Praying | Christian Ministry Training Blog

Reasons to Pray

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 2 Comments ↓

We have many reasons to pray. — Why do you pray?

Is it because you need something? Jesus did say, “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matt. 7:7). Perhaps you pray because you find comfort in it. That makes sense since you’re praying to the “God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles” (2 Cor. 1:3-4). Maybe you pray because it’s what Christians do. Even back to the Early New Testament Church, Christ-followers devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 2:42).

While we find biblical support for these reasons, some are more self-centered than God-centered. It could be that praying is more learned behavior than from the heart. So, what are some other biblical reasons for praying? What will provide us with the motivation to make prayer a continued priority?

Two Good Biblical Reasons to Pray

Commands: Praying is a matter of obedience to God. (Lk. 18:1; Phil. 4:6; 1 Thess. 5:17)

Duty alone might not keep us praying. If we’re out of fellowship with God, we’ll find it easier to disobey this command. And, if we do pray out of obligation, that is not going to solve the problem of keeping focused when we pray.

Commitment & Cooperation: Praying is a matter of an undivided heart toward God seeking to come into alignment with God. (Ps. 16:1-2; Acts 2:42; Rom. 12:12; Col. 4:2)

Devotion alone might make us want to pray and might put us on the right track to a better prayer life but won’t necessary bring life and energy into it.

The Best Reason for Praying

Communion: Praying is a matter of relationship with God. (Matt. 22:37-38; Jn. 15:5-7)

Delight in the One to whom we pray provides a motivation and passion to pray, and continue praying, that supersedes all other reasons to pray. When we pray because we delight in the Lord, duty and devotion are there but aren’t our main focus. HE is. When praying is about relationship, we enjoy communion with God so much that we keep praying even if we don’t get the responses we hoped to receive.

Resources:

The Prayer Bits: Small Bits But Big Truths on Prayer Devotional Guide can help you go deeper into truths about prayer without taking a lot of study time.

The Prayer Ministry Manual can help you make prayer more of a priority in your own life as well as in your church or ministry.

Results of Making Prayer a Priority

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

When we pray, we let God know that He and His will, are important to us. And, He lets us know how important we are to Him. He does that by allowing us to experience the following results of making prayer a priority.

3 Results of Making Prayer a Priority

1) God is near to us.

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. (Ps. 145:18)

2) God helps us.

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Heb. 4:16)

3) God protects us with His peace.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6-7)

You’ll find these results, plus two more, listed in the Church Purpose Ministry Manual which looks at prayer as one of the ways we fulfill our purpose to love God.

Learn More: Prayer Ministry Resources

To Pray or Not to Pray?

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 2 Comments ↓

As we consider the condition of the world today, how can we not pray? That should be the question for God’s people.

Bible Verses about Prayer

When we consider just even the following six verses on prayer, we should find ourselves making prayer our first response. We will turn to the Lord first before complaining or giving in to fear or despair. And, we will continue in prayer regardless of the circumstances.

Order the Prayer Bits: Small Bits But Big Truths on Prayer Devotional Guide which uses these six verses. Each of the 30 devotions contains a small bit about prayer based on one of the verses but conveys big truths that make a difference.

As you reflect on the verses, you’ll find some helpful tips about praying.

Be devoted to prayer. When devoted to prayer, things happen. Pray and then watch for what God will do. And, be sure to thank and praise Him for it.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” (Col. 4:2)
Be willing to sacrifice in order to pray. The psalmist likens prayer to a spiritual sacrifice when he refers to it as incense. As such it rises up to heaven and fills the throne room of God.

“May my prayer be set before you like incense.” (Ps. 141:2a)
Fully trust God as you pray. If you feel safe and secure with Him, such confidence will take you beyond the rote or token prayers to spilling out your guts to God.

“Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. Selah.” (Ps. 62:8)
Be in a constant attitude of prayer, praying for fellow believers everywhere. To have such a perseverance and passion in praying, you need help. Look to the Spirit of God who lives within you.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Eph. 6:18)
Go on the offence as a prayer warrior. You cannot be pulled in so many directions that you fail to pray. Instead, purposefully plan to pray. Prioritize it into your busy schedule.

“The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and self-controlled so you can pray.” (1 Pet. 4:7)
Don’t get discouraged if you can’t see results. Notice the small but encouraging word “is” in the following verse. Your prayer “is” effective — present tense. It doesn’t say might be or will be but “is,” right now, powerful and effective.

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16b)

In Light of These Scripture Verses, How Can We Not Pray?

