Mike Miller, President, NavPress

I thought about the things I'd talked with God about that day. All good things. Important things. I asked Him to intervene in the needs of friends, family members, people at church, folks at work, people I minister with and to. I know He cares about each person and need I discussed with Him.

Yes, maybe people around me would be changed and take notice if God answered the prayers I prayed today, I thought. But I could be asking so much bigger! So much more! Lord, give me Kingdom-sized prayers that You are just longing to answer!

Since I read Phil's question, I've been praying a bit differently. I still pray my heart concerning the needs that are nearest to me, the people I care about the most. But then I ask God to help me look beyond my own front yard, as it were, and to see the bigger world that my prayers can impact.

It's been a good challenge for me. So now I pass it on to you: What if God said "yes" to every one of your prayers today? How much would change? Want to join me in praying more radically?

As he started praying that question as part of his morning going-to-work routine, each day new people would open up and share bits of their lives with this friendly baristo who served up their latte's. He'd offer to pray for them, and they'd often accept. Usually they were just simple, 30-second prayers. But God answered them and made paths to their hearts through these simple acts of love and prayer. He healed people and worked other miracles. He made Himself real to the ones that received prayer. Eventually, word traveled, and people made special trips to that Starbucks just so they could be prayed for. Over his three-year tenure, our worship leader estimated that he ministered to more that 1,100 people.

His workplace became a meeting place, where people who would never go to church could come and meet with God. And, the worship leader suggested, "Your workplace could become a meeting place, too. Perhaps God has things He wants to say to folks you encounter each day . . . through you."

Do you have prayer-and-workplace stories? If you do, please take a moment to share them with us!

I recently read that the Bible contains something like 3,294 questions. As a born question-asker myself, the idea intrigued me. So I decided to go on a lookout for questions in God's Word. Today, on Day One of my experiment, my regular Bible reading took me to Numbers 11, where Moses whines to God about the Israelites' whining. I was fascinated to see that his complaint mainly took the form of questions. Lots of them, in rapid-fire succession. In The Message version, there were seven. In other versions, they vary between five and seven. But whatever version you read, you will find Moses peppering God with questions. Here's his prayer:

Why are you treating me this way? What did I ever do to you to deserve this? Did I conceive them? Was I their mother? So why dump the responsibility of this people on me?  Why tell me to carry them around like a nursing mother, carry them all the way to the land you promised to their ancestors? Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people who are whining to me, “Give us meat; we want meat”? (MSG vss. 11-14)

Moses’ question-filled prayer started thinking about other prayer-questions in the Bible. Without even using a concordance, I can think of lots of examples: “How long, Lord?” “Should we go up against the enemy?” “Why do the nations rage?” “Will you heal my daughter?”

I’m not going to research them all now—I think I just want to enjoy them as they come up in my reading. But I’m already starting to consider theories and ask myself questions. I’m wondering how many times I ask God questions? And if I do, what kinds of questions to I ask? Are my questions complaints like Moses’ (which apparently was okay with God, by the way)? Or are they requests for information? Do I ask Him for wisdom? Or help? Or questions about who He is or what He’s like or what is on His heart?

I’m also drawing a fairly obvious but challenging conclusion: to ask a question is to invite an answer. It’s to invite conversation and dialogue. So, I’m wondering, how will He respond to me? Do I really expect Him to? What would happen if I asked God more questions than I do now?

Moses didn’t hesitate to ask, and God answered him. He reassured him, promised him help, and told him what the next steps were. Moses asked, God answered, as a man talks with his friend (Exodus 33:11). I want my prayer life to be like that. What about you?

One Irish-themed thought led quickly to another and soon I was thinking along more spiritual lines. I remembered parts of the famous Breastplate of St. Patrick prayer that we'd written about in the July/August 2007 issue of Pray!. I remembered hearing about the  perils the Celtic Christians in St. Patricks time (c. 390-460) faced every single day of their lives. Praying on the armor of God was a life-and-death matter for them. 

My physical life is not on the line every day like theirs were, but I am in no less danger spiritually. Every day I need God's spiritual protection to keep me from falling into traps and snares the enemy has set all around me. So, wondering if the Holy Spirit was prompting me to pray this wonderful prayer for myself today, I looked to see if I could locate a copy of it. I was happy to find it in my friend Liz Babb's wonderful little book, Celtic Treasure: Unearthing the Riches of Celtic Spirituality (http://www.celtictreasure.blogspot.com/). I prayed it for myself for today. And I include a portion of it for you to pray for yourself in case you feel the need of a breastplate today.

I gird myself today with the power of God:

God's strength to comfort me,

God's might to uphold me,

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's eye to look after me,

God's ear to hear me,

God's word to speak for me,

God's hand to lead me,

God's way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,

God's angels to save me.

From the snares of the Devil,

From temptations to sin,

From all who wish me ill,

Both far and near,

Alone and with others.

May Christ guard me today

Christ behind and before me,

Christ beneath and above me,

Christ with me and in me,

Christ around and about me,

Christ on my left and my right,

Christ when I rise in the morning,

Christ when I lie down at night,

Christ in each heart that thinks of me,

Christ in each eye that sees me,

Christ in each ear that hears me.

My friend suggested we ask Jesus to assure me of His presence and tangible care for me during that hard time. And He did. It would take more words than a blog permits to describe to you how He met me and what that meant to me--so you'll just have to trust me, He did. And He brought solace to my soul.

Since last week when He assured me of His very real presence with me, I've found myself checking in with Him throughout my daily activities. I know You're here, Jesus, but where? Could You please help me see (feel, hear, sense)  You right now, in these specific circumstances? And I've been surprised at what He has done. It's not usually dramatic, but it's been sure. He's with me, and He wants me to know it.

