Category Archives: Prayer

They asked you to pray at the secular convention and you agreed. Now what?

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Sooner or later this happens to every pastor:  Some civic (translation: ‘non-religious‘) outfit calls and asks you to lead a prayer at their gathering.  Sometimes it’s the city council or state legislature, sometimes it’s a convention or some club’s gathering.  You are faced with the decision on what to say and what you should not say. 

So here’s my story.

I was in my fourth year pastoring the First Baptist Church of Kenner, LA, in metro New Orleans (across the street from the New Orleans International Airport).  I received a phone call one day informing me that when the American Dental Association held its annual meeting in our city a few months hence, they wanted me to offer the invocation.  I was surprised and honored.

The caller said I would have three minutes for the prayer. She added, “And Pastor, please make it interdenominational.”  In my journal I wrote: “Had she said to omit the name of Jesus, I would have declined the honor for the sake of principle. As it was, I felt I could do something that would satisfy everyone.”

The day came.  It was a huge hotel in downtown New Orleans.  Perhaps 700 to 1,000 people in the room.

Here is what I wrote in my journal:

“The President of the ADA is Dr. Gaines, a dentist from Greenville, SC.  Said his SS teacher gave him my name.  Dr. John Roberts, editor of the SC Baptist Courier.  Just before the meeting started (8:30 am), backstage I met Heather Whitestone, Miss America 1994 (or is it 1995?), the near-deaf lass from Alabama.  We spoke briefly.  Before leading the pledge of allegiance she told the audience how much she loves this country and is grateful to those who have kept it free.  Her chaperone whispered to me, “I never know what she’s going to say.”

After she finished, I prayed the invocation.  Shall I record it here?

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What Elijah and I want

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“Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.” (I Kings 17:24).

I think it was Freud who said no one has ever answered the question “what does a woman want?”

What does a pastor want?

I mean, other than good attendance and a great offering, a little appreciation, a day off without the phone ringing, and a staff of faithful ministers. Somebody getting saved, a peaceful deacons meeting, and a bowl of banana pudding with meringue on top.  that’s my list.

As much as anything ever, your pastor longs–has a deep burning desire–for people to acknowledge that he is a man of God and that when he stands to preach, the message is from God and is truth. Truth with a capital T.

That’s what the widow of Zarephath testified concerning Elijah. Most of us would say, that’s as good as it gets.

This happened during a time of great apostasy in Israel and along with it, a devastating drought. For a time, God had the ravens feed Elijah–the man on the spot, hunted relentlessly by King Ahab–and the brook Cherith to supply him with drink. When the brook dried up, God sent His man to the area of Sidon (present day Lebanon) where a widow would provide for him.

Problem is, God had not bothered to tell the widow.

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What it means to magnify your ministry

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Say to Archippus, ‘Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it” (Colossians 4:17).

“I magnify my ministry” (Romans 11:13).  

The opposite of magnifying your ministry would be minimizing it.

Ever see anyone do that? What would that look like?

I don’t want to focus on answering that question, but want to interject here that the enemy of the Lord Jesus loves to minimize the ministries of those God calls.  We know that and we deal with it.  The tragedy is seeing someone minimizing their own ministry.  Doing the devil’s work for him.

Not real smart.  Let’s not do that.

Let’s focus on MAGNIFYING your ministry.  Making much of it.

Remember how Solomon prayed as he took office?  He said to the Lord, Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted.  So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people…. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours? (That’s First Kings 3.)

He’s humbling himself, as he prayed, “I am but a little child” (I Kings 3:7). But he is also magnifying his ministry.

–They are God’s people.

–They are a great people, too many to count.

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Why praying is so hard for some people

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Why do we make praying so difficult?  Let the pastor announce he’s planning to bring a sermon on prayer and half the congregation looks for reasons to be out that day.

None of us pray all that well, to be sure.  Even the best of us.  How do I know that?  Because the Bible says so–

We do not know how to pray as we should (Romans 8:26).

There it is, in black and white.  In the Holy Book itself.

Must be true.

Now, I knew I didn’t know much about prayer.  And I sort of figured you have similar problems with praying. But what a surprise to find out the great apostle himself admits to having difficulties praying.

It appears God is asking us to do something none of us do well.

Let’s talk about this.  I’m glad to see Scripture actually addresses the matter.

Let’s start with this–

Scripture tells us God has taken all the work out of prayer. 

