Earlier today outside a circuit court hearing, a mother wept as the judge handed down the 10-year sentence to her son. The young man told his mom he didn’t want her in the chamber when the deputies escorted him from the courtroom. The Christian sister has a broken heart.
As they advance past middle age, life is not unfolding as they planned. There will be no early retirement traveling to warmer climates, helping to carpool the grandchildren, or sharing in a mid-week Bible study. This Christian brother and sister are weary from the race, yet so much of the race remains.
He keeps it all inside. At 16 he has no true friends. His parents push and push to meet expectations he cannot attain, and his guilty conscience finds escape on his smart phone. The young Christian hears his youth pastor talk about how a kid can be happy in Jesus, but he’s not happy…ever.
In the pulpit he boldly proclaims the gospel of Jesus and preaches the whole counsel of God. Out of the pulpit, he questions his call and wonders if the people might be served better by a different shepherd. As their pastor, he shares in their troubles, pleads with them to choose a different path, and deliberates in meditation how to lead the Lord’s church – a task he knows he cannot fulfill.
You know these people. They are your family and friends or they occupy your row in the church auditorium. They may greet you with a smile or a scowl, and they need you to help them. They don’t need your pity, and they don’t want your pithy saying. What they need is your prayers.
In His Word, God says your prayers on the behalf of others produce divine results, Pray for one another …the urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect (James 5:16 HCSB).
Nowhere in the Bible do we find a more powerful activity of a Christian than the power delivered from God in response to a believer’s intercessory prayer.
Prayer is the singular spiritual discipline that would strengthen our church more than any other. When you ask, “What can I do for my church?” Certainly, you can give in the support of the ministry, and you can serve by exercising your spiritual gifts; however, the most significant contribution you can make to your church is to pray.
John Wesley preached, God does nothing except in response to believing prayer, and Andrew Murray wrote, We must begin to believe that God, in the mystery of prayer, has entrusted us with a force that can move the Heavenly world, and can bring its power down to earth.
When the church gathers on Sundays or in small groups, we discover in conversations burdens the people carry. These saints need our prayers. As we walk around the building and look around the meeting room, we notice those not present for today’s worship. Any believer absent from the gathering for worship for any reason needs intercessory prayer. Sick children, work, fatigue, sadness of heart, coldness of heart, travels, and everything else should prompt us to think, “I wonder where they are today? I better pray.” It may be that Sunday afternoons could be your most fervent time for intercessory prayer as you remember those you saw and those you did not see.
Intercessory prayer is so much more than the activity of religious people. Intercessory prayer is the spiritual work of those who follow Jesus. Like our Lord in John 17, they pray to the Father for His nurturing in the lives of fellow disciples. Like the early church, powerful churches consist of praying disciples.
Peter’s dramatic release from prison began as constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church (Acts 12:5).
Christian author E.M. Bounds may convey truth about prayer better than any author outside of Scripture, Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still.
Pray, Christian, pray. The most powerful instrument we possess travels from your heart to your lips to God’s ears.
As always, I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.
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Mike VerWay
Pastor for Preaching & Vision