God confirmed these things to me again this morning.  When I opened my Bible to where the bookmark was--Genesis 28--I read about Jacob when he was facing some frightening circumstances. He'd cheated his brother Esau out of both his inheritance and his blessing, and Esau was mad. Mad enough to kill him. So Jacob was running for his life. And that's when God showed up. He comforted Jacob in a dream, assured him of His ongoing presence, and blessed him. When Jacob awoke, he said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it" (v. 16). Apparently I'm not the only one who--when I needed Him most--wasn't aware of God's presence!

Makes me wonder: How often do we feel fearful and alone when in reality God is right there, ready to bring comfort, presence, and blessing? Sometimes it takes some intense seeking and even some spiritual warfare to cut through the obstacles that keep us from finding Him in our circumstances--that was certainly true for me last week--but He is there. Whether we are aware of it or not. He's with me. He's with you. Will you call out to Him and ask Him to be a heart reality and not just theological fact?

Last month at meetings of the National Prayer Committee I met Karen Covell, a television producer and director of the Hollywood Prayer Network. She told me about hundreds of intercessors who are literally changing Hollywood through their prayers. And many of that change-force are children and teens. The Hollywood Prayer Network produces monthly prayer calendars for children and teens to help them pray specifically for the people and events that shape television and the silver screen. For instance, this week children are encouraged to pray for Johnny Depp as he stars in the new Alice in Wonderland movie. And teens are encouraged to pray for those participating in the Winter Olympics. Nifty idea, isn't it?

 If you'd like to turn your kids into influencers instead of the influenced-upon, click on http://hollywoodprayernetwork.org/kids-prayer-calendar, download a copy of your free calendar, and help them become intercessors for Hollywood.

It's a simple, matter-of-factly told incident.

"Isaac pleaded with the LORD to give Rebekah a child because she was childless. So the LORD answered Isaac's prayer, and his wife became pregnant with twins. But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the LORD about it. "Why is this happening to me?" she asked. And the Lord told her . . . " (vss. 21-23). You know the rest of the story, which isn't my point. My point is, she didn't understand what was going on, so without hesitation or acting like inquiring of the LORD was anything out of the ordinary, she simply asked the Him and expected Him to answer. And He did. 

To be honest, I don't always hear quite as immediately or as concretely as Rebekah did, but sometimes I actually do. And almost always I hear Him say something that lets me know He cares, He's at work for my good, and I can trust Him. Without fail, I'm always glad I took the time and risk to ask.

What about you? Wish you had God's perspective on the perplexing situations in your life? Why not take your cue from Rebekah and just ask Him: "Why is this happening to me? What's Your perspective on this, God?" Let us know how it goes.

In his commentary on that passage in Conversations: The Message Bible with Its Translator, Peterson remarks, "Dead-ended as self-pity is, prayer doesn't forbid it. Any place is the right place to begin to pray. But we mustn't be afraid of ending up someplace quite different from where we start. . . . Let [self-pity] lead you to higher ground where it is tranformed into worship."

If you'd like to read more of Peterson's reflections on prayer in The Message, make sure to go to the Pray!  landing page and get the free download. It includes 21 readings on seven passages each from the Old Testament, the Psalms, and the New Testament. It's only available for two weeks more, though, so do it today.

It was wonderful to hear that students are praying--and I mean really praying! With contagious zeal and faith and persistence. But the young people begged us to pray with them and for them. They covet the prayers of those of us in our 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80's and beyond.

Historically, revival has come when God has caught the hearts of youth and young adults. To that end, student leaders from across the nation have united to launch a new prayer initiative: Collegiate Day of Prayer. The idea is simple. On the last Thursday of this month, ask God to move on college and university campuses and in the lives of students, faculty, and staff. To find out how to participate, go to http://www.collegiatedayofprayer.org/. For specific ideas on how to pray, check out the Pray! resource, 18 Prayers for Higher Education.

Do you already pray for colleges and universities? Does your church or prayer ministry invest in the future by praying for college students? Share your stories and ideas with the rest of us!

Several years ago he challenged his congregation to think of someone who seemed "impossible" and pray for that person's salvation. It so happens that there was a young man in the community who wrote prolific and caustic letters to the editor, railing against the things that Christians hold dear. This woman decided to make him her prayer focus. For the next couple of years she cut out his letters and put them on her refrigerator and used them as reminders to pray for her impossible person's salvation.

Several years passed. Then one Sunday in the "meet and greet" time in the service, the man standing in front of her introduced himself. He was none other than the writer of those letters to the editor, the man she'd prayed for for two or three years! She was too dumbstruck to say anything then, but following the service, she found the courage to ask if he really were the same person of letter-writing fame. Sheepishly, he replied that he was. So she told him that she'd been praying for him. And then hetold her his part of the story.

He worked for a local coffee shop where some people he met invited him to church. For whatever reason (could it be the woman's faithful prayer?) he decided to go. Over time, through prayers of the faithful woman, the witness of his friends, the proclamation of God's Word at church, and the work of the Holy Spirit, he came to trust Jesus. And now, several years after his conversion, he continues to grow in his faith and openly shares his story of meeting Jesus.

That story inspires me to pray for the "impossible" people in my life. And to ask you: Have you seen "impossible" people come to faith through prayer? Would you share your stories with us?

I decided to intercede through the alphabet, asking the Holy Spirit to give me someone or something to pray about for each letter. Sometimes He gave me more than one prayer for each letter. Usually I prayed for family and friends, but when I got to H, it was Haiti He led me to pray for, and when I got to O, He urged me to pray for our President. I dozed off a few times, but each time I awoke and my mind raced toward the Situation, I pulled it back to where I'd left off in the alphabet.

When I finished that, I was still awake and tempted to go back to my Situation, so I started the alphabet over again, this time naming something about God that corresponded to each letter. I tried to use names and attributes that had personal meaning for me and rest in those qualities of who God is--for instance, my Deliverer, Glory, Healer, Lifter of my head, Protector, Provider, Shalom, and Vindicator.