As the truths in the above verse take root in our hearts and we put them into practice, we will begin to notice the following differences in our lives:

1) how we pray

We will no longer ask ourselves the question, “To pray or not to pray?” as we will see no other option. We will pray when happy or when sad, when confident or fearful, when full of faith or feeling uncertain. We will pray when faced with challenges or going through the routines of life.

2) how we process life

Even if the world around us doesn’t change as we wish it would, we’ll still be able to cope and find peace. We will gain a renewed purpose as we work in cooperation with a Sovereign and Almighty God through prayer.

Prayer a Priority?

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 2 Comments ↓

Communication tends to be a big part of any love relationship. How much more, then, we should make prayer a priority when we love the Lord.

4 Biblical Reasons to Make Prayer a Priority

In addition to prayer being a part of our love relationship with the Lord, we also find commands for praying to be an ongoing priority in our walk with God.

We’re told to be faithful in prayer. (Rom. 12:12)

We’re to devote ourselves to prayer (Col. 4:2) which we see demonstrated in the Early Church (Acts 2:42).

We’re commanded to pray continually. (1 Thess. 5:17)

We’re to pray in the Spirit on all occasions. (Eph. 6:18)

Certainly these commands about praying suggest we develop a lifestyle of prayer, regular and on-going communion with the Lord, which suggests the kind of priority praying should be for those who love God with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength (Lk. 10:27).

The Church Purpose Manual looks at prayer as one of the ways we fulfill our purpose to love God.

Other resources on Prayer:

Passionate Prayer Rooted in Knowledge

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 1 Comment ↓

Training Category: Prayer Ministry

Passionate prayer is more than emotion. Our zeal needs to be combined with and rooted in knowledge so we don’t mistakenly interpret how God is working through our prayers.

When passion grows out of knowledge — both head and heart knowledge, we find that we have a reason to be enthused about prayer that transcends our feelings and circumstances. We don’t get discouraged when God answers differently than the way we might have hoped. We realize how much better His ways are than our ways. As we learn to know Him better, we find ourselves turning to Him more with increasing reliance and anticipation.

Passionate Prayer Rooted in Knowledge of God

When what we know in our minds to be true about God sinks into a heart knowledge, we can’t help but be passionate in prayer. Realizing that who He is affects how He responds to our prayers, tends to build within us an excitement and anticipation.

knowledge of who He is: His character

God is fully capable of answering our prayers.

knowledge of how He works: His ways

God cares about us. Our good is at the core of His love for us and will affect how He answers our prayers.

knowledge of what He says: His Word

God will always be consistent with His Word in the way He responds to prayer.

The Prayer Ministry Manual guides you in reflecting on these three points to further develop your passion in prayer.

How God Answers Prayer

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 2 Comments ↓

Some believers have prayed in faith, believing with their whole heart that God would answer their prayers. How could it not be God’s will for what they prayed about to occur? Yet, despite their fervent pleading, the good they requested failed to happen. Experiences like this often raise questions about prayer. Is it not then possible that what seems to be answers to prayer are just coincidences? However, once we settle the issue of who God is, then we’re ready to accept how He answers prayer.

How God Answers Prayer Must Align with Who He Is

Prayer, and the way God answers prayer, makes better sense the more we view God for the great God He is —

all-knowing and wise as well as all-powerful,
sovereign and righteous as well as loving and faithful.

God responds to our prayers out of the sum total of who He is. Though He has the power to do all things, because of His omniscience, He knows certain things we ask for might not ultimately be wise and for our good. He loves us enough to do what is right and best even if we throw a tantrum because it’s not what we want.

We come to Him as a loving Father who will always do what is right and best. Consequently, answers to prayer may be yes, no, or not right now. This happens in the earthly realm when a loving father answers a child’s request with similar responses so it shouldn’t surprise us that God, who far supersedes imperfect earthly parents, sometimes answers no or not now.

Since our heavenly Father perfectly understands what’s happening, totally knows what’s best, and always responds out of pure motives (Lk. 11:9-13), He isn’t going to give us everything just because we ask for it. His objective isn’t simply to make us happy but to make us better (Heb. 12:5-11).

Some of the best answers to prayer may be the ones where He responds “no” because in the end, getting what we wanted may have actually done more harm than we ever would have realized or caused us to miss out on good we never imagined. Again, because we aren’t God, just like little kids, we don’t always ask for what’s good or best. Consequently, we may not always get what we ask for because God responds from a view of the big picture. Rather than let seemingly unanswered prayer shake our faith, let’s let God be God.