Practical Prayer Helps

“That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.” 1 John‬ ‭1:3-4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

C. Gore observed, “the object of prayer is not to inform God; but it is to train us in habits of personal intercourse with God, of personal sonship toward Him. We are made for sonship [and “daughtership”]—sonship is personal correspondence, personal and intelligent cooperation with God. It is a gradually increasing power of familiarity with God; of intercourse with Him, of approach toward Him as person to person. Thus, prayer is made necessary for us, simply in order that by this necessity for praying, for asking, we may be as it were, constrained again and again to come before God, and by asking, familiarize ourselves with Him; and as we ask, and as we receive, grow into correspondence with God our Father.”

Charles Cook concluded that “fellowship with the Father, and with His Son, has a transforming power. By the process of prayer, the image of Christ in us grows. God is making a race of men like his Son. Prayer is one of His ways of doing the work. “

“For whom He [God the Father] foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:29 NKJV

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,  keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 20,21).

A century ago an unidentified Brethren writer gave this word of encouragement:

“Through the Lord Jesus, every true believer is united to God in heaven by a life-link. We are not praying down here on earth to One who is a long way off in heaven. We are one with Him there and He is one with us here! The devil is all the time, trying to create a sense of distance between us and the Lord, but there is no distance between if we abide in Christ, for no one can be closer to the Father than the Son, and we are in Him!”

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing …  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you[b] will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:4,5,7)

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Phil. 1:9-11).

“We know not what we should pray for, as we ought, neither what, nor how to pray. But here [in the Bible] is the Spirit’s own inspired utterance, and, if the praying be molded on the model of His teaching, how can we go astray? Here is our God-given liturgy and litany—a divine prayer book. We have here God’s promises, precepts, warnings, and counsels. Not to speak of all the Spirit-inspired literal prayers contained therein; and, as we reflect upon these, our prayers take their cast in this matrix. We turn precept and promise, warning, and counsel into supplication, with the assurance that we cannot be asking anything that is not according to His will, for are we not turning His own word into prayer?” A.T. Pierson in George Mueller of Bristol

As we use God’s Word in our prayer conversation with Him, we will gain assurance (1 John 5:14,15), and cultivate prayer as personal, spiritual conversation.

“I will praise You, For You have answered me,
And have become my salvation…

I have declared my ways, and You answered me;
Teach me Your statutes.” Psalm 118;21; 119:26

J.B.W.

by H. C. G. Moule

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:14-19 NKJV).

Intercessory prayer goes out to the Lord, and asks Him in His own way to act in the lives of others. Paul prayed that the Spirit might so work in the Ephesian Christians, the Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith, and that they would be filled with all the fullness of God.

At the same time, intercessory prayer brings blessing on the person praying. Henry Martyn found that in times of spiritual dryness and depression, praying for others brought him renewal.

Intercessory prayer is a deeply practical acknowledgment that to God, all hearts are open; that He holds the key of all wills and lives; that He can make everything work together for His glory and our good in Jesus Christ.

Such prayer witnesses to the Christian’s union with Christ; and, living oneness with the heavenly Intercessor is a strong encouragement to our intercession. It also witnesses to our union with our brothers and sisters in Christ and with everyone else as potentially such.

Some great permanent subjects for intercession are

• the world,
• the church,
• the country,
• the home,
• the school …

If we are asked by individual friends to remember them in prayer, let’s turn this into definite prayer to God. Intercessory prayer must also enter into the work which we do for others in and for the Lord.

Let’s be like Epaphras, “always wrestling in prayer” that the Colossian Christians might “stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured” (Col. 4:12). Or like Paul in prison, praying for his converts, individually, in intense and tender detail (Philemon v. 4).

–The Prayer Adventure, edited by Jean Watson

The famous prayer for peace is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi (c. 1182 – 1226).

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love…”

In Prayers That Live (p. 9), Frank.Colquhoun contrasts the sorrows of this world with the believer’s testimonial intercession:

“It is a world where there is hatred: bitterness, strife, bloodshed; a world, where people suffer injury through injustice and oppression; a world, where discord reigns within families, communities, churches, nations; a world where doubt of God’s love and mercy and very existence leads to despair, the despair of those for whom life has no meaning, no purpose, no future; so there is darkness of the mind and spirit, and, with it, sadness of heart.

