From the Pastor's Pen - May

As we prepare to celebrate the National Day of Prayer this week, I wanted to take a couple of minutes to reflect on prayer. E. M. Bounds says, “We can do nothing without prayer.” Therefore, if we want to see something happen, we must begin to pray.

In prayer, we are invited to petition the creator of the universe, who in turn moves on our behalf. Prayer is one of the most powerful tools that God has ever given to the Church – and it is one that we rarely use to its full potential. So here are a few thoughts on prayer:

1. When we pray, we need to pray specifics. When we pray in broad, general terms, there i no real way to measure if God has answered our prayer. Instead, we need to pray for the specific needs that we see around us.

2. We need to recapture the idea of praying the promises. Consider for a moment the implications of the promise of John 14:12. As one pastor said, we simply need to read the red and pray for the power. There are many more promises; we just need to get them in our heart and on our lips.

3. There are many types of prayer, and we need to pray all types of prayer. a. Arrow/breath prayers – a quick prayer for someone we see in passing. b. Need prayers –both for you and for others. c. Regular daily prayer time. (these three are by no means an exhaustive list.)

4. Don’t pray later when you can pray now. When someone asks for prayer, pray now. You might not remember to pray later.

5. There is greater power when prayer is tied to fasting and self-denial.

6. Prayer is conversation. Don’t make it single-sided; take time to be quiet before the Lord and listen for his voice.

7. Pray as you are, not as you are not. Just be yourself.