In fact, prayer can be an exhilarating and exhausting experience. A lot goes into a good prayer life, and the apostle Paul wanted us to have it all. Today’s reading from If Men Will Pray can be found on pages 12 and 13:
“In 1 Timothy 2.1 Paul bundles four different words together, each of which indicates some aspect of prayer: ‘supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings’. There are several other words used in the New Testament for our idea of ‘prayer’, but these seem to have sufficed for Paul’s purposes.
“These words suggest various aspects of prayer, including, praying aloud in public, praying on behalf of another person, offering specific requests to the Lord, crying and weeping before Him, praying at set times and in specific places, thanking God for certain people or situations, pleading with Him, and so forth.
“Paul seems to be saying to Christian men: If you want to change the world – and if you don’t you’re probably not a Christian – then first of all, you must pray. Take everything you know about prayer, everything you’ve ever learned or practiced or heard about it, and bring it all together. Devote yourself to maxing out the discipline of prayer, knocking yourself out in prayer, and staying at it individually and together until the Lord grants the requests we seek.
“I wonder if Paul had more success with the men in his generation than we’ve seen in the men in our own?”
For reflection or discussion
1. How would you describe the variety of your own prayers at this time? Of what do your prayers consist?
2. Do you have a prayer partner or a prayer group? How could these help our prayer lives?
Prayer, in one form or another, is the essence of the Christian life. Like the air we breathe. We will flourish in the Lord to the extent that we seek the kind of prayer life He intends for us. Share today’s podcast with a friend, then discuss the questions provided. Encourage one another in your prayer life. You can order If Men Will Pray from The Ailbe Bookstore.
T. M .Moore
