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“The world starts changing when the Church starts praying.”  That’s a bold claim, isn’t it? Do you believe it’s true?

That’s a lyric from the song When We Pray by Tauren Wells, which, FYI, is about to be your new jam if it’s not already, and is also a great song about the power of prayer.

God calls His people to be a people of prayer.  God is calling YOU to be a person of prayer. And I believe the Church has barely scratched the surface of the privilege and responsibility God has given us in prayer.  I also believe we can change that.  Are you in?

Understanding prayer has been the most life-transforming truth that has impacted my walk with God.  It has gripped my heart deeply and shaped my entire life.  The same can happen for you.  To help you get there, let’s talk about the purpose and power of prayer and how to make it an integral part of your life.

What’s The Purpose of Prayer?

All the world starts changing
When the Church starts praying
Strongholds start to break
Oh, when we pray
Prison walls start shaking
At the sound of praising
Nothing stays the same
Oh, when we pray
Oh, when we pray, oh

– When We Pray,  Tauren Wells (C) 2017 Provident Label Group LLC, a division of Sony Music Entertainment

God works in our lives and in the world through the prayers of His people.

Words spoken to God in prayer release the power of God into the circumstances we pray for.

What is God’s power? It’s His activity, His work, His intervention. God’s power at work in a situation is when He changes circumstances and hearts to bring about His will, to bring about the outcome He knows is best for His glory and our good.

Our prayers create space for God to intervene in the situations we pray about.  James 5:16-18 teaches us that the earnest prayers of God’s people are powerful and effective in impacting circumstances.  1 John 5:14-15 says that when we pray and ask God for things that agree with His will, He hears us and gives us what we ask for.  When believers lift our voices to God in prayer, alone or corporately, God starts working on the things we pray about. (Luke 18:1-8) He sends His Spirit to move on behalf of the people, places and circumstances we bring before Him in prayer.  (Philippians 1:19)

Of course, like the 1 John passage says, we need to pray for things that are in agreement with God’s character and will and praying the Scriptures helps us do that. (John 15:7) More on that later, but for now just know that prayers–yours included–are powerful.

Through prayer, God invites us to participate with Him in His work in the world.

From the start of creation, God has always enjoyed partnership with His people. He has always worked in the world He created through His people. He tasked humanity with the stewardship of the earth. (Genesis 1:26-28) He created everything in the earth and the heavens, but had Adam name the animals. (Genesis 2:19-20) The message of Jesus is shared through His people. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21) He meets the practical needs of others through His people. (Hebrews 13:16) Prayer is another expression of this beautiful partnership between God and His children.  We ask of Him in prayer and He responds by working in the circumstances we pray for.

God could do it all Himself, but because you’re His child and He loves you, He wants you close to Him and involved in what He’s doing. How incredible is it that we get to be a part of God’s work in the world?

ARE YOU PRAYING?

If it’s true that this invitation exists to see God work through prayer, that leaves each of us with some self-evaluation to do.  Ask yourself these questions.

Are you praying for your personal needs and circumstances?

Give us today our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

God invites you to make your requests known to Him.  He invites you to bring your needs, desires, concerns and burdens to Him.  He cares about every aspect of your life and He is a God who loves to work on behalf of His people.

I love that Philippians 4:6 says in every situation, by prayer, present your requests to God.

Think about the situations in your life right now.  Practical needs, desires, challenges, questions, your relationships, your spiritual life etc.  How can you be praying about those things? How can you make request for God to work in those situations through prayer?  Remember you can pray about both practical and spiritual needs.

What would God do in your life if you invited Him to work through prayer?

For more on practically praying over different needs, access the exclusive content, How To Make A Prayer List, in the Free Resource Library

Are you praying for the needs and circumstances of the world?

Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Think of “the world” as anyone or anything outside your own personal life.  It’s the world around you. (family, friends, classmates, co-workers, neighbors, your city or nation, current events etc.)

Here’s one of the cool things about prayer.  Not only do we get to invite God into the things we care about, but He invites us into the things He cares about as well.  That doesn’t mean God doesn’t care about our individual needs and requests. He does.  It means that God also cares about what is happening with all the people and all the world He made.  We get to connect with that aspect of God’s heart when we pray for others.

When Jesus taught His disciples a model for prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, He presented an example of praying for God’s will to be done in the world, not only praying for our own requests.  In the words of Pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr. of Vous Church, pray God’s agenda, not just your own agenda.

Pray for the things on God’s heart and pray for the things on your heart.  Pray for His will to be done in the earth and pray for His will to be done in your life.  Pray for His Kingdom to have impact in the earth and pray for your own personal petitions.  Biblical prayer includes both, not one or the other.

Think about the situations in the world right now.  Start by thinking “close to home” and then expand.

What’s going on in the lives of people you know that needs God’s intervention?  Your place of work or school?  Your neighborhood? You church? The Church in your city? Your nation? People groups you have a heart for? Spiritual or justice needs?

How can you be praying about those things? How can you make request for God to work in those situations through prayer?  Again, you can pray about both practical and spiritual needs.

What would God do in the world if His people invited Him to work through prayer?  What would God do in the world if you played your part?

Making Prayer Practical

Praying with intention doesn’t have to be an overwhelming thing.  Just ask God to show you what areas you should focus on right now.  You could reevaluate and adjust this every week or every month, or as you get answers to things you’re praying for.

As I think through the areas of my own life and the world around me, I make a list of the situations I want to pray about.  Underneath each one I will write down some Bible verses that contain biblical prayers, promises from God or Scriptural truth relevant to that area and pray those verses over that prayer request.  I’ll make a schedule and pray over one or two of them a day.

If you want to pray according to God’s will, pray the Scriptures over your needs and the needs of others.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t use your own words or be honest with God.  It doesn’t mean that you can’t be led by the Holy Spirit in prayer.  It simply helps to give you language for your requests, to give a Scriptural foundation to your prayers, and helps you to know that you are praying in a way that agrees with God’s will to the best of your ability.

For more on praying Scripture, access the exclusive content, How To Pray The New Testament Prayers, in the Free Resource Library

Sierra Smith also has a great article on developing a prayer strategy that talks more about prayer lists and praying Scripture.  She gives some examples of what this can look like in practice as well as some great book recommendations.  It’s one of my favorite articles on the subject of prayer.  (Seriously, you’re gonna want to make time to read this one. It’s that good.)

Don’t Forget Praise

Prayer is not just presenting requests to God, it’s praising Him as well.  Both Philippians 4:6 and 1 Timothy 2:1 teach us that our prayers of request should be joined with prayers of thanksgiving and praise.

As you pray for yourself and for others, don’t forget to thank God for who He is and what He has done even as you pray for what He is going to do.

Jesus, let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done, on earth as it in in Heaven, as Your people pray.

Let’s Talk: What did you learn about prayer from this post?  What are some situations in your life or in the world around you that you are going to start praying for?  Discuss this post in the comments below.  

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