If you’re a pastor, you should certainly be striving for greater excellence as a communicator, as a leader, and as an organizer. You need a vision. You need a strategy. You need a solid, biblical theology of ministry and the church. But you can have all of these and remain stuck in mediocrity without God’s power. The greatest work you’ll ever commit to as a pastor is the work of prayer.
Praying churches, those that experience the miraculous power of God, are led by praying pastors. This is why Jesus spent time teaching his disciples how to pray. He knew that once he had ascended back to heaven, his church would need to connect with him, and the way we connect with God and receive his direction and his power is through prayer.
Jesus gave his disciples at least four reasons to keep on growing in the area of prayer.
1. Prayer is an act of dedication.
It is an opportunity to express our devotion to God as well as our dependence on God. Our biggest problem when it comes to the frequency and passion in our praying is that we don’t feel the need to completely depend on God. The reason why a lot of leaders fail to pray is because it costs us something. It requires our openness and transparency with God. Prayer is a declaration of dependence upon God.
In John 15:5-7, Jesus is giving an illustration of a plant and he says, “If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, but apart from Me, you can do nothing. If anyone doesn’t remain in Me, he’s like a branch that’s thrown away and withers. Such branches are picked up and thrown into the fire and burned. But if you remain in Me [if you be dependent upon Me, express your trust in Me] and My words remain in you, you can ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you.”
That’s an unbelievable promise in prayer! It’s like a branch and vine. The branch is connected to the vine or stem. If you cut the branch off, it loses all its strength and power. When we fail to pray, we wither.
2. Prayer is an act of communication.
You can’t communicate with somebody unless you know your relationship to them. What is our relationship to God? In John 15:15-16, Jesus says, “I no longer call you servants because a servant doesn’t know his master’s business. Instead I have called you friends for everything I’ve learned from My Father, I’ve made known unto you. You didn’t choose Me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My name.”
The reason you can ask anything in prayer is because you are friends with God. We seldom pray because we forget what a privilege it is to talk to God. God says, “I am the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and you are My friend and I want to talk to you!” That’s what prayer is. It is dedication but it is also communication.
We often have a hard time believing that God is really interested in us. We can’t seem to conceive that the Creator of the entire universe is interested in car payments and house payments and buying new clothes for the kids for school and the guy at work who irritates you and the fact that you have back problems and everything else. When you fully discover how much God really loves you, prayer will no longer be a problem for you. The problem is not, “I have to pray.” The problem is you don’t really realize how much God cares about and loves you. Why? Because we love to talk to the people who love us the most.
If you find prayer is a duty, a ritual, a routine that you don’t look forward to going through, it means you don’t understand how much God is in love with you and how much he’s interested in everything that is of interest to you. Prayer is the umbilical cord of the Christian life from which we draw our strength.
3. Prayer is an act of supplication.
Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Don’t worry about anything but in everything, with your prayers and your supplications, make your requests known to God and the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The result of your asking, your requests in prayer, will be peace of mind.
Prayer is God’s chosen method of meeting your needs. The Bible teaches that there are some things that God has promised to do only if we pray. Charles Spurgeon once said, “God never shuts his storehouses until you shut your mouth.” Keep on asking.
4. Prayer is an act of cooperation.
God has sovereignly chosen that we can cooperate in his plan by praying for his will to be done here on earth. Prayer is God’s program. Prayer is God’s modus operandi. When we pray for other people, we are cooperating with God. We are teaming up with God to accomplish God’s work in the world.
Prayer is not limited by time. The prayers of Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago are still being answered today. The prayers I pray today can be answered three weeks from today. They’re not limited by time.
Prayer is not limited by space. You can pray and it’s like sending a missile. I can pray all over. I get up tomorrow morning and go into my study and spend fifteen minutes in prayer and I pray for missionaries around the world.
Prayer is limitless in its power. People may reject your appeals, reject your arguments, or reject you as a person, but they’re totally defenseless against your prayers. They have no defense system. They go straight to the heart.
D. L. Moody, a great pastor, once said, “Every great movement of God can be traced to a single praying, kneeling figure.”
A praying church is a holy church, a committed church. When you pray it makes you sensitive to God and to other people. It sensitizes your life. A praying church is an enthusiastic church. Churches that pray see miracles and that gets people excited. A growing, praying church is a church that sees God act. God acts according to prayer. And churches pray when they see their leaders praying.
