Allow God to lead you to pray for others in the church and their needs, national and local situations, the government, the advance of the Kingdom of God, and the growth of the Church. God is looking for people who will stand in the gap with Him in intercession for situations that are beyond their own personal interests. “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none” (Ezekiel 22:30). Make God’s interests your interests.

“Prayer is everything,” Oswald Chambers wrote. The ministry of intercession involves all types of prayer, and this type of prayer is always at the center of whatever is happening in this world for God. The emphasis of the prayer ministry in intercession is the needs of others and the advancement of God’s interests in the world. It is not simply focused on praying for things for oneself, but for others.

In his book With Christ in the School of Prayer, Andrew Murray wrote: “Christ has opened the school of prayer specifically to train intercessors for the great work of bringing down, by their faith and prayer, the blessings of His work and love on the world around.” He added, “Though in its beginnings, prayer is so simple that the feeblest child can pray, yet it is at the same time the highest and holiest work to which man can rise.” Oswald Chambers reflected the same thought when he said, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work.” Through prayer God invites you to make a profound difference in the world but you’ve got to pray.

 

• Lance Wubbels

 

This article is part eight in our 8-part series on Prayer.

(Taken from “A Time for Prayer” published by Inspired Faith for the National Day of Prayer – used with permission)

 

To worship means “to bow down, to prostrate oneself.” God is seeking those who worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). God wants truth in the inner parts of our heart (Psalm 51:6). In true worship, there is a total bowing down of the heart to God, which is a response to the revelation of who God is - revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. Worship is voluntary submission to the love, the will, and the law of God. Any hypocrisy can defile true worship. Thus, we must repent and seek His face to experience the fullness of praise.

Many effective prayer warriors recognize the importance of spending much time in worship. This deepens our fellowship with God, increases our faith, and pleases the Holy Spirit. We are then more likely to really hear His voice and thus pray more effectively.

• Lance Wubbels

 

This article is part seven in our 8-part series on Prayer.

 

(Taken from “A Time for Prayer” published by Inspired Faith for the National Day of Prayer – used with permission)

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” Psalm 100:4

Thank God for what He has done for you – for answers to prayer, for forgiving your sins, for coming in to your life, for making you His child. We can thank Him both for blessings seen and those as yet unseen. It is a key to faith, and it is natural and right that we give thanks always to the One from whom all good things come (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Thank God for the results of prayer, both before and after you see the results (Philippians 4:6-7). Pray with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving expresses your confidence that God has heard and answered your prayer even before you see the result.

To praise God is to tell Him how great He is. This is declaring good things about God, both about His character (who He is) and also His actions. To say “God is good” is to praise God, and it is good to use the Word of God to praise Him. This is not a form of flattery in order to get God to give you things, but it is only fitting to praise Him and to Honor Him in reverence. Thanking and praising God will increase your faith, since you will begin to fix your eyes on God, His goodness and faithfulness and greatness and power, and not on your problem.

There are many styles of praise. Some are noisy and exuberant; others are calm. Praise can be well-expressed through music, singing, words, shouting, clapping, dancing, and giving to God. It can also be expressed in quiet surrender. It is truly a matter of the heart – an expression of authentic love and adoration for the Almighty. Regardless of your style of praise, just remember to P.R.A.Y. – Praise, Repent, Ask and Yield and then watch God work in you and the situation you are praying in to.

 

• Lance Wubbels

 

This article is part six in our 8-part series on Prayer.

 

(Taken from “A Time for Prayer” published by Inspired Faith for the National Day of Prayer – used with permission)

Rather than rushing into God’s presence and saying many things, it is good to quiet your mind and wait in God’s presence so you can feel God’s heart and pray the things that the Holy Spirit shows you to pray for (Habakkuk 2:1). God promises to renew the strength of those who wait patiently on Him (Isaiah 40:31; Psalm 27:14). Through this you express to God in a practical way “not my will but Yours be done.” If you are always talking in prayer, you will not be able to hear what God is saying.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit “will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13), and He will guide you into an understanding of how to pray. Jude instructs us to “pray in the Holy Spirit “ (v. 20), which means the Spirit of God is “guiding” how we pray and what we pray for. We confess that without the help of the Spirit we cannot pray as we should. The apostle Paul tells us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18). The Holy Spirit will lead you in the kind of prayer you offer to God. He is the one who motivates and enables and energizes your prayer.

And if you cannot find the right words to pray, know that the Holy Spirit will gladly assist you. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26). God sees the longing, the groaning, the desiring, the crying of your heart. He understands without the words. We utterly trust God for His help by the Spirit as we pray, and we consciously depend on His divine working.

 

• Lance Wubbels

 

This article is part five in our 8-part series on Prayer.

 

(Taken from “A Time for Prayer” published by Inspired Faith for the National Day of Prayer – used with permission)

When you come to God, know what you are going to pray about. It is difficult to pray fervently without knowing what you want or desire from God. We should have a clear-cut, well-defined idea about what we are asking God for (being flexible to His leading). “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

You should pray in such a way that you will know afterward what you prayed for, and you will recognize when the answer to your prayer is manifested. Jesus commanded us to specifically ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7). In asking, we must be definite. If it is a good and right request, it is promised to the sincere seeker. In seeking, our goal is to know God and commune with Him. In knocking (intercession), we must understand what the Lord wants to do and pray according to His Word for that thing. The Lord is glad to open the door to every knocking soul. Have faith and enter through holy courage.

Sometimes we do not know what to pray for, and so we can pray in the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26). Paul stated that he prayed both with the spirit and with the understanding (I Corinthians 14:15). Our whole being, including our minds, should be involved in praying. Our minds should understand what we are asking God for.

The fact remains that when we set ourselves to pray, especially in a group, we must be agreed about what we will pray for (Matthew 18:19). Then watch God work!

• Lance Wubbels

 

This article is part three in our 8-part series on Prayer.

 

(Taken from “A Time for Prayer” published by Inspired Faith for the National Day of Prayer – used with permission)