Will you be a prayer warrior in 2018

The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much James 5:16b NASB

Pam and I have just returned from a trip visiting family in Florida.  Her mother invited us to join a gathering of her High School class of 1952.  Pam and I realized that we were among a generation of people upon whose shoulders we are still standing.  They expressed their faith in God and were thankful for the health that He provides.   They were a generation in which the Bible and prayer were a part of the fabric of their schooling and upbringing.

I had a dream earlier that morning that God was punctuating the call to prayer for 2018.  I had been meditating and thinking about my own prayer life and how I could encourage others to prevail in prayer in our lives.  One of Betty’s (Pam’s mom) best friend and I engaged in a conversation.  She is a devout Christian who was wearing an Israeli – US flag on one lapel and a perfect attendance church award on the other.  Her beautiful smile became soberer as she related that her husband had not professed to be a follower of Jesus.  He had passed away recently.

Jackie – “Two days before he died, one of the ministers came to visit him at our home.  I could tell she was going to talk with him about Jesus.  I left the room and went straight into my prayer closet.  I stayed there pleading before the Lord.  The next day, I was getting him dressed to go to the doctor.  I was shaving him- I normally never do it quite the right way.  But today he kept complimenting me by telling me what a great job I was doing.  Then he hugged me and thanked me for all the years of loving him.  He passed away the next day.  Later as I shared at church about this experience.  The minister shared with me that my husband did not speak but made facial acknowledgement of receiving the Lord.  As I prayed later, the Lord reminded me of this interaction of tenderness and love as an expression of his heart change.  Now I spend much time in my prayer closet.  Greg, she said, I don’t think we realize how much our prayers can affect our lives!”

On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your prayer life?  What could make it more impactful for you?  Is it just an issue of not enough time or are there other factors that complicate it for you?

The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. James 5:16b

I know this verse is part “b” of confessing sins and prayer for healing.  But I believe God is calling people forth in 2018 who will be these kind of prayer warriors.  Some of you are going to grab hold of the horns of the altar of God and not let go until you see God’s provision come forth.  Some of you are hearing God’s Spirit calling you to come away with him into the secret place to pour forth your heart.  Maybe His voice is faint, but you know He is asking you to make the adjustments to move closer to his heart.  As you approach the throne of grace to present your request, you hear him say to you “stay for a while and let me share what is on my heart!”  When God wants to move in might and power on the earth he sets his people to “a-praying.”  Will you be in that remnant number of people who persevere in prayer?  When he returns will he say of you, “Well done, you used your time well in the prayer closet with me?”  Will you accept the challenge to be an “effective pray-er” in 2018?

Normally, I encourage everyone to assess their life and set goals for the new year at this point.  There is still an advantage to setting spiritual, personal, business, financial, and physical goals.  But I truly believe that if we get our prayer life fueled properly, every other sphere of our lives will be impacted in a positive way.  Faith will grow to address financial challenges, wisdom will be gained to navigate relationship issues at home or work, and freedom will be obtained to overcome hurtful patterns in health and thinking.  Our prayers will be aligned to fulfilling God’s purposes of salvation and freedom for those we know and love.

Over the next 21 days, I am going to be sending an email encouraging us to pray.  Many take the first 21 days of January as a point of prayer and fasting.  I want to specifically focus on prayer.  For those who are seasoned in prayer, this may seem elemental.  But hopefully, we can capture the wonder and excitement of that comes from the discipline of being a prayer warrior.

Let’s start today.

Father, I acknowledge that I have let the cares of the world crowd out time alone with you.  I ask that you teach me to pray.  I know in part and see in part, but your Holy Spirit can help me be effective in my prayer time.  My prayers for my family could be the key to unlock your purposes in their lives.  My prayers could help someone get saved.  My prayers are from me to you and therefor are a special way that we communicate.  Nobody else in the world can tell you better about the things that are important in my life –than me.  So I ask you to help me to engage with you in prayer every day for the rest of my life.  Help me move from just a desire to be a prayer warrior into the intimacy of the friend relationship we share.  May this year of 2018 be the year that prayer is in the proper priority that you would expect from one of your children.  Thank you Jesus helping me.

I would be interested to know if you sense God’s call to people into a more intentional, vibrant, sacrificial call to prayer.