As before, I dozed on and off, but each time I awoke, I'd pull myself back to where I'd left off and continue centering on God and worshiping Him.

Honestly, I didn't sleep much last night. But by handing my Situation over to Him and focusing on systematically worshiping Him and praying for others, I still got up this morning refreshed and much more at peace. And somehow, I suppose it shouldn't surprise me, the Situation isn't nearly so large this morning.

To help myself and others like me who find it challenging to pray in the midst of enormous tragedy, a few years ago I asked the Lord to give me some Scripture-based prayers for just such times. He did. The result was the bookmark prayer guide, "Prayers of Hope in Times of Calamity." It includes prayers like these:

Dear Lord, if these hurting people have not called on You before, may they begin calling on Your name right now; may they find You to be their refuge and strength, a very present help in their time of trouble (Genesis 4:26; Psalm 46:1).

Loving Father, draw the children involved in this tragedy to Yourself. Let them come to You without hindrance. Strip away any foothold in their lives that Satan may try to gain through this tragedy. Rather, use it to refine their faith in You. (Matthew 19:13-14; Luke 17:1-2; Ephesians 1:27; 1 Peter 1:6-7).

Stir Your body to action, Lord Jesus. Surround these hurting people with those who will minister to them. Send believers who will offer food, visits, and other ministry in Your name. Prompt Your people to reach out and offer the comfort they themselves have received from You. Give them opportunities to share the reason for the hope they have (Matthew 25:37-40; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4; 1 Peter 3:15).

If you're like me and could use some focus and depths as you pray for Haiti, perhaps these prayers, and the others on the prayer card will help you. You can see the entire prayer card by going to "Prayers of Hope in Times of Calamity" and clicking on "Read a sample chapter."

Would you like a way to channel your concern into prayer? Each year thousands of churches across the nation join in prayer for their cities using Waymaker's prayer guide, Seek God for the City. The prayer initiative begins 40 days before Palm Sunday each year, which means that in 2010 it will be from February 17 until March 28. Scripture-based prayer guides are available to help you focus your prayers and pray in Kingdom-minded, wholistic ways for the needs of your community. Children's companion guides are available, as well as Spanish versions.

Waymakers is under the leadership of Steve Hawthorne, a former Pray! author, advisory board member, and leader of the prayer movement. For more information, go to Waymakers.

For more information about 24-7 houses of prayer, check out the Pray! archives: Youth Awakening to 24/7 Prayer and Historic Moravians Inspire Contemporary Prayer Movement

 Or to read an entire Pray! theme section about mobilizing youth to pray, get your hands on May/June 2008 issue entitled "Passing the Torch".

Does your college campus have a concerted prayer movement? Tell the rest of us about it.

Yesterday, the last Sunday of 2009, we altered the method slightly. We read Deuteronomy 8, a wonderful passage about not fogetting God's work in His people's lives, and then after the time of silence, reflection, and sharing, the leader asked us to spend more time with the Lord individually, asking Him to remind us times during the past year when we'd experienced consolation (a sense of God's presence and life) and desolation (a sense of God seeming far away and a feeling drained of life). His point was to encourage us to invite God into a prayerful contemplation of the previous year so He could help us recognize, savor, and learn from the ways He'd been working in us. With these things in mind, we will be in a better place to move more intentionally into the new year with the conscious awareness of His presence and purposes for us.

Needless to say, 75 minutes was not enough time for us to finish the exercise. In fact, we barely scratched the surface. But the time was meaningful to me, so I wanted to share it with you so that you might also try it, if you like. Or perhaps you have another way of prayerfully reflecting on the year past and moving prayerfully into the one to come. If you do, please share that with the rest of us. But whatever you do, find a way to reflect with and talk to the Lord about the year you've just finished and the one we're ushering in.

But here's the part I missed until I read the story afresh this year: Zechariah's son was born in answer to his prayers! Yes, that's what the angel said. "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son!" (Luke 1:13, NLT).

Wait a minute! If Zechariah had been praying, how come he didn't believe when the answer to his prayer was announced? I have to assume it's because he'd prayed it years earlier, when he and Elizabeth were young enough to make childbearing seem like a reasonable possibility. I suppose when menopause set in, Zechariah  assumed that God wasn't going to come through for the so he gave up praying.

But even though on this point Zechariah may have given up on God, God didn't give up on Zechariah. He still counted Zechariah's prayer legitimate and answered it, albeit many years after he'd stopped praying.

In the end, it's God who gets glory, not the prayer warrior. "If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself" (2 Timothy 2:13).

Obviously that doesn't mean I want to have flimsy faith. But it does mean that it doesn't all depend on me. And that takes  a lot of pressure off. God is faithful even when I'm not! That's just one more piece of the good news we celebrate in this season of glad tidings.

Even though I was surprised, I was pretty sure I knew what He meant. I'd recently been reflecting on the power of a smile to encourage others--welcoming, assuring acceptance, affirming, lending courage, giving understanding, enjoying a mutual secret, and so on. If I'm confident that looking into a loved one's face will bring a smile in return, I'm eager to make that contact.

But if I think that looking into a person's face will indicate disapproval, rejection, disappointment, or something else I'd rather not see, I avoid making that contact. And sometimes, I'm sorry to say, I worry that God will look at me with similar discouraging glances. That's not who God really is--He always welcomes me with love--even though sometimes I forget that. So, on this particular morning He wanted me to "look full in His wonderful face" and see His smile for me. Whatever was happening in my day, I knew I could look at Him and know He would smile back.

