Dear Church,
In praying we gain access to the power of God.
I meet people, including pastors and Christian leaders, who struggle to find time to pray. My seminary teaching tells me that many North American and European pastors don't have much of a praying life. Why not? Some reasons for this are:
• Their lives have become so cluttered with many things to “do” that they have little time for just “being” with God.
• Their material possessions allow “no time to pray,” and create the illusion of not needing to pray. Time for praying is in inverse proportion to the amount of stuff a person has.
• They have lost their first love. They used to get alone with God and pray, back in the day.
• They know what prayer is, but do not really believe in it. They have become practical atheists.
If prayer is what it claims to be, viz., communicating with an omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent Being, then it seems someone who believed this would pray. Because 18 praying is talking with God. And – (insert awe and wonder) - because God and I are co laboring together.
To pray is to partner with God. God and I, dialoguing! Are you kidding me?! If this is real, only a fool would not pray. If this is not real, then you won’t see me praying, even in a foxhole.
Dallas Willard writes: "Prayer is God's arrangement for a safe power sharing with us in his intention to bless the world through us.” In praying I interact with God. God shares his power with me.
Pause at the enormity of this. Who in their right mind would not have time for this? Brothers and sisters, praying is a beyond-big deal.
As you pray, God shares his power with you, power for effectively engaging in the redemptive mission of Jesus.
Love,
PJ
PETITION
Identify an impossible person, or situation.
Pray for God’s power to fall on that person, or situation.
Pray for a prayer movement in your church.
From my book 31 Letters to the Church on Praying.
