Tuesday, March 25, 2008

A great workshop tackles a glorious subject

This week we're headed to the International Soul Winning Workshop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We're excited about it because the theme this year is "Prayer: Our Declaration of Dependence."

It all begins on Thursday, March 27th and ends on the 29th at the Tulsa Fairgrounds. Our Prayer Ministry makes the trip each year, sets up a display booth (along with hundreds of others) and invites attendees to our own Prayer Enrichment Workshop in the fall.

Although we go each year, this trip will be special. Why?

Because of the emphasis on prayer. We're excited about it because everything good starts with a prayer.

Don't believe it? Note what Jesus' own brother said about it: "Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights..." (James 1:16-17 NIV).

Then he said, "You do not have, because you do not ask God." (James 4:2b NIV).

Wow! That's short and pointed. Without prayer, we lack. With it, we soar. Doesn't that make you want to learn more about these amazing promises?

See you at Tulsa.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Why so much talk about prayer?

How did I get so sold on emphasizing prayer in kingdom work?

For one thing, I couldn't understand the gap - you know, the contrast between the spiritual deadness I saw in some of today's churches and the spiritual power of believers in the New Testament.

And another thing bothered me - how quick we are to divide and split churches over almost any issue. In a book called Free In Christ, Cecil Hook lists 100 issues, big and small, that have divided Christians in the Restoration Movement (others have listed even more).

Whether you agree with the book or not, you have to acknowledge that we are a divided people. And our divisions are growing each day.

So, what's the answer? Prayer. (Actually, God is the answer, but prayer is the access to His throne of grace.)

Here's why I think prayer is that important. When the great apostle Paul uncovered deep divisions in the Corinthian church, he pointed out the root cause:

"You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?" (1 Corinthians 3:3 NIV).

The word his uses in the Greek isn't "worldly" but "fleshly" or of the flesh. In other words, he's contrasting the spiritual man and the man who lives a world-oriented life in the flesh. Yes, even born-anew Christians can do that. (If you read the whole section from 1 Corinthians 2:6 through 3:17, you'll see his complete argument.)

He also said they couldn't understand spiritual things, spiritual wisdom or spiritual power. "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV).

His phrase "the man without the Spirit" is actually psuchikos de anthropos in the Greek language - or "man of the soul". This means the man who operates from what he thinks in his mind or feels in his emotions, rather than being led by the Spirit of God.

So, our unspiritual nature stands convicted as the root cause of our deadness and petty divisions. We must grow spiritually if we want to overcome these. It isn't a matter of being a better debater or propping up dying churches with the latest religious fad. It means falling on our faces before a holy God and repenting of our careless and misguided attempts at humanly-constructed "spirituality".

It also means being "led by the Spirit" (Romans 8:14) and letting that Spirit of sonship cry out to our Abba, Father through us.

Question. Is there any way to be spiritual (of the Spirit) without prayer? Is there any way to truly know God the Father without prayer?


Sunday, March 16, 2008

Why prayer and revival are twins

Here's a website about prayer and revival that I find fascinating... www.evanwiggs.com/history.html.

It'll give you insights (maybe sometimes disturbing ones) into how revival happens, and the link between prayer and spiritual renewal.

Here's a recap of one of the stories:

Off the western coast of Scotland, a powerful revival arrived during 1949-52.

One convert was Donald, a fifteen-year-old boy who became one of the most amazing intercessors in the area.

The preacher, Duncan Campbell, visited the boy’s home one day and found him on his knees in the barn with his Bible open.

When interrupted he quietly said: "Excuse me a little, Mr. Campbell, I'm having an audience with the King."

Powerful outpourings of the Spirit would occur when this boy prayed.

Once in the police station in Barvas he stood up, simply clasped his hands together, and uttered one word - "Father." Everyone was melted to tears as the Presence of God invaded the house.

And in Bernera, a small island off the coast of Lewis, as Duncan Campbell was preaching, the atmosphere was heavy and preaching difficult, so half way through his sermon he stopped.

Just then he noticed this boy, visibly moved and praying. Leaning over the pulpit he said: "Donald, will you lead us in prayer?"

The boy rose to his feet and in his prayer referred to the fourth chapter of Revelation: "Oh God, I seem to be gazing through the open door. I see the Lamb in the midst of the Throne, with the keys of death and of hell at His side."
He began to sob; then lifting his eyes toward heaven, cried: "O God, there is power there, let it loose!"

With the force of a hurricane the Spirit of God swept into the building and the floodgates of heaven opened.
(See more at http://www.evanwiggs.com/revival/history/hebpray.html).

When I read such accounts, I know that the awesome manifestations of God's work on earth wouldn't happen without hidden heroes of prayer.

Friday, March 14, 2008

How to pray through the guilt

When it comes to prayer, guilt makes cowards of us all. It can drain the juice right out of an otherwise lively prayer. Feeling like an impostor, I'm afraid I don’t deserve God’s ear.

But I get encouraged when I see a man like Jacob pray boldly in the face of a long list of reasons why guilt should’ve intimidated him. Born into one of the richest families in the ancient east, Jacob’s nature (and even his name – “heel-grabber”) leaned toward the dishonest. His con-artist ways soon merged with his own mother’s shady disposition, so they tricked Esau out of his inheritance rights as the older brother.

But this trick soon soured Jacob’s enire life. Esau vowed to kill him, so mother sent Jacob away to their equivalent of the witness protection program – living with relatives in another country. Now penniless, Jacob hiked hurriedly toward a shadowy future with distant relatives. As far as he knew, his future was history.

Yet at this low point, Jacob encounters the God of his ancestors. Jehovah arrests the broken young man as he’s running from his past, trying to get some restless sleep on a pile of rocks.