It was an unusual day, as you might imagine. But it was more powerful than I could have ever imagined.  Whenever I needed encouragement or was lonely or stressed, I'd turn the eyes of my spirit toward His face and "see" His smile for me. I loved it! And by the end of the day, I was having so much fun that I found myself initiating smiles toward Him. One time, for example, I was working on a project I didn't enjoy at all. I admit it, I was grumbling. Then I remembered about smiling. I looked up at the ceiling of my cubicle and flashed my most endearing smile. If anyone had seen me they probably would have wondered if my combo platter was short a burrito. But I did it anyway. And I sensed God's presence and pleasure almost instantly. I was blown away by how a simple physical gesture--a smile directed God-ward--could change my attitude and usher in God's presence.

The next day I was reflecting on my unusual experience with God. To be honest, I was wondering if it might have been a little wacky. But just as I was wondering that, a friend sent me an email that included an essay by the 17th century Scottish theologian Samuel Rutherford. In it, Rutherford said "In God's book, a look toward heaven or an uplifting of the eyes is set down as prayer. 'In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up' (Ps. 5:3)."

I probably don't have to tell you that when I read that, I looked up at the ceiling of my bedroom and grinned. Just like I'm doing now.

.

For Advent this year, for instance, I am practicing receiving from God. He gives so many good gifts--the best of all being Jesus--but I so rarely take time to unwrap them and really enjoy them. So that's what I'm trying to do this year. I wrote about it in my column for Pray! Online News (you can subscribe for free on the Pray! homepage). If you haven't seen it already, here's a link to it:  http://www.navpress.com/pray/content.aspx?id=3100.

Yesterday was the first day of Advent. I unwrapped "unconditional love." Today I opened up "Peace." I'm not sure what God will have for me tomorrow, but I'm eager to find out. Wouldn't you like to join me in unwrapping some of God's good gifts to you? Let us know how it goes.

Can You Hear Me? Tuning In to the God Who Speaks by Brad Jersak. A great book for people who want to hear from God and not just talk at Him.

Children Can You Hear Me: How to Hear and See God, also by Brad Jersak. This is the best children's book on prayer I know of. It's the kids' version of Can You Hear Me--but some adults I know say they like the children's book even more than the adult one.

Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home by Richard Foster. Acquaints readers to the breadth and depth of prayer, offering approaches that go after the heart. Celebrates both the diversity  and tradition of various streams of Christendom and their contributions to the contemplative life of prayer.

The Prayer-Saturated Church with CD: A Comprehensive Handbook for Prayer Leaders by Cheryl Sacks. Great for your prayer leader or prayer team. Hundreds of churches have used this invaluable resource to start, refresh, grow, and maintain their church prayer ministries.

Prayer-Saturated Kids: Equipping and Empowering Children in Prayer by Cheryl Sacks and Arlyn Lawrence. Wonderful for parents, Sunday school teachers, and children's leaders who want to get children started on the right foot in prayer.

Fresh Encounters: Experiencing Transformation Through United Worship-Based Prayer by Daniel Henderson. This is the book for anyone who leads corporate prayer times. If you follow the suggestions in this book, you won't have people bored and falling asleep in prayer meeting--instead, they'll be encountering the Living God.

Sacred Listening: Discovering the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola by James L. Wakefield. Introduces the reader to lectio divina, a centuries-old, tried-and-true method of praying Scripture. Through daily prayer-meditations on the life of Jesus and principles of discernment, readers are challenged to become transformed into the likeness of Jesus. Best if used in a partnership with another person.

Giving Ourselves to Prayer: An Acts 6:4 Primer for Ministry by Dan R. Crawford. Great for pastors, Bible college and seminary students, missionaries, and others who are called to lead in prayer. Written by 80 prayer leaders (including yours truly) with the aim of providing a broad and comprehensive overview of what it means to pray and lead others in prayer.

So, there you have my list. But what about you? What books have changed your prayer life? Let us hear from you!

I wonder if anyone has thoughts about encouraging pastors in their prayer lives. From my studies of seminaries, I have found that only a few offer prayer courses. Most have none. The result is many pastors have a limited understanding on prayer. We need to find a way to encourage them!

I invited Phil Miglioratti, a former Pray! author and blogger for the Pastor's Prayer Network (among many other prayer-leader roles) to be serve as guest blogger to respond to this excellent question.

***

Lewis, your comments are sadly correct. Few pastors have had training in prayer, and most who preach on prayer focus exclusively on improving an individual's personal prayer life, which is vital, but ignores the need to identify intercessors and develop a vibrant prayer culture throughout the congregation.

So, how do we avoid cursing the darkness and light candles instead? Here are a few ideas.

 • Pray. Pray for your pastor. Pray for other pastors the Holy Spirit leads you to pray for. Avoid reactive (praying about their weaknesses) prayers; rather, pray proactively (according to God's promises and purposes for their lives).

 • Learn. Get a better understanding of the width and depth of developing a team of people who will shield and support your pastor with prayer. Prayer Shield by C. Peter Wagner (<http://www.gospellight.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10552&storeId=10052&productId=20332&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=23708&top_category=>) is an excellent practical resource.

 • Read. Get your hands on several books that will strengthen your pastor's comprehension of prayer and praying then, after you've read them, pass them on to him or her. Giving Ourselves to Prayer (<http://www.prayershop.org/?Click=968>) is a good one to start with. Written as a textbook for Christian colleges and seminaries, it covers 80 topics related to prayer, from both practical and theological point of view.

 • Model. When appropriate and the Holy Spirit leads you, include a prayer for your pastor when you participate in prayer with your
church, Sunday school class, small group, prayer meeting, committee or council session, choir practice, or anywhere else where you gather corporately and pray.

• Send. Prayer is better caught than taught. Many pastors need to go outside of their congregations to experience new or different ways of praying and to avoid the pressure of being perceived as an expert. The National Pastors' Prayer Summit (<mailto:phil@nppn.org>) is designed precisely for this purpose. Band together with others to pay your pastor's way to an event that will refresh and recalibrate his or her understanding and practice of prayer.

