Prayer is our most unused tool in the church.
Our prayers become formulaic, everyone has to sound like they are praying, with all the “Father Gods” and “Lords” and King James English and breathy tones. We know what it sounds like to pray, so we do our best to sound like that.
If your voice changes when you pray, you’re probably praying for the audience.
On top of that, most of our prayers are only concerned with physical things, and mostly with our health. If it weren’t for getting sick, I don’t know that most Christians would ever pray.
As a pastor, it’s very important that you pray right. People will follow your example whether you want them to or not.
By “right,” I of course mean biblically. You don’t have to measure up to my standard. You should measure up to God’s.
How you pray will impact your life; how you live will impact your prayers.
Our prayers should reflect the new life in Christ made available in the Gospel. We should have new concerns, things that are higher than this earth, things that would come out of the mouth of a citizen of heaven.
If we are made new spiritual creations in Christ Jesus, you would think our primary concerns would be for spiritual things.
You would think so, but no casual glance at Christianity reflects this.
We pray as if we are merely physical people and all our concerns are physical. New jobs, new cars, knee problems, cancer treatments, kid’s taking tests, etc.
Certainly these things are real concerns and we are told we can pray about all things. Nothing wrong with praying about these things. Did you hear me?! There’s nothing wrong with praying about these things.
BUT DON’T FORGET THE SPIRITUAL COMPONENT WHICH IS FAR GREATER!
When people want me to pray for their cancer treatments or desire for a new job, I will always include something along the lines of “help them learn whatever they can through this experience and lead them to spiritual growth.” I even go so far as to say, “If them having cancer draws them closer to you, then let them have cancer. If healing them will draw them closer; then heal them.” You’ll be amazed at how fewer people will ask you to pray for all their issues!
Raise people’s vision higher. Remind them of our spiritual selves that will live for eternity.
Before Paul tells Timothy anything directly related to how to be a leader in a church, he says:
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, (1 Timothy 2:1-3)
The first thing Paul brings up is prayer! Primarily prayer for people, and especially for people in positions of authority.
Why the focus on praying for people, particularly those in authority?
Because Paul wants us to shut up.
The church should not be marked with political wrangling and theorizing and bashing on authority. The world does that. Those are the world’s people dealing with the world’s concerns. They have nothing else. For after all these things do the Gentiles (the unsaved nations) seek.
Christians are different. The world can have the world. The world is dead to me (Galatians 6:14).
We wrestle not against flesh and blood. Donald Trump is not your enemy. Joe Biden is not your enemy. Satan is. Don’t be fooled. Pray for all these people, as most of them are caught in Satan’s grip. Pray for their souls.
If you viewed your political enemies as souls who will spend eternity somewhere, and spent more time praying for them than bashing them, I imagine your heart would be softened. I imagine that would lead to a quiet and peaceable life.
Praying constantly for the spiritual help of everyone around you will make you quiet, peaceful, godly, and dignified.
People red in the face angry, screaming and carrying on, is not a mark of one who is born from above. Of one who has been placed into the body of the Prince of Peace. Of one who has the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, PEACE).
Our prayers should raise us above the fray.
Oh yes, I know, here’s where That One Guy says, “Don’t be so heavenly minded you’re no earthly good.”
Never in the history of humanity has anyone ever been too heavenly minded. Jesus Christ, who actually came from heaven to earth, and then went back to heaven, was the most perfectly heavenly minded person ever and He had quite the impact down here.
Don’t buy into that stupid line.
You will never in a million years be too heavenly minded. That is in fact one of our main problems in life: we are too earthly minded. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life consume us. Friendship with the world is enmity with God. Etc.
Being excessively heavenly minded is exactly what we should be and it’s desperately what people in our church need to see in their pastor.
If you were heavenly minded your prayers would reflect it. Pray for people. This is where Paul starts with Timothy.
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Failing Pastor 