Note the covenant language: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you… the land on which you are lying. I will bring you back to this land.” (Genesis 28:13 NIV)

Armed with this amazing promise, Jacob slowly builds a life among his mother’s relatives, and even regains much of his wealth. But just when Jacob starts enjoying a little affluence in his new life, God speaks again: “I am the God of Bethel… Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land. (Genesis 31:13 NIV)

Jacob wants to return, but he's married to his guilt and the offspring of the wedding is fear. How will he ever deal with Esau's violent hatred? Stirring up his faith, Jacob decides to obey and head home.

But once on the road, something happens that resurrects his dying fears; Jacob gets word that Esau is coming toward his caravan with 400 men! His heart sinks. Why does Esau need 400 men just to welcome him home? It’s clear what Esau intends to do.

In this blood-chilling circumstance, Jacob’s guilt must’ve laid heavily on his chest each time he tried to breathe. All he could cling to now was Jehovah's word. Quieting his guilt and grounding his prayer in the covenant agreement, Jacob calls God into account for what He has promised, challenging Him to stand behind His own words – “O LORD, who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper…’ Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau… “ (Genesis 32:9-12 NIV)

And the answer came: “Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.”

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Why aren't more prayers answered?

Isn't that the killer question about prayer... "why don't my prayers get answered?"

A woman once asked me that right after I taught a prayer seminar on a ship in the Caribbean. Her husband had recently died with cancer, even though she strenuously prayed for him to live. It was a tough question, and I wasn't sure how to answer it.

But later when I took the time to investigate the question in Scripture, I found scores of reasons why prayers go unanswered.

Here's one of the most disturbing reasons I found: every prayer I pray is filtered through my spirit.

If I'm spiritually unhealthy, my prayers arrive at the Father's throne infected. They appear shredded and beyond recognition. Dead on arrival.

That's why the Spirit said through Isaiah, "When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen... Take your evil deeds out of my sight!" (Isaiah 1:15-16 NIV).

And it's why Jesus ended his amazing teaching on faith and prayer by saying, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him..." (Mark 11:25 NIV).

Don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to blame hurting people for their own predicament. I'm pointing out a key to understanding the dynamics of prayer... Unanswered prayers aren't God's fault.

As long as I blame God for not hearing me... then I've shut down all my options. Blame God, and where else can I go for help?

Prayer (which is conversation with God) is still a human activity and subject to errors and misunderstandings.

Which means, I still have lots of homework to do before my prayer life reaches the next level.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Why did they pray so much?

Read books about prayer and you'll find stories of people who prayed hour after hour and seemed obsessed with prayer.

E.M. Bounds, a Chaplain during the Civil War, wrote about such people (read anything you can find by Bounds). In his book called Power Through Prayer, he told about John Welch, a Scottish preacher, who thought his day was wasted if he didn't pray eight to ten hours.

And Bounds told about Charles Simeon who prayed from 4:00 until 8:00 AM each day. And John Wesley, who prayed two hours each day, beginning at 4:00 AM. And John Fletcher who prayed so much that he stained the wallpaper in his room with his warm breath as he leaned against it night after night.

Remarkable! But why did these people pray so much? Was it from some warped legalistic psyche? Were they trying to earn something? Didn't they understand grace? Were they obsessed? (Or obsessive-compulsive?)

I think they prayed that much for a simple reason... they wanted to.

And I think Jesus would approve. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed" (Mark 1:35 NIV).

Jesus "scheduled" his prayer time... early, often and at length. "One of those days Jesus went out on a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God." (Luke 6:12 NIV). After praying all night long, he chose the Twelve.

I wonder if those who seem abnormally obsessed with prayer (conversation with God) actually appear normal to Him?

Thursday, March 6, 2008

How to mutilate a prayer

I've begun to be careful about asking others to pray for me. At least, I've started editing the people/groups I want praying for me or mine.

Here's why. Sometimes when we ask others to pray for us, they agree, and then immediately sabotage their own prayers.

Here's how it works. They pray, "Lord, please help ______ to get well..." (or whatever the request) and then they proceed to cut the heart out of their prayer with their own tongue:

"I just heard _____ has a terrible disease... he probably won't make it... I had a cousin who died with that disease within weeks of the diagnosis... nobody ever recovers from that...", etc.

I know what you're thinking. At least they're praying. Does it really matter what they say in casual conversation?

Well, Solomon said, "Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed." (Proverbs 11:11 NIV).

And, "The tongue has the power of life and death..." (Proverbs 18:21 NIV).

Maybe that's why James, one of Jesus' brothers, said that the tongue can set the whole course of a person's life "on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." (James 3:6 NIV).

Strong words! These wise people knew that the human tongue operates the levers - to either bless or curse. And the tongue can mutilate a prayer until it's beyond recognition.

That's why I'm trying to discipline my tongue to agree with my prayers. I agree with King David: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD... Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips." (Psalm 19:14 & 141:3 NIV).

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

What on earth in heaven's name is a blog?

It's the ugliest word in English - blog (I'm told it's short for web log).

But, blogs have changed everything. Now anyone with the proverbial axe can spout off about almost anything. Do we really need another blog in the blogosphere?

No, but this one may be different. It'll look at all sides of a powerful dynamic - what is prayer and why are we (no matter what religion) so fascinated by it?

So, let's start by looking at this top-of-the-list troubling question about prayer... if God cares and prayer really works, why do so many prayers go unanswered?

Could it be that prayers go unanswered because God is waiting on us? In some way, are we are sabotaging our own prayers?

I just wrote a book about that subject - "Why God Waits For Us To Pray."

Let me know what you think. And how you deal with these puzzling conundrums about prayer...

Thanks for reading.