 • Search.  Find out what the Lord is doing in prayer in your community. Investigate the ministries of other congregations, visit citywide houses of prayer, and receive email newsletters (ask your pastor if you can subscribe the church edress to the best ones. Along with Pray! Online News, consider the Church Prayer Leaders Network (<http://prayerleader.com/>) and visit the Praying Pastor Blog (<http://prayingpastorblog.blogspot.com/>).

•Pray (again!). By you are probably tired and may even feel overwhelmed. Cast your cares on the Lord; Jesus is more interested in your pastor becoming a prayer champion than you are. So give thanks, and keep on praying!

***

 Thanks, Phil, for that great response. I invite you readers to share your own experiences and positive ideas about how to encourage pastors in their prayer lives. Talk to us!

So, when I was talking with God the other night and out of the blue I sensed Him saying to me, Praise Me! I froze. Abba, You know I love You, I replied. You are most definitely worthy of all praise! Help me! I'm not unwilling, but I don't want to be mechanical. I don't know how to respond from my heart.

As He always does when I admit my weakness and ask for help, God graciously came alongside me. He reminded me of a situation that He is miraculously unfolding for me and invited me to write a psalm about it. He pointed me to Psalm 30, which we'd studied in church that morning, and suggested I use it as a model for the structure of my praise-prayer.

Encouraged, I opened my Bible--and my heart--and to my surprise, spontaneous praise poured out. I found that I wanted to talk about the amazing things God was doing in my circumstances, and I wanted to make sure He knew--and everyone else did, too--that I was in awe of Him.

So, if, like me, you sometimes freeze when you are asked to offer on-the-spot praise to God, try opening your Bible and using a Psalm as a model to craft praise to God for something He's doing in your life. Let me know what happens.

Also, when you find yourself unable to do something that you know is right and good and would bring pleasure to God, don't give up or beat yourself up. Instead, confess honestly your inadequacy and ask God for help. He is our Helper and loves to be strong in our weakness. I can attest to that!

However—and this is a huge "however": God's hands are never tied. Never. No pastor or leader can ever thwart God's plans or power. Throughout scripture we see people in charge who drag their feet while someone with lesser or even no title or position leads the way to spiritual victory. Think of Joseph in Egypt. Esther in Persia. Daniel in Babylon. Gideon. David in the matter of Goliath. In each case there was someone else "in charge" who "should" have led God's people into His plans and ways. But when those leaders neglected their call, God brought in someone else to do the job.

So, back to one of my prayer-leader friends. God showed her that she was allowing the well-meant statement "Prayer will never rise above the pastor's passion for it" to defeat her. She realized that although the statement had truth to it, it was not a death knell for the church whose pastor hadn't yet caught the vision. So she actually repented of believing that statement and told God that she believed He could stir a people to pray in her church whether the pastor led the way or not. And she asked Him to do that.

Within one week, the pastor came to her and asked her to head up several significant events that would advance prayer in their church--events that the pastor wanted to be involved with personally. As you might imagine, my friend was tremendously encouraged about what God might have in mind for prayer in her church!

So, I share these things not to say that pastors' involvement and support isn't important. It is. However, if your pastor isn't there yet, don't think that God can't work anyhow. He can--and if you trust Him to, I believe He will.

How about other prayer leaders out there? Have you had any experiences of God helping you through different types of discouragement in getting your church motivated to pray? We'd love to hear them.

On the other hand, He expects us to pray about the welfare of the communities and nations in which we live. When no one would stand in the gap for Jerusalem, the LORD vowed to destroy it (Ezekiel 22:30-31)

Personally I often have a hard time balancing these two perspectives—of trusting God without worrying, while at the same time interceding for the critical events that could radically affect our nation's future. My friend and the president of the National Prayer Committee, David Butts, recently gave me a copy of his newest book which I've found helpful in navigating this dilemma. In Prayer and the End of Days: Praying God's Purposes in Troubled Times, David says it this way:

"All too often, Christians feel powerless and at the mercy of a very big world. Watching or reading of news events can feel like an exercise in futility and even worse, bring a sense of anxiety and worry into our lives. One way to deal with this is to shut yourself off from the world. Turn off the television news and unsubscribe to your daily newspaper. Doing so may provide temporary relief but certainly does nothing to change the situation.

"There is a better way. It involves a commitment to change your world through prayer. You begin to see yourself as a player on the world stage. Rather than passively watching and worrying, or ignoring and hiding, you begin to take significant action to bring God's power to bear on situations going on in the world."

David goes on to offer practical guidelines for praying about biblical prophecies, spiritual warfare issues, the return of the Lord, the future of Israel, and more. I recommend his book for anyone who wants to do more than worry or hide, but to really make a difference through prayer.

 What do you think? How do handle our call to intercede for our world without taking on worry and panic?

Have you experienced the refreshment of a personal prayer retreat? Need some help knowing how to plan one? Recently I gave a teleseminar on prayer retreats for Church Prayer Leaders Network. If you missed hearing me then, here's another opportunity. The seminar was recorded and is now available for you at http://www.navpress.com/uploadedImages/Pray_Content_Pages/Pray_Home_Page_Content_Blocks/CPLN-TS-10-20-09.mp3 . I hope you can listen in. I also hope that those of you who take prayer retreats will share with the rest of us some of your ideas and experiences. Why are these times special for you?

If you miss Jon, or want to learn more about effective corporate prayer, check him out at: http://prayerleader.com/component/option,com_myblog/Itemid,174/.

