"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone." "...and what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well."
(1 Timothy 2:1 & 2 Timothy 2:2.)

Jesus says, "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)

The most powerful way to direct and capture the biblical motivation for witness and service in your community is through a growing prayer ministry. Many people in today's culture are spiritually seeking to connect with God and to find something beyond themselves. Prayer is the conduit that connects us to God and opens up the possibilities of direction and understanding. It is a good time for the Church, as the body of Christ, to reestablish and advance our understanding, use and development of this powerful gift as an effective tool for ministry and outreach.

Why bother praying?

A frequently asked question is, "Why bother praying if God is going to do whatever God wants anyway?" Here are some thoughts on why we need to pray:

The Hebrew scriptures introduce the understanding that we were created by God for the sake of an interdependent relationship with God. God placed us on earth as God's representative to creation having received authority to exercise God's will (Genesis 1; Psalm 8). The responsibility and authority to carry out God's plan comes from the covenant relationship that God established with us.

Prayer reinforces our dependence on God for everything. Furthermore, God needs us to pray. "God chose, from the beginning of Creation, to work on the earth through humans, not independent of them. God always will, even at the cost of becoming one. Though God is sovereign and all powerful, Scripture tells us that God limited Himself, concerning the affairs of earth, to working through human beings."
-– From Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets (Ventura: Regal Press, 1996, p.. 28-29)

Three examples make this point clear:

• In the Lord's Prayer, we are taught to pray, "your kingdom come, your will be done" (Matthew 6:10). Why should we be taught by our Lord to prayer this petition, which God desires, if our prayers do not impact its outcome?
   
• God wants to be in a relationship with all people. If God does not need our prayers, why did Jesus say that we are to "ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers in his harvest?" (Luke 10:2)
   
• We are to be God's hands, feet and voice in our world. "So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20). Ambassadors are people who have been authorized and sent to represent a particular country. We have been sent by God to be witnesses, to make disciples, and to intercede on behalf of individuals to God in prayer.

Why is it important that we pray?

One of the New Testament images of the church is the "Body of Christ." As such, Christ is the head and we are the body. Using this metaphor, the right hand does not act unless it is instructed to do so from the mind, or head. Prayer enables the church to communicate with and understand the will of God. Jesus said, "I still have many things to say to you. But you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you in all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears" (John 16:12-13).

Prayer is an expectation of Christ for the Church. Jesus said, "and when you pray..." in Matthew 6:5, not, if you pray. "When we pray, we offer ourselves to God. We become agents of God's acts in new ways because we pray. By entering into intercessory prayer, we give God opportunities that God did not have before...If God is to intercede in human affairs, if God is to continue to bring the creative power of love and justice into our lives, God needs us to pray and to act." -- From Intercessory Prayer: Praying for Friends and Enemies by Jane E. Vennard (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1995, p.21)

It is important to see that prayer connects us to acts of justice and compassion in our community. Former ways of thinking disconnected prayer and action as if they were on two different planets. In fact, a deeper spiritual problem often underlies social problems like violence, prejudice and poverty. A growing life of prayer will lead to deeper connections and result in sustained attitudinal change and involvement in your community for just causes. The natural connection between prayer and action leads us to respond to God's call to us as believers to intercede on behalf of our community and world.

"Intercede" is a Latin word, "intercedere," which means "to go between." Webster's dictionary defines intercede as follows: "to plead or make a request in behalf of another; to intervene; mediate." The prophet Isaiah says, "Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands at a distance. The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, and was appalled that there was no one to intervene" (Isaiah 59:14,15b-16a). The image of intercession here is like an attorney who represents her client by speaking to the judge on her clients behalf. To do intercessory prayer requires preparation and understanding, like a lawyer who has done her homework on a case. Then we can plead, mediate or intervene for individuals or for whole groups of people who are experiencing starvation, abuse, and other forms of injustice.


What is a Prayer Ministry?

"Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." (Luke 11:1c.)

Prayer Ministry is an intentional response to the powerful gift of prayer that God has given to the Church. Where there is no vision or plan regarding prayer, a church often responds to prayer requests through a prayer chain (that may or may not be effective at the present time) and views the pastor as the one hired to pray. By establishing Prayer Ministry as one of the ministry areas of your congregation (likened to your stewardship, evangelism, and worship ministries etc.), it gives a team of prayerful people the opportunity to intentionally seek God's will and advance the power of prayer in your congregation. The shape that any Prayer Ministry takes is going to be specific to that prayer team, the local community needs, and the openness of that congregation.

-- Adapted from “Growing Your Congregation’s Prayer Ministries: A Key to Strengthening Evangelism and Discipleship in Your Setting,” by Brent Dahlseng