Prayer That Changes Things

Indeed, prayer has a powerful effect on how we carry out our lives. Jesus advised us to, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation" (Matthew 26:41), indicating that there is an effect that prayer has on our ability to stand strong in a contrary world. There is a direct and indirect influence on our conduct that comes through conversing with God on a regular basis.

But this profound influence on ourselves is not the only aim of prayer.

Prayer as a discipline, without the objectives of improving our fellowship with the Father and positioning ourselves to be His instruments in advancing the purposes of His Kingdom, would be a dry and selfish thing.

Praying regularly makes us ready to pray in an instant. The more we pray, in an ongoing way, the more we think to pray and the more we make ourselves available to draw on the spiritual reserve that has been laid up to bring about His will here on Earth ("After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven").

To "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Philippians 4:6) is the key. To train ourselves to be in an attitude of prayer at all times means we can invoke the very Presence of God in every situation.

Prayer that we "disappear into", as in a closet, becomes training for prayer that is "without ceasing". And this is relevant, productive prayer that makes us active in the spirit and agents of change in the natural.

Revolutionary Prayer

Prayer is, in our Protestant perspective, something we talk about a lot. Along with Bible Study, it is heralded as a core element of what separates us from the unbeliever and as a vital organ in the Body of Believers.

But it must be a part of the whole of our work in Him - our worship, our service, our giving, our loving, our celebration, our sacrifice, our silence, our fasting. As we "carve out" dedicated times for prayer we must recognize the possibility that we could develop a habit of being "in" or "out" of fellowship with God - with the "carved out" times being our moments of spirituality.

If we want to have revolutionary prayer - prayer that changes things - we must recognize that our dedicated times of prayer are part of our ongoing fellowship with the Father. And that the fellowship never ceases. "Prayer without ceasing", as Paul talked about (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Phillipians 4:6), is not burdensome prayer that separates us from the world, but enlightening and ongoing fellowship in the moment that positions us to change the world. This perspective brings life to our prayer time, as we are not "pigeon-holing" it or checking it off of our "Christian To-Do List".

The purpose of revolutionary prayer is to develop such an on-going conversation with God that our lives carry the very will of God as received in dedicated AND ongoing fellowship with Him.

Prayer does not burden us any more than wings burden a eagle. Fellowship with the Father is what carries us, suspends us, and provides us with perspective. When we leave a dedicated time of prayer, no matter how short, we are centered in His plan and able to continue in fellowship for the sake of Him advancing the Kingdom THROUGH US! WE become the agents of change (ambassadors) as we walk out what the Father has prepared us for.

We don't pray so that God has more power to do what He wants to do - He is already All-Powerful! We pray so that WE are empowered BY HIM to do what He wants US to do.

We carry the instructions received "in the closet" and "on the go" to engage the world as we are sent for His purposes, in constant fellowship as partners with Him.