Here's what I've concluded so far:

 • Prayer is relational. It's not a mechanism by which we get God to do things for us, kind of like placing an order on Amazon then waiting for our stuff to arrive. Prayer is communicating with God as a Person. And this Person we call "Abba, Father" has feelings--Scripture is clear about that (for just a few examples, check out Genesis 5:6-7, Exodus 32:10, 1 Kings 3:10, and Psalm 103:1). The most intimate, deep, trusting relationships are built when two individuals share open themselves up to one another and connect at a heart level. I want to relate to God like that.

• I need to know God cares. He asks me to pour out my heart to Him (Psalm 62:8). If I'm going to be that vulnerable with Him, then I hope for a sympathetic, if not empathetic response. Thankfully, that's exactly what He offers. Speaking of His people, Israel, Isaiah 63:9 says, "In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

• I want to be His friend. Abraham was called a friend of God. Jesus calls His disciples His friends. I want to be His friend, too. For His sake and not just for my own. There are things on God's heart. I want to be sympathetic to those things. Psalm 25:14 says "The LORD confides in those who fear him." I want for Him to confide in me. And sometimes He does. Sometimes He moves me to urgency or passion or tears over things or people that don't ordinarily move me. When that happens I pray, Oh, that must be on Your heart right now, Father! Show me how to keep company with You on this situation that is important to You.

I imagine more ideas will come to me as I continue pondering on this theme. But in the meantime, I'd like to hear from you. Do God's emotions influence the way you pray? How? What if God did NOT have feelings? Would your prayers change?

I hope you can join me tomorrow evening. It's easy. You can call in at 6:30 p.m. Mountain Time from any phone, anywhere. Dial 1 + 712-432-0232. An automated voice will prompt you to punch in the conference access code. When this happens, key in 732668 and the pound (#) sign. And that's all you have to do. The only charge to you is your regular long-distance charges.

This teleseminar is sponsored by the Church Prayer Leader's Network. If you cannot call in for the live talk tomorrow night, you can catch it in the CPLN archives through November 17, 2009. Go to www.prayerleader.com to find it. But I hope you can join me tomorrow--and remember, if you do, you will get a free copy of my book.

See you there!

In my experience, when the topic of constant communion with God comes up, someone inevitably will say, "Have you ever read Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence?" That's what happened in this recent discussion, anyway. I think that's because that 17th Century Carmelite monk who served as a lowly cook in a French monastery kitchen connects more with many of us who live workaday iives than the better known mystics who were able to set aside hours for silence and contemplation. I don't know, that's just my theory.

At any rate, when I heard that this month's free product available through the Pray! webpage was a selection from NavPress' adaptation of Brother Lawrence;s classic work, I was glad. Hundreds of years later, Brother Lawrence inspires me. I think he might inspire you, too. Check him out for free by going to www.praymag.com and clicking on "Free Download."

Specifically, I had become distrustful of God. If He'd allowed my husband to suffer 11 years of debilitating, progressive illness and had not protected me from all the fear, loneliness, exhaustion, and sorrow that came with it, what would He allow next? I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Based on the crisis my family and I experienced, I had grown doubtful of God's protection. And that's not a good place to live.

As I sat with my prayer partners that day, Jesus helped me see how the enemy had lied to me about God's character long before my husband had become ill. Even in childhood he'd planted seeds of distrust that had at first grown quietly, hidden beneath the surface. But now with this trial, these noxious weeds had sprouted and started to tangle in the garden of my heart.

My prayer partners led me to confess the lies I'd believed about God, ask His forgiveness for discrediting and disbelieving His goodness, and then they invited Jesus to speak into an old memory of a time I'd felt unprotected and alone--perhaps the first time I'd believed Satan's lie about God. Jesus did. He showed me in a very personal, memorable way, that He always had been and always will be with me in danger, and that I can trust in His heart for me.

Since that time, God has used listening prayer many times to bring peace to my soul in other areas of old woundedness and confusion. And I know He wants to do that for all of His children.

The Navigators offer an excellent seminar that teaches the principles of Listening and Healing Prayer--the same principles my prayer partners used with me (and now I pass along to others). If you could come to Colorado Springs November 5 and 6 or to Lawrenceville, Georgia (near Atlanta) November 20 and 21, consider coming to one of these seminars. If you do, you will have an opportunity to invite God to minister to your heart, soul, and emotions, and at the same time give you tools to use in sharing Jesus' healing and peace with others. For more information, email pray@navpress.com.

How about you? Have you experienced emotional healing prayer? I'd especially love to hear from prayer leaders who are part of church-based healing prayer ministries. What is Jesus doing with hurting people at your church?

An on-the-scene observer estimated that between 4,000 and 6,000 Muslims attended the event--considerably fewer than the 50,000 expected. Because of the smaller than anticipated numbers, every person who attended was given the opportunity to receive a JESUS Film Project DVD and gospel literature. Those who participated in passing out the Christian resources estimated that between 50 and 60 percent received it, "some with great joy!" More than 2,500 packets were distributed, and team members reported that many positive conversations took place.

 Sounds to me like the True and Living God showed up. Seeds were sowed. Let's water them with our prayers and ask God for a harvest from this unusual planting.

Why? For one thing, because I think pastors are huge targets of the enemy. Someone once said it's as if they wear giant bulls-eyes on their backs, just waiting for spiritual darts to come flying at them. They need spiritual protection. For another thing, they are weak human beings like the rest of us. Apart from Jesus, they can't do a spiritually worthwhile thing--just as we can't. They need the Holy Spirit to fill them and flow through them, and I believe my prayers can help open the way for Him to do that. Finally, praying for pastors is probably one of the most supportive, caring things we can do for them. I want my friend to know he's not out there on his own--that someone cares for his ministry and even for his soul.

