Satan laughs at our good works, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.
Samuel Chadwick
There is nothing we can do on this earth that will have any greater impact than prayer. Too often we relegate prayer to a few minutes before a meeting or at the end of the day.
As noted pastor and author Ron Dunn has said, "Prayer is not a substitute for work, or merely preparation for work. It is work. . . . Prayer is the secret weapon of the kingdom of God. It is like a missile that can be fired toward any spot on earth, travel undetected at the speed of thought, and hit its target every time. . . . Satan has no defense against this weapon; he does not have an anti-prayer missile."{1}
A number of years ago, students at a conference were encouraged to ask God to do a mighty work on their universities. The speaker challenged them to pray, "God, give me ________" (placing the name of his/her university in the blank).
One student admitted to the Lord that this prayer was too big for her, but she did have enough faith to believe the Lord would use her to influence the campus newspaper where she would be starting as a new reporter. She wanted to make a difference, so she began to pray. She targeted her prayers on the three key positions: editor, associate editor, and managing editor. Before too long the least-likely journalist, the associate editor, expressed an interest in her. She took this opportunity to share her testimony with him. She did not think he would be interested, but instead, he was so interested that she explained how he could become a Christian.
She continued to pray for the campus newspaper and the influence she desired to have for Christ there. To her surprise, the associate editor told her he had received Christ. He went on to become editor and opened up the paper for Christians to have a voice. Most surprising of all, this student who simply prayed to have an influence, married the editor. God not only gave her the campus paper, He gave her the editor too!
God wants you to pray and believe that He will do great and mighty things which you have not known before (Jeremiah 33:3). That includes things He can do on the university campus that you have never seen Him do before. Just as the student in the above story, be honest with God about where you are right now in your faith.
God delights to answer our prayers, and yet He understands our level of faith. Ask Him to make a difference through you because you have prayed in faith. In what area of the campus do you have a special burden? A unique opportunity? A desire to see change?
The student in the story above had no idea what would happen as she went back to her campus. She knew two things: 1) she did not yet have the faith to believe God for the entire campus, so she did not pretend to pray for more than she could trust Him with; and 2) she had an interest and a burden, and she chose to pray for key people in that area of the university. The results were left with God.
| Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouse of God's infinite grace and power. All that God is, and all that God has is at the disposal of prayer.
R. A. Torrey |
He loves to hear us pray! He loves to answer in glorious ways! Proverbs 15:8 says "The Lord delights in the prayers of His people." While prayer is a blessing to us personally, it is also a strategic way for us to be involved in ministry.
There is more to prayer than merely asking God for things we want. Prayer is our opportunity to communicate with God. Prayer softens our hearts and opens our eyes to see our circumstances from God's perspective. A guide that many have found helpful in their devotional time of prayer spells out the acrostic ACTS.
A - Adoration: Praising God for who He is (Psalms 145-150)
C - Confession: Cleansing your heart to present a pure heart to the Lord (Psalm 51)
T - Thanksgiving: Appreciating all that God has done for you (I Thessalonians 5:18)
S - Supplication: Making specific requests of the Lord (Philippians 4:6, 7)
Nothing in our hearts is a surprise to God. He desires for us to be honest with Him. Following the above pattern will help us to be certain our hearts are right before we make requests. It shows us our true motives and will sometimes cause us to change our requests as we begin to see God's desires in a given situation.
The following passage from Leonard Ravenhill has encouraged many believers in their prayer life:
The church has many organizers, but few agonizers; many who pay, but few who pray; many resters, but few wrestlers; many who are enterprising, but few who are interceding. People who are not praying are playing. Two prerequisites of dynamic Christian living are vision and passion, both of these are generated by prayer. The ministry of preaching is open to a few. The ministry of praying is open to every child of God. . . . Tithes may build the church, but tears will give it life. That is the difference between the modern church and the early church. Our emphasis is on paying, theirs was on praying. When we have paid, the place is taken. When they had prayed, the place was shaken (Acts 4:31). In the matter of effective praying, never have so many left so much to so few. Brethren, let us pray.{2}
| The saint who advances on his knees never retreats. |
| Units of prayer combined, like drops of water, make an ocean which defies resistance.
E.M. Bounds |
{1}Ron Dunn, Don't Just Stand There, Pray Something, Here's Life Publishers, 1991, pp. 17-20.
{2}Leonard Ravenhill, The Significance of Prayer (as quoted in Dan Hayes, Fireseeds of Spiritual Awakening, Rev. ed., Dickinson Press, 1995, pp. 86, 87).
© Copyright 1996, Campus Crusade for Christ.