Romans 8 says that–

–Romans 8:26-27 informs us that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.

–Romans 8:34 says the Lord Jesus is in Heaven interceding for us.

–and Romans 8:31 says God the Father is for us.

We’ve got it made, friend.  When we turn to God in prayer, we are not talking to a hostile judge like the widow in Luke 18.  That judge was indifferent to her, angry about her interruptions, he despised her, and he finally gave in to her requests only after she made him miserable enough.

The One we address in prayer is not indifferent to us.  He is our Heavenly Father.  And He is on our side.

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Our Lord has taken all the work out of prayer

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“Your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him.” –Matthew 6:8.

Who wouldn’t like to lose weight without dieting?  And, yes, we’d like to get healthy and have our muscles toned up while we sleep.  Half the people I know would like to get a college degree without going to class or studying.

Forget it. Not going to happen.

In the same way, spiritual disciplines require purposeful effort from us.  Whether we are fasting and enduring great tribulation for Jesus’ sake, or doing something as simple as studying our Sunday School lesson and offering grace before meals, conscious effort is required, and that means a strong focus on the Savior.

Prayer is hard work, we are told.

I respond that this is a half-truth.  Overcoming our human tendency to “do it by myself” (like a petulant four-year-old) and our sinful insistence on hanging onto a sinful but enjoyable habit, those may indeed require discipline and effort.  Making myself turn off the television or lay aside an enjoyable book to open God’s word and read and meditate and pray does require some effort from me.

But is prayer itself–talking with the Heavenly Father–actually work?  Is it hard to talk to the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us our needs?  Is it work to praise Him for His wondrous works?

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Okay, you are weak. So, what’s the problem?

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“He helps us in our weakness….” (Romans 8:26)

I can still hear that fellow praying.  He said, “O Lord, I am so weak.  I am so pitiful, Lord.  How you can ever use a nothing like me is beyond me, Lord. I’m so ignorant, so fearful, such a sinner.”

I soon grew tired of his praying and all I was doing was listening.  I wondered how the Lord felt about it.

I think I know.

Our Heavenly Father takes it in stride.  He who created us knew from the beginning who we were. Nothing about us surprises Him.

He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust (Psalm 103:14).

It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps (Jeremiah 10:23).

The wonder is why you and I keep getting surprised by our weaknesses!

May I suggest you quit groveling in your self-pity, friend.  Okay, you have these weaknesses, these areas that throw you for a loop.  The Father knows this. He does not cast you away when it turns out you have a defect.  In fact, He took all this into His planning from the beginning.

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From Psalm 103:3-5, a great way to pray

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Forget not all His benefits.

So urged the Psalmist, King David, to all of us.

And exactly what are those benefits?  The “sweet singer of Israel” names five….

–He pardons all your iniquities.

–He heals all your diseases.

–He redeems your life from the pit.

–He crowns you with favor and compassion.

–He satisfies your years with good things.

That’s quite a load! Our Lord in Heaven pardons us, heals us, redeems us, crowns us, and satisfies us.

He has certainly done that for me.  When He saved me, He pardoned me as a result of Calvary. Furthermore, since I’ve been saved I’ve continued to need pardoning, and He  does that also.  His salvation is wonderful and ongoing, and it’s all because of what He did for us at Calvary.

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Let’s encourage our pastors. Here’s how.

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There was a time when it was easier to pastor a church than it is today. There was a time when churches running 1,000 on Sunday were considered mega. There was a time when churches took what they had in the way of pastoral leadership and pretty much went with it without a lot of complaints.

Those days are no more. It’s a different world we live in.

People demand strengths and excellence and results from their leaders. They look for power in the pulpit and skills in relationships. They want degrees and winsomeness and it wouldn’t hurt if you looked sharp either.

They want good sermons and effective leadership from a pastor who has earned their respect and whom they like.

Just don’t bother them too much in accomplishing this.

Poor preacher. Someone ought to encourage him. Lord knows there are enough forces out there threatening to disarm and disable him.

Today, let’s encourage him. Let’s “give him heart,” as the word “encourage” actually means. Here are three thoughts on that subject…

1) First, let’s pray for the pastor.

“Father, take notice of this one You called into your work. See what he’s up against. He wants to please You more than anything, yet he knows if he displeases enough of the congregation, he’s out of a job and loses the opportunity to make a difference for Thy sake.

