It All Begins with Prayer

It All Begins with Prayer

Acts 1:12-14

            It all begins with prayer.  Everything of value begins with prayer.  Jesus knew this.  That’s why he left his followers occasionally and went off by himself to pray.  He knew he needed to communicate with his Father.

            For generations the children of Israel prayed to be freed from the captivity and tyranny of Egypt.  God heard their prayers and called Moses to lead them to freedom.

            For generations—centuries—Israel prayed for God to send the promised Messiah to lead them to a brighter future.  Finally, in God’s own time, Jesus was born—the Messiah God had promised, even if he wasn’t the one Israel expected.

            When the disciples tried unsuccessfully to heal a boy with an unclean spirit Jesus told them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

            When Jesus asked in Gethsemane if he could avoid the torture and death he knew lay ahead of him, it was undoubtedly communion with his Father that gave him the strength to endure.

            When Jesus said farewell to his disciples, he told them to wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Holy Spirit.  While they waited, Luke tells us they devoted themselves to prayer.  We know what happened—Pentecost and the change from disciples to apostles.

            Several times in his letters Paul tells his readers he is praying for them.  Often he  asks for prayer for himself and his companions.  He understood the value of prayer to the success of his ministry.

            James tells the believers to whom he writes (James 5:13-15) to pray for the one who is sick, anointing the person with oil and asking God for healing.

            Prayer.  Nothing happens without prayer.  We can have the best of intentions.  We can work diligently to bring about the results we want.  We can recruit the greatest minds to solve problems.  All these are good, but without prayer, they won’t accomplish much.

            Do you want to see your church grow?  Pray for God to open up opportunities for members to witness to God’s saving power and God’s efficacy in changing lives.

            Do you need leadership for your youth programs, your women’s association, or your men’s group?  Ask God to speak to those whom God would call to lead those ministries.

            Are you running out of Sunday school teachers; or, conversely, do you have teachers but no classes for them to teach?  Ask God to raise up committed Christians to teach, and to instill in people the desire for Christian education.

            It all begins with prayer.  Setting loose the worker bees in your church won’t do it.  They’ll only burn themselves out droning away at the task you’ve set them to. 

It all begins with prayer.  Developing elaborate plans to bring people into the church, or starting leadership classes, or opening up new Sunday school classes or study groups will fall flat unless sufficient preparation time is spent in prayer, asking God for direction and blessing.

It all begins with prayer—and not just by the minister or ministers.  God wants a praying people, and that includes all of us.  No matter what we do to earn a living, our calling as Christians is to pray—pray constantly and deeply for whatever need your church has.

It all begins with prayer.