Unplugged?

He was sailing alone in the ocean when a sudden storm threw him off course and sank his vessel. With great struggle, he found himself on a lonesome, uncharted island. After a whole day, and with no rescue in sight, he built a shelter. Days later, he turned bitter. Why did God allow this to happen? Why me? Am I going to starve to death?

One day, after hunting for food, the man returned to his hut, only to find it had caught fire and gone up in a stream of smoke. He fell to his knees and cried: "God, why me? How can I learn to trust You when things like this happen?"

An hour or so later, he looked up and to his surprise saw a ship coming to rescue him. When he asked how they found him, they said: "We saw your smoke signal."

A humorous yet tragic story. Alone on a desert island, he had everything needed to send up a signal. By not tapping into this potential, he almost missed out on the rescue.

Could it be that we're like that man, having the most explosive power and potential within our reach yet not utilizing it? I refer to prayer, an abundant but under used power.

Peter Wagner suggests that "more than ever before, some of today's most outstanding church growth pastors are affirming the importance of prayer, not simply as rhetoric but as action, for the growth of their churches." ¹ When prayer is given priority, the church grows.

Prayer and ministry

If you doubt the importance and power of prayer in the church today, consider the story in Exodus 17:8-16 about Moses and Joshua fighting Amalek at Rephidim. Here is a vivid, visual reminder of the relationship between prayer and ministry. Joshua goes to the battlefield with the elite fighting forces, while Moses, taking Aaron and Hur, goes to the crest of a hill overlooking the battleground. As Joshua enters the battle, Moses raises up his hands toward heaven and prays.

Yet, as the day elapses and Moses, tiring, lowers his arms, a bizarre thing happens: Joshua was winning as long as Moses was praying, but when Moses rests his weary arms and pauses from prayer Joshua and his men begin to retreat and run for cover!

The three men perched on that pinnacle soon realize that Moses' hands must be lifted up in prayer until the battle is won or else the battle will be lost. Taking a large stone and placing it under Moses so he can sit comfortably, Aaron and Hur each hold up one of Moses' arms until Amalek is defeated.

God is not limited in His ways of winning wars, of course. But could it be that two equally important battles were being fought that day? Joshua needed to fight the battle on the front lines, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur needed to fight from behind. Joshua needed Moses, and Moses needed Joshua.

Though the connection between ministry and prayer is clear, could the lack of understanding that connection be a reason that certain programs fail? Are the church and its leaders not taking prayer seriously enough? Don't we often find ourselves so caught up in our work that we end up forgetting how desperately we need people behind the scenes, holding up both leadership and laity in prayer?

Two dimensions of prayer

At times we are tempted to think that prayer is the easy way out. Think again. Prayer is hard work. It has two dimensions: inspiration and perspiration. Notice how prayer took so much out of Moses that he had to stop and rest. When was the last time you or I tried praying intensely for a few hours? We don't because it's hard work! Moses prayed the entire day. No wonder he needed a couple of friends to stand with him and sustain him.

A pastor whose congregation was experiencing phenomenal growth was asked the secret. "Prayer undergirds everything," he said. "When we work, we work; but when we pray, God works."

Wagner gives an illustration of this concept: "Bob Logan is known to church leaders across the country as what many consider the number-one expert in new church planting today. He is an experienced church planter himself, having started a church that grew to 1,200 and having spun off many other new churches in the process. Now he gives full time to researching, consulting, teaching, and supervising church planting. When he speaks to church leaders, he outlines 'The Seven Most Important Things I Have Learned About Church Planting.' Number one is prayer. He says, 'I agree with E. M. Bounds, who said, "Prayer is not preparation for the battle; it is the battle." ' "²

We don't have to search far into Bible and human history to find examples of people who plugged into the power of prayer.

• Abraham prayed and persuaded God to have mercy on Sodom if ten righteous, faithful people were there.

• Elijah prayed and called fire down from heaven.

• Daniel prayed and was rescued from the lions' den.

• Paul prayed and the prison walls were shattered.

• John Knox prayed and Queen Mary shook.

• John Wesley prayed and a revival began in England.

God hears and answers prayer. As churches, pastors, leaders, and members, when we choose to become intensely committed to prayer, we can expect prayer to have an impact on people for Jesus Christ.

The power of prayer

Jesus certainly left us a pattern for tapping into the power of prayer. Jesus was a Man of prayer. There were times He prayed alone and at times with others. Jesus also encouraged and taught His followers to pray (Luke 11, NRSV). In Matthew 6:5, Jesus assumes His people will pray: "And whenever you pray..." Prayer is a vital link in our relationship with Jesus.

Consider the importance Paul places on the practice, when he wrote to Timothy. "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for everyone. . . . This is right and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior" (1 Tim. 2:1, 3, NRSV). As the youthful Timothy embarks into ministry, Paul makes sure he understands the importance of prayer, a theme reiterated over and over in the Scriptures.

As Jesus cleanses the temple, He quotes the prophet Isaiah (56:7) on the true purpose of His Father's house: "My house shall be called a house of prayer" (Matt. 21:13). This is still God's will and wish for the church today that it be a center of prayer for not only the congregation but also the community.