Aaron Court Date is 25 Aug 2016, 2 felonies at Harris County Jail , I must act fast.. He needs a mentor a roll model. GREAT Person, mind set age 12 yrs 13yrs old. My phone 314-565-8878, Help me Help Aaron, please, with God Speed, In Jesus Name I Pray You Give Me Assistance.
hello Pastor Rick,
I am need of a Criminal Defense Attorney for my Grandson Aaron Threats, he is the son of a criminal who has violated him, his sister and his immediate family has outcasted him, instead of getting Aaron the proper help, he is constantly mentally bashed by his immediate family. I am his grandmother Bertha Brown 314-565-8878 and I have been trying to help him, I had him in my custody, and he was doing great. He made friends, got of the introverted behavior and opened to me. Now Aaron has returned to Houston, TX with his Mom, which turned to be disastrous for Aaron, he now is on drugs, runaway, and has been arrested for 2 felonies. He has been in jail since Aug 12 and his Mom is not responding to his cry for help as usual.Aaron is not a bad person, more of an troubled and abused person and he should not be locked up in Houston Adult Jail, he just turned 17yrs old. I thought I could afford an Attorney for him but the Attorney did not agree with monthly payment I could afford., He did not tell me his total cost of $4500. The Attorney agreed $1500 down payment, it is my fault I did not ask his full fee. I can only pay him $200 a month and thats a big sacrifice for I am on disability. I just want Aaron back in St. Louis, MO where he his progress and self esteem picked up and he was able to graduate 8th grade, He left in 10th grade to go back with Mom, now he has made wrong choices because of the mental state his is in, can you help me find an Attorney who will help me, desparate Grandmother trying to save my grandson life so he can be productive, he is a great Athelete its he keeps getting put down from his home environment. Help me Help Aaron Threats.,Aaron is 17yrs ole suffers from ADHD, his Mom not giving him any meds, she has let go and he loves her so much. My daughter, needs Jesus in her life she has no passion or compassion for her son, she blames him for every little thing. Help me if you have a contact in Houston Texas who can work with me. His mother abandoned him a long time ago, age 4yrs old.
Thanks, for sharing these great insights on this platform about Ministry and life in general. Your books and posts have been a Blessing to me.
God Bless you real great,
Pst Eze Uchechukwu Patrick,
Lead Pastor,
Take Charge World Ministry Inc.
Owerri – Nigeria.
Pastor you are full of anointing.More grace in Jesus name.Prayer is the master key without a praying pastor, there is no paying church.so therefore mountains can never be subdues.thank you sir.
Pastor you are full of anointing.More grace in Jesus name
That is the simple truth…Pst. Warren has said it all – prayer is not only an expression of love for God and ackowlegment of His soveignty, but also an indication of dependence on Him. A praying church is a victorious church!!
This is wonderful! The concept on prayer is here simplified. Thanks a lot for broadening my perception, more grace!!
As we say at our church, “Much prayer, much blessing. Little prayer, little blessing. No prayer, no blessing.” Great reminder.
Also, our entire staff gathers for the first 30 minutes of each work day to pray through the needs of the church. We use the list from the weekend services. I use that list every morning in my prayer time. We let the congregation know that your pastors and staff pray for you every day. People really appreciate that.
no prayer, not christian….
Great article and I agree with you 100% that prayer is the key not only for the Pastors but also for leaders and all believers. God Bless you for writing very effective and encouraging articles for Pastors.
Man of God,
It is true that prayer is the brain and heart of every Christian, so I am really thrilled by this great teaching that I came across today. One major weakness on my part is prayerlessness, so please pray for me to be prayerful in my lfe as a follower of Christ.
I promise to contimually pray from now onward.
Moses Tear Cammue
+231886306914/777274955
We pray every other Monday at our church. The numbers attending are not great, maybe five or six people turn out. How can we grow a heart for prayer? Should we have a prayer agenda, or let God lead us?
Bendiciones Pastor RickWarren
Desde que estoy conosiendo mas de su ministerio me quedo asombrado de lo hermoso que es mi Dios. Vengo de un ministerio en espanol que cuando anos atras , susprimeros libros el ministerio donde estaba nos proibian leer esos libros y la excusa era que no esra de Dios, pero haora que estamos trabajando co el material que el Senor le ha dado es como un Nuevo despertar. Haora me doy cuenta por que los ministerios en espanol no crecen, como que estan estancados, por la misma mediocridad que existe en ellos, lo bendigp y adelante.
Estamos trabajando con Celebrate ministries en Sioux Fall South Dakota, Pastor Keith Loy.
Muchas bendiciones..
Oh how much did I need to hear this today!!!! Thanks so much!!!
Thanks for this eye opener on the issue of prayer. In fact no church survives without a praying pastor and Congregation. Thank you sir.
An excellent, timely, and encouraging reminder. Thanks for so simply and profoundly sharing.
Just what I needed, just when I needed it. Thank you.
That was a excellent piece on prayer! The truth is the church really no longer focuses upon the power of prayer in far too many churches I have been! At my church I believe that prayer is what held us together through the death of key members, the low income seasons, and the seasons I also go through when I just need rest! Thank you for everything you contribute to us pastors Rev. Warren!!! God bless you and as I continue to pray for your ministry also pray for mine!
Duh!