He be lifted for everyone to see around our world, in every dark corner of this globe. And may as many as possible call Him Lord and obey the gospel and be saved. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Isaiah 61:1-3. "Dear Lord, You anointed Jesus with Your Holy Spirit. You sent Him to preach good news to the poor; to heal the brokenhearted; to proclaim liberty to those who are captives. Give us beauty for ashes, holy joy in place of mourning. Give us praise in place of heaviness and sorrows. May we become trees of righteousness to Your glory, planted by rivers of living water, O God our Redeemer. We pray in the holy Name of Christ Jesus, Amen."