There are lots of ways to pray for pastors; I certainly didn't invent the idea! But here's what I do: Pastor B gives me his sermon text ahead of time. Early Sunday morning I read through the Bible passage a couple of times, asking God what He wants to do with this particular congregation on this particular Sunday. I listen quietly for His response. Generally some ideas start surfacing. At this point, I start typing, in the form of a prayer addressed to God. I ask Him to do the things for this church and through this pastor that I sense Him speaking into my heart. Then I copy the prayer I've typed into an email and shoot it over to my friend.

Very often Pastor B tells me that the Lord uses my intercession to encourage him. Sometimes he says that what the Lord gave me to pray confirmed something he'd been thinking about doing or saying. And sometimes he says that the things God led me to pray were the very things he'd been asking God to do already. Always I feel privileged to know that I get to participate in my friend's ministry through prayer.

October is Clergy Appreciation Month. For ideas and resources about how to participate, check out the Pray! article, "Assignment: Lighten the Load" or take a peek at the prayer card, "Scripture-Based Prayers to Pray for Your Pastor".

Also, we’d love to hear from pastors out there: Are people praying for you? If not, do you wish they were? If so, what are your thoughts about and experiences with people praying on your behalf?

The article is not written from a Christian perspective--the author makes a point of distinguishing himself from the 75 percent of Americans who report that they pray once a week or more and says that even when twice it appeared he was gong to die, "I didn't give God a thought." However, it's still worth reading. 

Isn't it interesting that so many of us practice prayer, even though we may view it and God very differently? I'd love to hear about interactions you may have had with people outside evangelical circles who love to pray. How can we connect with them? How can we capitalize on what we agree on while sharing with them our passion for Jesus whom is the focus of our praying?

Let us know what you think. And we'd love to hear your experiences of how you persist in prayer when the answers are a long time in coming. 

In my experience, nonbelievers and unchurched people are far more open to being prayed for than most of us realize. Do you agree? Do you have experiences of praying with nonbelievers? Tell us about them. Let's be like that church in Arizona and find more ways to offer Jesus to the people all around us.

    • Acts 17:26-27: "From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined     the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps     reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us."

    • Jeremiah 29:13-14: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,"     declares the LORD,"

    • John 18:37: "Jesus answered . . . 'For this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.'"

    • The story of Cornelius who devoutly prayed to God but did not yet know Jesus (Acts 10).

I also thought of the many stories I've heard of Muslims to whom Jesus has appeared in visions. Is this an opportunity, Lord? How do You want me to pray? I asked.

With these thoughts and questions in mind, I continued reading the article. I discovered that some Christians see the Muslim prayer day as a threat. As spiritual warfare. As a public relations effort for an Islamic agenda.

I suppose they could be right. I certainly don't know the hearts of the people who will attend this event. Fasting and spiritual warfare prayer may very well be in order. However, I also think there's another way to look at it. Souls--50,000 of them--will be seeking salvation from God. That's what their own press releases are saying: salvation! Couldn't there be among them some who are open-minded seekers of Truth?

So here is my prayer for this event: That as this great multitude of souls cry out for help to someone bigger than they are, that many will encounter the True and Living God. That the Holy Spirit will open truly hungry hearts and minds to Truth and salvation that comes through Isa, that is Jesus, who loves them and died not just for us, but also for them.

I hope you'll be praying about this day, too. Whether it's warfare prayer or prayer for the salvation of souls, will you pray that God will use this event for great good? What are your thoughts?

 I can agree with that idea for sure. When my faith is in the character of God—His goodness, love, wisdom, perfection, understanding, attentiveness—I cannot lose. His answer to what concerns me will always reveal His goodness, love, wisdom, and so forth—all of who He is. So for me, I choose to put my faith in who He is more than in the answer I think I need.

Popular NavPress author Cynthia Heald has lots more to say about the connection between prayer and faith. Check out the free download "Praying in Faith" available on the homepage of www.praymag.com. (Note: Although the button says "buy now," you will not be asked for any payment information. Simply  click on the button and follow the directions an din seconds you'll have your free chapter on prayer and faith.)

I searched the Internet and found The Spiritual Ministry Center in San Diego, CA.  Run by nuns from the Society of the Sacred Heart, this small center offered peaceful, reasonably priced accommodations, optional spiritual direction, and a two-block walk to the beach. It was just what I needed.

My retreat was silent, except for daily conversations with the sisters and occasional calls home to a prayer partner. I spent my days in prayer, walking the beach, listening to God, remembering, journaling, letting go, grieving, resting, and, as it turns out, dreaming.

I hadn’t expected to dream. My husband had been ill for 11 years and the demands of caring for him, working, and raising our son virtually alone, had taken their toll on whatever dreams I had once had. But one of the biggest surprises God had for me during that intimate time with Him was to restore my ability to desire and dream.

What do you really want? He asked me one day as waves lapped around my ankles.

I have no clue, I told Him. But He persisted. Over the days of that retreat, He continued to ask me the same question, inviting me, even daring me to dream. Eventually something freed up in me and I tentatively began writing. After a halting start, dreams began to flow—pages of them. And something that had died in me God raised to new life.

During those five days, the Holy Spirit proved to be a wonderful Counselor indeed. He guided me through relinquishing what I’d lost through my husband’s sickness and death and then filled those empty places with new dreams and hopes. In those five days alone with Him, He truly did restore my soul.

I just now re-read my journal from that retreat. I am amazed. Many of the dreams I risked expressing last November are being fulfilled! God is indeed giving me the desires of my heart.

He is a good Father. He gives us just what we need to love and trust Him—but for me, at least, sometimes it requires some extended time with Him for a good, long conversation.

So I did. I thanked Him for my French roast coffee (black and strong!). For the beauty of Pikes Peak and the vividly colored flowers I enjoyed on a morning stroll. For music. For events I was looking forward to later in the week. For a reassurance He gave me in His Word.

I drove out of my driveway thanking Him for a job, for the great people I get to work with. For meeting all my needs.

