What I Pray (part 4)

Continuing this series of posts, I would like to pick up where I ended my last post (part 3).  There I mentioned my desire for help in preparing and instructing others in the Word that they may have access to it and that they might advance in it.  I want to be a careful and faithful communicator of His Word.

With all that in mind I pray for the following as I prepare my sermons:

• That I would communicate the truth of God's Word clearly.
• That God would develop my skill and ability to communicate and connect with people--to relay the truth of God's Word in a clear, compelling, and creative way.
• That I would preach with passion, authority, and unction (empowered by the Holy Spirit).
• That I would cast a vision of what could be and should be in the lives of my listeners.
• That I would have the health to preach with energy, enthusiasm, and a contagious attitude.
• That God would be with me through the sermon development process.  That I would be a careful exegete of the text; offer useful illustrations to draw out the meaning of the text; provide helpful application to supply what listeners should do with the text.  

In addition to these, I often use a guide provided by Michael McKinley that I have found helpful.

I always pray the last one he mentions:  

"Lord, please use this sermon to bring glory to your name, joy to your people, and salvation to the lost."

In the next post I will share what I pray for my family.

What I Pray (part 3)

Today's thoughts as I continue this series of posts on what I pray are driven by the phrase: "Give us this day our daily bread."  First I will list some of the things I ask for, then I will explain my motivations in asking for them.

The asks:

• A faithful and fruitful ministry.
• A disciplined prayer life.
• That I would be an opportunistic and bold witness.
• That I would do what only I can do (Sabbath; Family; Broken before the Lord)
• For wisdom...much wisdom!
• Zeal to lead relentlessly.
• Motivation NOT to quit.
• That I would be consistent and disciplined...always progressing.
• That God would show me what He wants to accomplish in the future with my life and in the lives of those I'm privileged to lead.
• Help me to prepare and instruct others in the Word that they may have access to it and advance in it.  
• That I would be a careful communicator of the Word.

The motivations:

• I want a faithful ministry because I want to finish well.  I want a fruitful ministry because I want my time and effort to have mattered in the lives of those I have come in contact with...I want to have left them better than I found them!
• I realize that a connection with God must be renewed each day.  I do not want to rest in past experiences, nor do I want to take my relationship with God for granted.  Thus, I ask for help and desire for pursuing that connection with discipline.
• I am somewhat of an introvert, thus I can be OK not taking with people...including those far from God.  However, I have a mandate to share the story of who and how my life has been radically transformed.  Thus, I pray for help to notice and seize opportunities to share my faith.
• As there are a few things that only I can do, I don't want to miss those opportunities.  One, rest and take care of myself.  Two, be husband to my wife and father to my sons.  Three, remain broken before the Lord.  None of these can be delegated.  Nobody else can do them for me.  I must do them.  Thus, I ask for help.
• I realize I don't know it all, that I need help--so I ask for wisdom to do life well.  I seek wisdom to lead my family and Explore Church well.  I ask for wisdom to manage my time, money, and energy well.  I desire wisdom to make sound decisions.  I want my life to be maximized and well lived, thus I ask for wisdom!
• As a leader I don't want to drift or coast, thus I ask for zeal and a relentless desire to press the vision forward.
• My job is hard.  People are difficult.  I don't want to quit before God is through with me.
• Ruts and complacency come easy.  I always want to be growing and moving.
• I want a glimpse of what could be and should be from God's perspective.
• The last two can go together.  I want to know the Word so I can help others know it as well.

I will go more into what I pray about my preaching next time.

Until then...PRAY!

Jerry Seinfeld on the Olympics

In honor of the on going Winter Olympics...

Enjoy

What I Pray (part 2)

Today, I continue through a series of posts in which I discuss what and how I pray.  The point of these is to encourage you in your prayer life.

After reviewing and reminding myself of the gospel, my prayers usually turn to God's glory and God's agenda.  My words are driven by these two thoughts:

1. "Hallowed be your Name..."
2. "Your Kingdom come.  Your will be done."

I am praying for God's name and fame to spread in this place in this day.  I am asking for people to come to Him by faith and for His ultimate return and reign.  In praying for this it exposes many personal issues that I must address and pray through.  Here is how I typically work through it...

• God, help me yield and submit to your plan.
• God, gently bend my will towards yours.
• God, give a willing "whatever" attitude and response to your leading.
• God, help my desire to increase, to decrease!
• God, help me see the world (and things and people) the way you do...so that when you tell me what to do, it will make sense.
• God, help me to dream and imagine and see future possibilities.
• God, help me be content with who I am, where I am, what I'm doing, and what you are doing.

God is big and is doing great things in this day.  He desires a connection with you.  Spend some time in prayer today!

What I Pray (Part 1)

Today I start of series of posts describing how I pray and what I pray for.  I hope these will be helpful in enhancing your prayer life.

In my extended prayer time, I usually loosely follow what is often called "The Lord's Prayer" found in Matthew 6:5-15.  I encourage you to read and study it.  I usually start my prayer by reminding myself of what Jesus has done for me.  I review the Gospel.  In my prayer guide I have this image from a book titled The Bookends of the Christian Life by Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington.

I following this daily guide and remind myself that Jesus Is My...

• Substitute
• Sacrifice
• Propitiation
• Expiation
• Reconciliation
• Redeemer
• Advocate
• Example
• Justification

Then I remind myself, often out loud, that because of what Jesus has done...

SIN IS NOT MY MASTER!

This not only sets the tone for my prayer, but for my day.  I need to be reminded often of who Jesus is and what He has done for me...and the amazing results!  Beginning this way also reminds me of what He has already provided before I start asking for more.  

Prayer is key to cultivating a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.  Spend some time in prayer today!