The King is coming. Do you know Him?

Methodist theologian E.M. Bounds (1835-1913), stated, “Few Christians have anything but a vague idea of the power of prayer; fewer still have any experience of that power.  The church seems almost wholly unaware of the power God puts into her hand; this spiritual carte blanche on the infinite resources of God’s wisdom and power is rarely, if ever, used — never used to the full measure of honoring God.  It is astounding how poor the use, how little the benefits.  Prayer is our most formidable weapon, but the one in which we are the least skilled, the most averse to its use.”

Not much has changed since that time.  Christians today continue to struggle to find time for God.  Our lives are hectic and chaotic and, sadly, time with Jesus often takes a back seat to our other responsibilities.

With this in mind, I recently completed a sermon series titled “A Room with a View: Perspectives on Prayer,” in which I highlighted ways in which Christians can avoid daily pitfalls that prevent us from maintaining an effective prayer life.  I’d like to share some of these approaches to prayer in this column.

In the middle of His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made this statement: “Go into your room.”  He was teaching His followers the importance of finding time to get alone with God for daily prayer time.

Jesus certainly understood the need for time designed solely for prayer.  On the night of his betrayal by Judas, Jesus was praying alone in the garden.  In fact, Judas knew how to find Jesus that night because He routinely prayed there, giving us a picture of our own need for regular times of prayer.

When Paul gave Timothy instructions about the priorities and structure of the local church, he proclaimed, “I will first of all that you pray ...” (I Timothy 2:1).

There is clearly a biblical mandate for prayer.  And I believe that Christians need to be spending much more time alone on their knees before God.  When you are spending time alone in prayer, two great things happen:

  * The temptation to use “vain repetitions” goes away because there is no one around to impress.

  * You can practice real, intimate, soul-searching prayer.

Further, to experience a great prayer life, we must get our eyes off of ourselves and onto God.  If we are focusing on ourselves, we cannot experience real intimacy with God.

We also need to be discovering new ways to experience prayer together, as believers.

In the soon-to-be-released book “Innovate Church,” for which I served as editor, Liberty University professor Dr. Daniel Henderson writes, “Over the years I’ve had the privilege of overseeing more than 40 local church prayer summits.  These three-day prayer events involve Christians coming away from the business of life to a retreat center.  We’ve had groups from 15 to 225.  There is no agenda, only a variety of prayer expressions fueled by spontaneous Scripture reading, acapella singing, responsive prayer, and intercession.  They are truly the most life-changing prayer experiences I have ever witnessed.”

This is what we need in the church today—true innovation in prayer that convicts us to serve Christ.

Nineteenth century theologian Charles Finney stated, “Nothing tends more to cement the hearts of Christians than praying together.  Never do they love one another so well as when they witness the outpouring of each other’s hearts in prayer.”

Another key to prayer comes through the daily purification of our own hearts.

God understands that we sin, even as believers.  So, it is not that you have to get cleaned up prior to approaching God, but you do need to talk to Him about sin and challenges in your life.  Confess those sins and tell God that you are sorry and that you want Him to help you avoid the sin that plagues your life.  This is the beginning of real, intimate prayer.

Over the course of the last year, I’ve experienced many new revelations regarding prayer, especially in the wake of my father’s passing last May 15.  I’ve seen God at work in my life in amazing ways and I want to help Christians everywhere understand the joy of having God uniquely active in their lives.

Prayer remarkably connects us to Almighty God.  It is a tool that enables Him to minister to us, strengthen us, encourage us and work through us.

If you desire to pray more, ask God to place a zeal for prayer in your heart.  As Christians, there is no better way to live than through constant communion with our Savior.

Jonathan Falwell

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