One of my favorite verses is John 15:5, in which Jesus teaches that we must abide in close connection with Him as the True Vine to bear fruit. I believe prayer is an important part of abiding, and prayer is vital to ministry efforts. In With Christ in the School of Prayer, Andrew Murray writes, “Prayer is fellowship with the Unseen and Most Holy One. The powers of the eternal world have been placed at prayer’s disposal. It is the very essence of true religion and the channel of all blessings. It is the secret of power and life not only for ourselves, but for others, for the Church, and for the world. It is to prayer that God has given the right to take hold of Him and His strength. It is on prayer that the promises wait for their fulfillment, the Kingdom waits for its coming, and the glory of God waits for its full revelation.”
Prayer in Pastoral Ministry – No one questions prayer is an expected part of pastoral ministry, but, without any assumptions about your work of prayer, I want to suggest practical ways we need to pray beyond worship services, events, and pastoral care settings.
Pray for your people. – As pastors, we have a responsibility to pray for our people in very specific ways. Praying by name lets us reflect on each person and their spiritual walk, life situation, and ways in which they need the Lord’s touch in their lives. Obviously, pastors of larger churches must break the list down, and you also need to pray specifically for staff, teachers, and volunteer leaders. These seasons of prayer can help you keep a heart of love and concern for your people, help you know how to grow them in Christ and preach to them, and help keep your heart from hardening toward more-challenging members.
Pray for evangelism and your community. – Regularly and specifically pray for your community and Kingdom progress in it. Ask God to break through spiritual strongholds; pray for people to see the truth of God and the Gospel; pray for hearts to open to spiritual issues and the Gospel; pray for divine appointments to lead people to Christ and disciple existing believers; and pray for your own wisdom and boldness in sharing Christ. You may also pray specifically for the needs of individuals you meet in the neighborhood, and pray for other community agencies and overall efforts to impact your area for Christ. Finally, pray for your people’s disciple-making work in their spheres of influence.
Pray for the church’s life, issues, and efforts. – On a regular basis, pray for the overall spirit of the church, its Kingdom heart, its direction and well-being, in addition to the specific aspects of its programming and work. Pray specifically and earnestly rather than in broad, general terms. Pray especially for times of worship and preaching / teaching, asking the Lord for direction and empowering and asking the Lord to prepare hearts and move in power.
Pray for yourself and your work as a pastor. – Make a matter of serious prayer your own fitness for serving the Lord and His people each week. Take to the Lord potential sin, blind spots, your need for wisdom and strength, your heart for the people, and even pastoral characteristics and qualifications found in Scripture.
Increasing Prayer’s Effectiveness – We obviously want our prayer efforts to be impactful, and there are some Biblical strategies for increasing prayer’s effectiveness.
Pray according to the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17). – If the Bible is our guide for living and serving God, it makes sense to line our praying up with God’s Word.
Pray in the Holy Spirit (Jude 20) – Given the Spirit’s work, it makes sense that a close connection with Him, which allows for His guidance and empowering, would increase prayer’s effectiveness.
Pray from a righteous heart and life (John 15:5-17 & 1 John 3:21-24) – Scripture connects effective prayer with righteousness in our walk with the Lord and others.
Pray from a place of confession and forgiveness (James 5:16b & 1 John 1:9) – A corollary to the previous point is that, when we realize we are not right with the Lord, we need to repent and get right.
Removing Prayer’s Hindrances – Our praying can seems hindered or ineffective for several reasons. Sometimes we simply do not see the answers; it is not the right time for the answers; God’s plans vary from what we have asked; or people have hardened hearts that prevent God from moving like He wants to. But there are actual hindrances.
Sin (Psalm 66:18) – Sin in our lives that we have not confessed to God and repented of can hinder our prayers and God’s willingness and ability to answer them.
Unforgiveness (Mark 11:25) – How are your relationships with others? Un-forgiveness violates God’s heart and hinders His forgiveness of us.
Self-Focus and Wrong Motives (James 4:2b-3) – We need to look at why we pray what we pray to make sure it is actually for God’s glory and Kingdom advancement.
Doubt (James 1:5-8) – Sometimes, God becomes too small in our eyes, and we lack faith or confidence when we pray.
Lack of Seriousness and Discipline (1 Peter 4:7) – Without being critical of humor and fun, I believe this Scripture clearly calls us to a sober way of thinking and to self-discipline, and it connects these to effective prayer. In what ways do you need to increase your sober-mindedness and self-discipline?
Family Issues (1 Peter 3:1-7) – The prayer-specific verse in this passage addresses a husband’s prayers and treatment of his wife, but I suspect other family issues hinder prayer also.
As I mentioned earlier, I write without any assumptions about your current ministry of prayer and the ways in which you call on the Lord on behalf of His work. My goal is to encourage you in a clear plan for the work. In my next post, I will look at our personal prayer lives, as well as issues of deepening our prayer and broadening its scope.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (ESV)
Photo Credit: Andy Barlow / Barlow Creative of Rockport, TX