Read: 1 Peter 4:7-11
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. (v. 7)
The average Christian prays about one minute a day, whereas the average pastor prays about five to ten minutes a day. Whatever the actual time is that we spend praying, what would happen if we prayed more than we do?
Whenever you see people of prayer, you see kingdom movement. In the Bible, Daniel was prepared to give up his life rather than give up praying three times a day. The disciples ended up in jail for preaching and praying for healing in Jesus’s name. Jesus Christ himself prayed through the night before his suffering and death on the cross. Look at prayer’s impact!
How long has it been since you had meaningful time with the Lord? Why not try something new with prayer, become disciplined about it, and see what God does? How true the saying, “When we work, we work. When we pray, God works.” I challenge you to pray powerful prayers. Become creative. Go for a walking prayer. Go for a running prayer. Write out your prayers for a month. Call a few friends for an early morning hour of prayer. Pray over each of your children while they sleep. Gather with Christian friends, put a chair in the middle of the room, and put each person in the chair to pray for them. If the end is near, shouldn’t we pray? —Bob Bouwer
As you pray, ask God to fill you with the desire to pray through the work of the Holy Spirit.
This series was written by a team of pastors who worked together at Faith Church when this series was first published in 2017. Faith Church is a multisite congregation based in Indiana. These pastors (Tim Huizenga, Ben Kampmeier, Brad Haitsma, Bob Bouwer, and Andy Nearpass) continue to faithfully serve and minister in a variety of places.
