But First, We Pray
All our work for the Lord must be preceded by and accompanied with praying so His plans can be carried out through us
Continuing in the lesson we began last week concerning prayer as essential to God, we must understand that He works through a praying people. E.M. Bounds writes in The Weapon Of Prayer1 of the Apostles who determined in their day that “even Church business should not affect their praying habits.”
Prayer Must Come First
The result of which is they would become true change agents in His world, and He would work His plans and purposes though them, because they were a praying people. Praying saints are, according to Bounds, a necessity in carrying out the divine plan for the salvation of unbelievers in the land. The list would get quite long in mentioning all the instances of the Almighty using the prayers of the saints to execute His gracious designs.
Not only did those Apostles devote time to praying, but Bounds cites two Old Testament examples of persevering, prevailing prayer. One being Moses interceding for Israel forty days and nights, not one moment relaxing his hold on God to stay His hand in judgment. Another being Daniel who refused to obey the kings decree and sought his Lord three times daily with thanksgiving. The result was not only his God delivering him from the mouth of the lions, but says Bounds, prayer being an “essential factor in defeating the kings decree and discomfiting the wicked, envious rulers, who had set a trap for Daniel.”
Discomfiting means to make them uncomfortable, to embarrass them, or to thwart their plans. This is a fitting lesson for us today, as the world—in it’s continual defiance to The Lord, rages against the faithful in Christ and seeks to destroy the Church, to deconstruct it into multiple meaningless messages, or damage it’s witness through irrelevance. We may each soon be required to bow a knee before the golden statue, as were Daniels three friends, and we need to be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might in order to stand and withstand in the evil day (Eph. 6:13).
Give Ourselves To Prayer
The Apostles were just as dependent on praying as were other people. They were not super-saints with a special grace or anointing for ministry. Surely, says Bounds, they “realized that the success of the Word and the progress of the church were dependent in a preeminent sense upon their ‘giving themselves to prayer.’” When church activities occupy more of our time and hinders our praying, evil results always follow.
Nothing is done well without prayer simply because it leaves God out of the account.
What harm have we done to ourselves and our fellow saints by the neglect of prayer? We contend a prayer-less church is a power-less church, and we need not look hard to find this is the case all around us. The enemy is not at the door but in our midst! The wolves no longer need the sheeps clothing; the tares have grown up among the wheat; too many are ensnared by the fowler and bewitched by another gospel that is really no gospel at all.
What would God do among us that He would not without prayer? Preaching must be accompanied by prayer. So must teaching, and evangelism by direct partnership with praying. Bounds declares that “effective preaching is conditioned by effective praying…God can mightily use the preacher who prays…as His agent in saving men and in edifying the saints.”
O Lord, teach us to pray! We do ask Your help, that we be devoted to praying for Your people, to continue steadfastly in prayer and the ministry of the word. Grant us to keep at it, and to watch with constant care in order to make the ministry of Your word effective through these weak vessels.
Pray For The People Of God From The Word Of God
Here are three passages we are praying from this week (one passage per day):
Monday - John 17:11 - Keep us one with you
Tuesday - John 17:15 - Keep us from the evil one
Wednesday - John 17:17- sanctify us by your truth
Will you join me in praying these verses, and ask one person to join you?
Until Thursday, grace and peace
Photo Credit Possessed Photography on Upsplash
Notes taken from The Weapon Of Prayer, by E. M. Bounds, Chapter 1, Prayer Essential To God, p 9, reprinted by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, copyright 1931 by Fleming H Revell Company