About Prayer
The Need
Brokenness and wickedness is everywhere.
Hope is needed for hurting and suffering souls. Desperation cries out from every walk of life, young and old, weak and strong, rich and poor. People need breakthrough solutions! They need to discover freedom! They need to experience LIFE!
A relationship with Jesus is the ultimate solution! And prayer is the revitalizing and ongoing dialogue we have with His mighty presence and power in order to revolutionize our world.
“You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he’” (Isaiah 43:10 NIV).
The needs reveal that the opportunity for the Church has never been greater to make Jesus known (the Great Commission, see Matthew 28:18-20) and to demonstrate love for God and our neighbor as our self (the Great Command, see Matthew 22:37-39). Power to live this way comes only as we give priority to persevering prayer in order to learn the rhythms of God’s grace and reflect Jesus presence.
How well is Jesus truly known? In the world? In the Church? In your life? The answer likely equals the commitment to have converations with God to inquire, hear and obey Him. It has been said, “don’t talk to people about God until you talk to God about people.”
In our busy world it is often challenging for us both personally and corporately, as the church, to intentionally spend time in Jesus presence dialoguing with Him about our needs and the needs of others. If it’s true what some say, that the Church has been rocked into an apparent state of sleep, then we say – WHAT A GREAT DAY TO WAKE UP! As prayer becomes the priority, Jesus himself, is discovered and experienced so personally and the results have a domino effect with (super)natural impact!
Bottom line – we all NEED to know Jesus as LORD. Prayer cultivates this.
Jesus dialogued with His Father about you and me had the following conversation about our own needs. It clearly reveals His heart and the solution that He DECLARES will inspire a broken world.
“Make them holy by Your truth; teach them Your Word, which is truth. Just as You sent Me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give Myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by Your truth.
“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are one — as You are in Me, Father, and I am in You. And may they be in Us so that the world will believe You sent Me.
“I have given them the glory You gave Me, so they may be one as We are one. I am in them and You are in Me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me and that you love them as much as You love Me. Father, I want these whom You have given Me to be with Me where I am. Then they can see all the glory You gave Me because You loved Me even before the world began!
“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know You, but I do; and these disciples know You sent Me. I have revealed You to them, and I will continue to do so. Then Your love for Me will be in them, and I will be in them” (John 17:17-26, NLT).
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord [this is prayer]. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have [this is proclamation]. But do this with gentleness and respect [this is action]” (1 Peter 3:15, NIV).