The local church and prayer

How can the local church tap into that power of prayer and make an impact for Jesus Christ in the community? Terry Teykl writes on the attitude of many local churches concerning a special place for prayer: "It is interesting that we spend thousands of dollars on sanctuaries and family life centers and yet spend so little to create places to pray in these buildings. We plan elaborate structures with everyone in mind---youth, children, singles, persons with disabilities---yet we provide no space for continued or occasional prayer focus. We have music rooms for sheet music and robes, but no place to pray. We have a parlor for the bride, but no room to wait on the coming of the Groom of Glory. We have a room for youth recreation, but no place for prayer re-creation. We say people could pray in the sanctuary, but for security reasons it must be locked. Besides, to turn the air conditioning on would cost too much. We have room for everything and everybody, but no room to seek His face."³

Do you remember the experience of Christ's followers? With the last, lingering instructions of the Master echoing in their ears, they returned to Jerusalem, went to the upper room, and prayed. They were to do nothing until they had bathed themselves in prayer. "They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers" (Acts 1:14, NIV). No preaching or teaching. No organizing or training. No financial reports or budgets. No setting goals or objectives. Only praying.

A prayer center

Why don't we have today an "upper room" in each church? Teykl suggests several advantages of establishing such a ministry:

1. A prayer center makes it possible to schedule prayer in a systematic manner. Could it be that we don't pray because we don't schedule it? Our lives get so busy that prayer usually gets squeezed out. We schedule time for worship, committee meetings, socials, potlucks, and ingathering. Why not prayer?

2. A prayer center provides a place to promote agreement in prayer. Remember the promise of Jesus? "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven" (Matt. 18:19, NIV). Everyone can now be seeking the same thing from God the salvation of your community. Systematically, you can present the vision of citywide revival to your prayer warriors so they can soak the city in prayer. Maps, pictures, and globes can visually help motivate prayer. People who pray want to know what to pray about, and making a room to pray that contains pertinent, practical information is helpful.

3. A prayer center is a great place to register the deeds of God in the life of the church. The Bible invites us to "enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name" (Ps. 100:4). "Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare his praise?" (Ps. 106:2). We can better remember the acts of God and proclaim them if we write them down.

Why not have a special wall of notebooks that record the miracles of God? Each book could contain a month's worth of answered prayers. This kind of recording and remembering will produce a sense of praise and thanksgiving in those who pray. Many Christians journal and record their requests and answers to prayer. A church needs its own journal to recall and rejoice over all that God has done.

4. Prayer centers give an advantage to evangelism by the image they cast in the community. When prayer is targeted to personal needs of hurting people, they are touched by the compassion of Jesus. To pray for someone can be an incredible expression of love. People in the community will consider your church a caring church when they hear of the prayer center. Their hearts will be blessed in knowing there is a place of prayer for family crisis, marriage problems, financial squeezes, and other needs. The Holy Spirit can use this caring compassion in drawing people to Christ and into your church.

5. Prayer rooms provide a place for people to practice prayer. Perhaps the high point of Jesus' teaching ministry came when His disciples asked Him, "Lord, teach us to pray." When pupils ask the right question, the teacher is happiest. Listen and learn the art of intercessory prayer.

6. Prayer rooms can have an inclusive impact on your church. Friends of Jesus were made up of apostles, women, new converts, Jesus' own brothers, and other saints. They came from all different walks of life fishermen, religious leaders, ex-tax collectors, soldiers, the poor. They varied in education, nationality, social status, and economic background. Yet "they were in one accord."

Prayer unifies. It has the power to make us one in Christ. A prayer center brings in new converts, seasoned saints, new members, and mature members.

7. A prayer room is a place where people can he quiet and hear the voice of God. In our high-tech, fast-track world it's not easy to find a quiet place for reflection and solitude. Our homes are bombarded with telephones, televisions, and information super highways. But take a peek into the life of Jesus. What was the secret of His strength? Prayer. He rose early in the morning just to find a few quiet moments alone with His Father (Mark 1:35-37). At times He spent all night in prayer. Often He withdrew from the crowds to find a peaceful place to pray (Luke 5:15,16).

A prayer room can provide a comfortable and quiet haven to seek and find God. "Be still, and know that I am God," says the psalmist (46:10, NIV). When people pray, God speaks and guides.

8. A prayer center provides a place for prolonged periods of prayer. In 2 Chronicles 20, Israel is under heavy attack. Jehoshaphat calls a prayer meeting. Listen to his prayer. "For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." What happened next? "All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord" (2 Chron. 20:12,13). How long did they stand before the Lord? No one knows for sure. But this much we can be sure of: They stood before the Lord as long as they had to. They stood there until they understood the word and will of God clearly.

Having a prayer room specifically dedicated to prolonged, uninterrupted prayer is a tangible reminder of our need to slow down and stand before God. Consider what might have happened if Jehoshaphat and his people had bolted instead of standing waiting before God. What if they had rushed out and rashly done something on their own? Instead, they stood together and persevered until the answer came. The final result was that the enemy was pummeled and Israel prevailed.⁴

Why not choose to establish a prayer center in your church and "carry everything to God in prayer"? Otherwise, your church might find itself, like that poor shipwrecked sailor on the deserted island, stranded and ineffectual when all that was needed for success was there all along.