And on and on it went. This is fun, Father! I exclaimed, realizing how just taking intentional time to notice His blessings had changed my perspective. And in that moment of pleasant reverie just then, I noticed the bumper sticker on the car ahead of me: “Wag more, bark less.”

I laughed out loud. Thanks, Father for Your sense of humor and for enjoying this moment with me. I get it! Sometimes my complaining and worrying prayers are like yippy-dog yapping to You. Help me remember to wag more!

Daniel is passionate about helping people learn to pray with passion, power, and engagement. He has learned some secrets to leading prayer that seem to attract the presence of God, and he's eager to share them. Some of his key ideas include:

• How to pray creatively with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit

• How to incorporate Scripture into prayer times

• How to let prayer become a powerful life-changing experience in your life and church

• How to use the Lord's prayer to pray creatively

You can read some of his ideas in his books, Fresh Encounters, and PRAYzing! Or, this fall, you could hear him share live at his multi-church tour in ten U.S. cities, starting September 1 and continuing through November 22. If you live anywhere near these cities, I encourage you to attend a free evening of inspiration and equipping: Bloomington, MN; Lynchburg, VA; Los Gatos, CA; Sacramento, CA; Auburn, CA; Colorado Springs, CO; Katy, TX; Gastonia, NC; Birmingham, AL; and Titusville, FL.

To learn more about his fall tour, visit http://www.strategicrenewal.com/CreativePrayerTour. To learn more about his books, go to Fresh Encounters or PRAYzing! Either way, Daniel can motivate you with practical ideas about the possibilities of creative prayer and give you tools for making it work in your own life.  

As I left the auditorium, I was handed a copy of the 30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus. Last evening during my personal prayer time, I opened to the page for August 23: "Pray that Muslims will be able to meet sincere practicing believers and discern how they are different from cultural Christians." I instantly thought of Muslims I have known throughout my life--mostly university students. Their names and faces came to mind so I prayed for them to meet believers in Jesus who would love them and introduce them to a real faith in Christ. Hmm. I can do this, I thought. I'm still not sure if God is calling me to a lifetime commitment to pray for Muslims, but I can pray for 30 days, at least.

So I committed to pray for the salvation of Muslims from now until the end of Ramadan this year, September 20. We'll see what God has for me after that. Meanwhile, my experience made me think of the value of prayer initiatives. I know I should pray more for my city, pastor, president, persecuted Christians around the world, and, yes, Muslims. Yet even though I believe it's important, even though I want to, sometimes the challenge and commitment feel so huge that I don't even get started. But a prayer initiative with a defined ending date feels do-able.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all the important things that call for our intercession? How do you handle these enormous challenges and opportunities without getting overwhelmed and discouraged? What prayer initiatives have helped you pray beyond your normal prayer list?

Today I met with someone who had experienced numerous baffling setbacks on the project I was trying to help with. It’s a good project, a kingdom project, yet it seems to keep getting hung up. There could be rational reasons for the setbacks. But the more we talked, the more I wondered if there might be spiritual reasons behind all the snarls. I mentioned the possibility to him. It resonated. So we prayed together and addressed some of the places where the enemy might have been able to get a foothold into things. Like me the day before, he had been completely unaware of the possibility that there might be more going on than met the eye.

As I pondered these back-to-back experiences, I realized the importance of relationships when it comes to spiritual battle. What soldier goes into battle alone? We can’t always see the arrows that are headed our direction. But a spiritually tuned-in friend might see the enemy schemes we are blind to and cover our backs for us.

How about you? Whose back are you covering? And is someone covering yours? I’m thinking it’s really important that we serve one another in this critical manner since, whether we like it or not, we’re in a battle.

I’m blogging from a writer’s conference in Montrose, Pennsylvania, where I’ve been teaching writing from a stately Victorian home that once belonged to pastor, author, (How to Pray) and evangelist R. A. Torrey. There’s a tower in this 101-year-old house from which Torrey is said to have made a habit of praying.

I met a woman at the writer’s conference yesterday who had visited the prayer tower for her morning talk with God. “Do you believe in sacred spaces?” she asked. “The moment I walked in I was overwhelmed by God’s presence.”

Interesting question. Do hours of fervent praying in a certain place somehow infuse that place with the tangible presence of the Holy? I know I can’t answer that question with any degree of confidence. But I also know that I’ve also had the experience of entering a place to meet with God and wondering if it was a “thin place,” which is what Celtic Christians used to call physical places where the veil between earth and heaven seems more transparent.  

Jacob, who encountered God at a certain place he subsequently called “Bethel,” seems to have believed in thin places. “When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.’ He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."

Thin places, sacred spaces—are they real? Do they matter? I don’t know. Obviously, with the Spirit of God dwelling in us, we can meet with God any time, anywhere. Still, there’s a special spot in my house where I meet God every morning. He and I spend hours there together. When I walk by that place, it’s as if a welcome mat is there, drawing me into a conversation with God. I don’t know if anyone else can sense His presence there, but I can, and it helps me connect with Him more readily.

What about you? What do you think about sacred spaces?

I wish I had something profound or even merely a bit helpful to say about the subject of vague prayers, but I don’t. However, I want to point you to someone who does. If you read Pray! for a while, you probably know the name Timothy Jones. Tim is an Episcopalian minister and former Christianity Today editor who wrote for both Pray! and Discipleship Journal magazines.

If you miss reading his thoughts on prayer—as I do—then you’ll be happy to hear about his blog, “Life Changing Prayer.” Tim blogs regularly. The posting about vague prayers showed up July 4, 2009.

If you want to read more from Tim, check out the Pray! and Discipleship Journal archives:

“Good Times”

“Comparison Trap”

“Borrowed Prayers”

“Learning to Let Go”

And as always, we want to hear from you. Do you have thoughts or experiences about vague prayers? Join the conversation!