My tendency is to try to pray while I do other things, but this rarely works. I just can't do two things at once, because I can't focus. Maybe you have an easier time with this, but it's tough for me. Often I'll pray while walking the dog, which is nice because I enjoy being outside, and usually is non-distracting enough that I can really connect with God. But I've also tried praying while driving, showering, doing dishes, sitting at Caribou Coffee, and even while watching TV. It rarely goes beyond a surface level, and most often lasts about 20 seconds before my mind wanders somewhere. Yet I still persist in thinking I can have good times in prayer while doing these things. Persistence is good, but at a certain point you just have to make changes.
Why is prayer so difficult? Why is it so often the first thing to slip in our walk with God? I actually think it's a clue to how vital it is. The reality is that we live in a war zone. There is a spiritual war going on around us, largely unseen but very real, and our hearts are at the center of it. Ephesians 6:12 says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Satan is warring against God, and by reciprocation against us, who have aligned ourselves to Him through Christ. If Satan can attack our hearts and turn them against God, he has won a victory in this spiritual war. Maybe the reason our prayer life is the first to slip is because Satan knows how strategic and vital it is, and he throws his efforts to attack there first.
The reality of this spiritual war is something we don't often think about. But to neglect it is dangerous - in ministry we place ourselves deep into the war, as we seek to rescue people from darkness and slavery to sin and the devil, and make Christ known to every student. The forces lined up against us as we do this are impossible for us to overcome. They are, as Paul put it in the above verse, spiritual forces of evil and powers of this dark world. Kind of scary if you think about it. Who are we to think that we, weak humans, can go up against these forces and expect to win? It would be like a 4th grade football team lining up against the Pittsburgh Steelers - they don't have a chance. They need something far greater than themselves - far larger, far stronger, far wiser - on their side if they're going to win. The same is true for us - we need some One far larger, stronger, wiser aligned with us. Thankfully, we have this One - Jesus. The very fact that we see any success in ministry at all is due to Him. He intercedes for us before the Father (Rom 8:34), and God alone draws people to Himself and changes hearts. (John 6:44, John 10:28).
I don't bring up the subject of spiritual warfare to scare you, but to help open your eyes to the larger reality we live in. The other larger reality is that God is all-powerful and sovereign over everything. Nothing happens outside His will. There is no power too strong for Him to overcome, no enemy too difficult for Him to defeat. And we know that He desires all people to be saved (1 Tim 2:4), and He is active in pursuing them. Our role in ministry is to join Him in this, not to take responsibility on our own, as if we could save people or persuade them to follow Jesus, or cause the lives of believers to be transformed. This is why prayer is so vital. For some reason that I don't fully understand, prayer is a key that unlocks the door, so to speak. God invites us to make our requests known to Him, to come before Him and ask so that we may receive. He's called us to be His ambassadors and sends us to minister, but calls us also to be in constant communication with Him as we do it - we go before Him and ask for Him to work. Prayer is like the communication line in war - we, on the front lines, call for support, guidance, resources, intervention, and help from the Commanding Officer. Why He does it this way I don't know, but He's God and He can do what He wants. And so we must pray. Without it, success and transformation in ministry doesn't happen. God is all-powerful and can bring those results and life change, but often waits for us to pray and ask Him to do it. Again, I don't know exactly why, but our first responsibility in ministry is to pray.
As I write this I realize how much I need to take my own advice, so I'm going to be more intentional about praying. A few ideas I have are to force myself to get up a bit earlier, to spend breaks in my work day in prayer, to fast occasionally, to pray instead of watching something dumb and meaningless on TV at the end of the day. It will take some work, but it's worth it. It's that important.
What can you do? On many of your campuses there are specific times set aside to pray with others. Take advantage of these - praying in agreement together is powerful. Jesus said His presence would be where 2 or 3 are gathered in His Name; I take this to mean something special, powerful, and different from His constant presence with us. If there's not a campus prayer time already, maybe you can be one who starts one.
You can also set aside specific time in leadership meetings, small groups, and random hangout times to pray. And you can work to set aside time personally in prayer too. Remember too, that this is a war we're living in - be strategic with your prayers. Pray for God to work in the hearts of non-believers. Pray for a few specific people you know who don't know Christ, and pray for opportunities to share with them. Pray that God would tear down strongholds keeping people from Him, both non-believers and believers. Pray against the enemy's work to keep people from God.
You can also invite others to pray for your ministry. As a staff team we'll soon be calling dozens of churches just to ask them to pray for us. We send out regular updates asking for our ministry partners to pray for specific things. You can do the same - you all know churches and other believers who would love to pray for you. It can go a long way.
Finally, here's an article with some more thoughts and ideas. And here's a list of the prayer times we know of on campus. If you know of others, post them in a comment.
Cal - Sundays, 8pm, Airport Lounge
Pitt - Mondays @ 1pm, Tuesdays @ 12:30pm, Wednesday @ 11:15am, Thursday @ 12:20pm all at Posvar Hall by Einstein's
--Jason
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