What Should I PRAY About?
Is it wrong to pray for oneself? about how to make "ends meet"? about how to overcome? just what should one pray about?
Many
do not know what to pray about. We are often asked, "What can I pray
about?" Some say, "I ask God to forgive, to guide and direct me. I ask
God to bless the work, the ministers, and the Church. What else is
there to pray about?"
Acknowledge God
The Bible makes plain that the FIRST STEP in learning what to pray about is to realize WHOM we are praying to.
Did
you take time today to get down on your knees and become acquainted, in
prayer, with God? Or are you waiting for the right "feeling"? the right
mood? Are you, day after day, "putting off" praying until tomorrow
because you do not think of anything to pray about? — because you just
don't feel comfortable praying to God?
Notice
what Jesus instructed His disciples to pray about when they asked him
to teach them to pray. Jesus said—as quoted in archaic English in the
King James Version, "When ye pray, say, OUR FATHER which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name" (Luke 11:1-2).
We
must first acknowledge the greatness of our Heavenly Father. Our faith
increases when we realize that what He has promised He can and will
perform! He is the God of Heaven—the Ruler of the whole universe.
Abraham
strengthened his faith by giving glory to God. "He grew strong in his
faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do
what he had promised" (Rom. 4:20-21, R.S.V.).
David
was a praying man. David constantly gave glory and praise to God. His
last public prayer is given in the Bible and is an excellent example of
how to give God Glory and Honor—of what to pray about, "Blessed are
thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O LORD
is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and
the majesty; for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine;
thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honor come from thee, and thou rulest over all___In my hand it is to make
great and to give strength to all. And now therefore, our God, we thank
thee, and praise thy glorious name" (I Chron. 29:10-13).
Do you glorify the majesty, the power, and the wisdom of God in prayer?
After you have praised and honored God and hallowed His Holy name then you pray—
"Thy Will Be Done"
Notice
carefully that Christ next set us the example to pray: "Thy Kingdom
come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Mat. 6:10).
What is God's Will for this earth? We can know! God makes it clear in His Word what His Will is.
In
Mat. 24:14 we read: "This gospel of the Kingdom SHALL be preached in
all the world for a witness unto all nations." This one verse teaches a
great deal about His Will.
How
is this work of preaching and publishing the Gospel to all the world
being done? It is through the "World Tomorrow" broadcast, the Plain
Truth, the Good News, the Correspondence Course, the booklets, the
advertising in Reader's Digest, the Letter Answering Department, the
evangelistic campaigns, the baptizing tours, the local visiting teams,
even through the Ambassador College Envoy — and especially through EACH
and EVERY minister of God.
Are you praying for the success and effectiveness of ALL these things? It is God's Will that you do!
Pray
for the "World Tomorrow" broadcast. Pray that each time it goes out
over the air new people will be caused to listen to it. Pray that doors
to reach each section of the world, not now being reached at this time,
will be opened.
Pray
that God will train and send out laborers to reap the harvest of
interested listeners of the "World Tomorrow" broadcast (Mat. 9:38).
Pray that God will send the right students to Ambassador College, men
and women who have the ability and talents and the submissiveness that
He can use in His Work. Don't forget to pray that the students who are
already in Ambassador College may bear more fruit.
Pray
for the co-worker letters, that God will lay it on the hearts of the
readers to support this WORK with their prayers, their tithes and their
offerings.
And
how long do you think it would take you to pray for each and every
minister, carefully, diligently? Ask God to give them the power of His
Holy Spirit, His knowledge, His wisdom, that He
might use them as instruments through whom He nourishes the flock He
has chosen. Ask God to use them to preach from the scripture the words
that are "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness" (II Tim. 3:16).
Don't
pray these exact words. Jesus didn't say: "Pray this." He said "Pray
thus!" Build upon and expand these suggestions. You can think of many
other things to pray about when interceding for God's ministers
.
These are but a few examples, a small beginning of things to pray for. You can think of many others.
Praying for each phase of the work is important. In fact, the very existence of the work of God depends upon your prayers.