“Lift up his heart, O Lord. Encourage him. Give him a strong backbone, a gentle heart, a sharp mind, and deep sleep when he lies down at night.

“Give him a wise and loving wife, one who knows when to rub his back and when to administer a sharp elbow or a gentle kick. Give him faithful children who will be an emotional comfort, a delightful diversion, and the source of terrific sermon illustrations.

“Give him a heart for Thee and a love for Thy people. In Jesus’ name.”

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What I prayed in the night of my soul

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Nothing jerks our prayers out of their “blessed generality” stage like a crisis. The most effective kind of crisis for that is for a close loved one to get in serious trouble–car wreck, cancer, emergency surgery.

But a close second is a personal crisis, the kind where someone is making life miserable for you and even getting out of bed in the morning and walking into one more day is taking all the strength you can muster. You either quit praying altogether, the worst possible choice, or your prayers lose their vain repetitions and meaningless phrases and get down to business.

A crisis can kick your prayer life into overdrive.

What follows is such a prayer of mine, written in the thick of church conflict. It was voiced sometime in the 1990’s, during the last of my six pastorates.  This was a troubled congregation in recovery from a devastating split that took place a year before I arrived.  The church was constantly beset with internal strife.

The prayer is about as specific as one would want a prayer to be. No more “bless him” and “help her.” It does not call names, however, and I’m glad to report is not as harsh as some of the Psalms where David is praying for the children of his enemies to not survive that day.

Here is the prayer, along with a few comments. I send it forth in the hope that some servant of the Lord in the fight of his life may find encouragement to hang tough and be faithful.

“Father, what I’m praying for is that….

1) Everything I preach may come from thee. Lead me please regarding subjects, texts, stories, applications, and especially in the delivery.”

When people fight a pastor, invariably they attack his sermons. That happened to me at various times over a long ministry. In a sense, the critics are hitting us where we are most vulnerable, because few of us feel that our preaching is all it should be. They will find fault with the subjects you are preaching, the scriptures you use, the stories you tell, the way you say it, everything. And, if you are doing all these things well, they will criticize your neck-tie–or the lack of one.

The remedy is to turn their opposition into motivation to pray harder, study more diligently, and do everything you know in order to deliver the sharpest, most powerful sermons you’re capable of preaching.

2) “Father, may every position I take, every pronouncement I make, be from Thee. May I be silent until the right moment. May it be obvious to those who love you that my words are Thy words.”

The first request concerns sermons. The second concerns those off-the-cuff remarks made in casual conversations or during deacons’ meetings.  It was in those deacon sessions where those who opposed me fed off each other and gained encouragement to attack. At the same time, the “good guys” tended to be silent there. I have no explanation for that, other than outright cowardice. (Hey, let’s call it what it is. They were intimidated by the bullies.)

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I grieve for the Lord’s church. Here’s why…

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“Is Ephraim my dear son?  Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him, I certainly still remember him.  Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will certainly have mercy on him, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:20).

“How often I would have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not.  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (Matthew 23:37-38).

Almost daily, I hear of churches firing their preachers, engaged in lawsuits, and struggling with inner conflict.  I know churches that were strong a generation ago but are fighting to survive now.

These are difficult days for churches, which makes these challenging days for church leaders.

Believers who are not grieving for the Lord’s church these days must not be paying attention.

Let us care for what is happening, and pray for the Lord’s people….

–I grieve for the trendy church which is drawing people in from the smaller surrounding congregations and bursting at the seams, but leaving the smaller ones to shrivel and die.  The huge church may convince its members that they are doing big things for the kingdom since they deal with such large numbers. Churches can be so self-centered. Pray your church will be loving toward other congregations. 

–I grieve for the church which is having mind-staggering growth but becomes secretive about what it does with the millions of dollars it takes in, protective about the pay it gives its leaders, and dismissive about the questionable personal lives of its leadership.  Churches can be carnal. Pray your church will be led by men and women of integrity. 

–I grieve for the smaller church which turns an envious eye toward the growing congregations in its community and, desiring to be like the others, dismisses its faithful pastor and worship leaders because “we have to stay current with modern trends.”  Churches can be wrong-headed. Pray your church will look to Jesus for affirmation and not at their neighbors. 

–I grieve for the church which keeps pastors no more than three or four years, then manufactures crises to justify sending them packing so they can bring in another who is destined to become a victim himself in due time.  Churches can be cruel. Pray your church will be Christlike. 

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