“In such a situation, we pray that the Lord may make us instruments of His peace. We are asking Him to use us in a ministry of compassion and healing, reconciliation and renewal, of encouragement, and consolation. We can exercise such a ministry only by being His instruments, and bringing into the life of mankind the positive qualities detailed in the prayer [of St Francis]. And the first and greatest of these is love.”

May we intercede for peace while abiding Christ. Then our prayers and our lives will be mutual petitions for peace.

JBW

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him…Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 3:17; 4:2).

A prayer by F. B. Meyer:

“In my daily calling, make me diligent in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. May I do my work, not for the wages I make it, nor to secure a promotion–but so as to please You, O Lord.  May it be the one object of my daily striving to do all to the glory of God–not with eye service, as pleasing men; but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord; doing the will of God, as it is indicated in the circumstances of my life, and looking for my reward from your hand, O Divine Master!”

“Jesus’ own life was an example of praying persistently.

At times, Jesus was up before dawn for extended prayer with the Father. “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35).

On another occasion, He prayed the entire night through. “Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12).

In addition to His rich private prayer life, Jesus prayed regularly in public as well. “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes…Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them… Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me”(Matthew 11:25; Luke 9:16; and John 11:41-42).

If Jesus, the Son of God prayed habitually, how clearly we are to do the same.

by Bob Hoekstra
Day by Day by Grace

A quote from Andrew Murray

“Before prayer, it is God‘s word that prepares me for it, by revealing what the Father has bid me ask.

In prayer, it is God‘s word that strengthens me by giving my faith its warrant and its plea.

And after prayer it is God‘s word that brings me the answer when I have prayed, for in it the Spirit gives me to hear the Father’s voice [His Word and His “whisper”].

Prayer is not monologue but dialogue; God’s voice in response to mine is its most essential part. Listening to God‘s voice is the secret of the assurance that He will listen to mine.”

“Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.” (Lamentations 3:41)

The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is a very salutary lesson for such proud beings as we are. If God gave us favors without constraining us to pray for them we should never know how poor we are, but a true prayer is an inventory of wants, a catalogue of necessities, a revelation of hidden poverty. While it is an application to divine wealth, it is a confession of human emptiness.

The most healthy state of a Christian is to be always empty in self and constantly depending upon the Lord for supplies; to be always poor in self and rich in Jesus; weak as water personally, but mighty through God to do great exploits; and hence the use of prayer, because, while it adores God, it lays the creature where it should be, in the very dust.

Prayer is in itself, apart from the answer which it brings, a great benefit to the Christian. As the runner gains strength for the race by daily exercise, so for the great race of life we acquire energy by the hallowed labour of prayer. Prayer plumes the wings of God’s young eaglets, that they may learn to mount above the clouds. Prayer girds the loins of God’s warriors, and sends them forth to combat with their sinews braced and their muscles firm. An earnest pleader cometh out of his closet, even as the sun arises from the chambers of the east, rejoicing like a strong man to run his race [Psalm 19:5]. Prayer is that uplifting hand of Moses which routs the Amalekites more than the sword of Joshua [Exodus 17:10]; it is the arrow shot from the chamber of the prophet foreboding defeat to the Syrians [2 Kings 13:17]. Prayer girds human weakness with divine strength, turns human folly into heavenly wisdom, and gives to troubled mortals the peace of God. We know not what prayer cannot do!

We thank You, great God, for the mercy-seat, a choice proof of Your marvelous lovingkindness. Help us to use it aright throughout the day!

Charles H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, (October 11 Morning).

“And the king’s servants said to the king [David], ‘We are your servants, ready to do whatever my lord the king commands.’” 2 Samuel 15:15

Spirit-led prayer requires us to fully yield to God’s good, acceptable and perfect will.

“Begin at once; before you venture away from this quiet moment [of prayer], ask your King to take you wholly into His service, and place all the hours of the day quite simply at His disposal, and ask Him to make and keep you ready to do just exactly what He appoints. Never mind about tomorrow; one day at a time is enough. Try it today, and see if it is not a day of strange, almost curious peace so sweet that you will be only too thankful, when tomorrow comes, to ask Him to take it also, –– till it will become a blessed habit to hold yourself simply and “wholly at Your commandment for any manner of service“… “Ready“ implies something of preparation, –- not being taken by surprise. Let us ask Him to prepare us for all that He is preparing for us.”
– F. R. Havergal

This is consistent with the Lord’s model prayer:

“Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9,10

May we echo the eager commitment King David’s servants had as we pray in the name of the King of kings.