For
example: When we pray that God lay it on the hearts of the people of
this country to send tithes and offerings to support the cost of
preaching and publishing this Gospel message to the entire world, it is
His Will to honor that prayer. He goes into action. He directly
intervenes in the very lives of the people of this country and makes
them send in more money than they would have otherwise. Thus, through
daily prayer you add to the list in heaven of those you arc helping to
lead down the path that leads to eternal life. Your reward is certain.
Prayer
is your ministry. Lack of prayer will keep you out of the Kingdom of
God! God expects you to do your part. That is His will.
"Give Us Our Daily Bread"
Did you know your daily bread is dual?
Jesus
declared, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never
hunger" (John 6:35). Come to God through daily prayer and Bible study
and He will supply your daily spiritual needs. You have more daily need
of spiritual food than even of physical food —but God here promises you
both, if you will only ask Him.
Why
is it that some who know God wants to supply us daily with all our
needs immediately begin to ask God for things that satisfy the lust of
the flesh. Their prayers are usually very short and filled with I's,
me's and mine's. It's "God give me this" and "God give me that." "Ye
ask," retorts James, "and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts" (James 4:2).
"Forgive Us"
Jesus also said to ask God to "forgive us our trespasses [or debts], as we forgive our trespassers [or debtors}" (Mat. 6:12).
Have
you asked God to forgive your every sin, your every shortcoming, your
every weakness, your every stumbling — and those of others? Do we also
forgive our debtors—those who offend us?
We
must forgive everyone who has stepped on our toes, everyone who has
offended us, everyone who has wronged us in any way whatsoever. God
forgives us only as we forgive others! Remember that forgiving means
forgetting. Yet we know that in some local churches there are people
who cannot be forgiven by God because they still refuse to forgive
their brethren. Brethren, this must not continue!
And finally He said, "Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."
God
tempts no man. "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God:
for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But
every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and
enticed" (James 1:13-14). Watch and pray that you be not drawn away by
lusts and enter into temptation (Mat. 26:41). Watch, keep awake. When
wrong thoughts begin to come into your mind, flee quickly to God in
prayer. Put your trust in Him. Or else God will allow you to stumble in
temptation till you learn to put your whole life in God's hands.
We
are not to pray this sample prayer that Jesus gave—word for word. We
are to use it as an outline for our daily prayers. Few realize that
Jesus also gave innumerable other details to pray about in His Word.
These all magnify the main principles mentioned in His outline of
prayer. They should all be fitted into the pattern Jesus gave the
disciples. We are instructed to pray for those in authority (1 Tim.
2:1-3); for our enemies, for those who persecute us (Mat. 5:44); for
the brethren (Eph. 6:18); that we may escape the things to come (Luke
21:36); for the sick and afflicted (James 5:14-16); for your own
requests (Phil. 4:6); for the ministry (II Thess. 3:1); and for the
churches (Eph. 1:16; Col. 1:3; Philemon 4; I Thess. 1:2).
Pray for Ourselves?
Of
course! But not for ourselves only. If your prayers include others and
theirs include you, think how many prayers are said on your behalf! But
if you are selfish and pray only for yourself — and everyone else did
the same — then only you would be praying for yourself.
A
student at Ambassador College discovered quite by accident the amazing
principle that the Law of Love is a Living Law. He had tried to
overcome a certain weakness but had failed again and again. He felt
miserable and dejected.
A
friend revealed that he too was having trouble overcoming the very same
temptation. This student felt so miserable himself that he hastened to
go and pray EARNESTLY for his friend. He said, "Oh, God, don't let my
friend be as weak and rotten as I am. Strengthen him, take this
temptation from him."
This
student was amazed to discover that after having prayed for his friend,
his own overpowering weakness left him! It was suddenly as if this
temptation no longer existed.
This student learned that when one has
some sin he is unable to overcome, if he will pray for all others who
have, or even might have the same weakness, the God of Love rewards him
for praying for His OTHER children.
Try
it. Pray for all the men and women in the Church who have, or who even
might have — the same overpowering temptation you have and see for
yourself that God will reward you for showing Love to His OTHER
children by strengthening you. He can and will remove your temptation
from you.
Remember,
if you pray for others, and all the others pray for you and others,
think how much more help you have than if you alone prayed for just
your problem.
by Lynn E. Torrance The GOOD NEWS August, 1961
