Praying in Secret and Simply

Spoiler Alert: The next blogpost scheduled is about praying as we go about our day, so it seemed prudent to have this post about Jesus' command to pray in secret.

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, gives us instructions/commands on how we should pray.

He tells us NOT to pray hypocritically, to be seen by others. 

He tells us to pray by going into our room and closing the door before praying.

He tells us NOT to pray with many words or by babbling on.

He reminds us that God knows our needs before we ask Him for anything.

(See Matthew 6:5-8)

Every few years, there is a storm of social media activity, because some Christian coach is in trouble for praying with their team on the sporting field. I sit back and watch people get upset at how "persecuted" we are because we are not being allowed to publicly lead prayer at a school event. But we shouldn't be surprised when we are facing opposition, when we are disobeying the commands of Jesus.

Jesus did not command His followers to make public prayer the hill that we die on.

In fact, he condemned public, showy prayers that are meant to be seen by people.

He commanded us to go off in private to pray in secret. 

So let us obey Jesus by praying in secret

Therefore, when the next post challenges us to pray throughout our days, I am not referring to verbal prayers or even whispered prayers, with folded hands or outstretched arms. We can pray silently, as we go through our daily activities, whether that is at work or at home. And no one will be the wiser. If people are noticing, then we are praying too publicly. 

Likewise, we are commanded NOT to pray with many words. 

We are not begging a distant god to listen to us and do good in our world.

He's not counting the number of words or repetitions in our prayers, so He can finally act once we hit the magic number.

So let our prayers be simple. We can pack a lot of prayers in a simple sentence or two. 

God, draw them closer to You.

Thank You, Lord, for a warm sweater today.

That person looks sad. Holy Spirit, comfort them.

I am here to be used by You today. 

Praying Holistic Prayer

Holistic is a fancy word that means that whole is more than the sum of its parts. In the medical field, it involves looking at the whole person, physically, socially, and psychologically when treating them.

We can also apply this to our prayers.

Holistic Intercession: to intercede for people entirely, as we pray for their physical needs, social needs, psychological needs, spiritual needs, and so on. 

When we are hurting physically, it impacts the other areas of our life.

When we are stressed financially, this stress shows up in our relationships, physical health, and emotions.

When we have a broken relationship, it strains the other areas of our life as well. 

Let us consider ways that we can pray for people's...

*Physical Needs: What are their health and environmental concerns? 

*Spiritual Needs: Are they in a relationship with God? Are they growing in that relationship? 

*Financial Needs: Do they have enough money to meet their needs? What debts or insecurity are they facing? 

*Mental Needs: What anxiety, worry, or stress is on their minds? What is taking up their brain-space? 

*Emotional Needs: What emotions are they experiencing this day? What emotions do they need? 

How can we pray for people holistically? 

Are we better at praying for their body, mind, or spirit?

What area is the Spirit challenging us to pray for? 

Praying for Leaders after Election Season Ends: Part 2

Paul exhorts Timothy (and us as well) in 1 Timothy 2: 1-2, "...that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."

The previous blog post looked at the methods of prayer listed in verse 1. Today we will look at who we are told to be praying for. 

Notice, we are told to pray FOR people, not pray AGAINST them. If we are praying for their destruction, arrest, or punishment, then we are not praying on their behalf. We need to leave the judge's seat for God.

Now are all of our prayers for people to feel positive emotions or the warm fuzzies? Not necessarily. We are praying FOR people and what would benefit them, even if they may not want it.

What sorts of prayers might be included in this category? 

-That they would be convicted of sin and move to repentance.

-That they would be humbled before God and surrender to Jesus' authority.

-That they would be drawn closer to God (this works for both non-believers and believers, since there's always a closer relationship with God). 

What other hard, yet beneficial, prayers can you think of? 

We are to be praying FOR...

For all people. Not just the people we like, or who look/act/think/vote like us. 

Who do you struggle to pray FOR? 

The other gender? 

The other side of the political aisle? 

The other religions? 

The other sexual orientations and gender identities? 

For kings. (or presidents, dictators, prime ministers, etc.)

Who are the leaders of your country? 

Continent? 

World? 

What struggles are they facing? 

For those in authority. (congressional representatives, judges, speaker of the house, justices, admirals, etc.)

Who are your congressional representatives? 

Judges or Justices? 

Leaders of the military and legislative branch? 

May we live peaceful and quiet lives. Not stirring up trouble or complaining.

Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of ways you have not been living peacefully or quietly. 

Include all areas of your life, including social media posts!!

May we live in all godliness and holiness. Not criticizing others for failing to live up to our holiness standards. 

We are called to live godly and holy lives. We are NOT called to enforce this lifestyle on everyone we meet, regardless of their religion.

Which parts of this post are difficult or challenging or even offensive? 

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Praying for Leaders after Election Season Ends: Part 1

Paul exhorts Timothy (and us as well) in 1 Timothy 2: 1-2, "...that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."

Let's break these verses down a little. 

Petitions are requests, often formal, made to someone in authority (God), in a respectful and humble manner.

Similarly prayers are defined as a devout petition or communing with God through various ways (asking, rejoicing, adoring, confessing)

Intercessions are praying on behalf of another person. 

Thanksgiving involves giving thanks or gratefully acknowledging the benefits or favors received

Throughout today, try to use each of these styles of prayer.

-Petitions 

-Prayers

-Intercession

-Thanksgiving

Try to connect the prayer times with meals and bedtime, if that helps. 

Which method comes the most naturally to you? 

Which method is the most difficult to use? 

What petitions are you making? 

When do you struggle to be respectful and humble? 

What methods of prayers do you typically use? 

(Search for "12 types of prayer" and see well over 12 options. Both the "all" and "images" have plenty of options). 

How are you interceeding for others? 

Are you praying on their behalf or asking for their judgment and punishment? 

For their benefit or against them? 

How often are you giving thanks? 

What and who are you giving thanks for? 

Who is the Holy Spirit asking you to give thanks for? 

Which parts of this post are difficult or challenging or even offensive? 

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Praying for Jewish People

There are 7.8 billion people on this planet. Only 2.6 billion of them are Christians. We will consider blog post by blog post ways to pray for the remaining 5.2 billion people on the planet. 

There are 16 million Jews in the world. Today, we are going to focus on praying for them. 

Pray for Jews to encounter Christ through dreams, visions, and conversations.

Pray for Christians to engage in respectful dialogue with Jews, where questions can be asked, considered, and answered.

Pray for Jews to encounter and study Christian resources, such as radio stations, books, and other media.

As Christians, we believe there is only one way to heaven, namely through faith in Jesus Christ, so we ought to be interceding for those who do not accept Him as Savior and Lord. More than praying for Jews to become Christians, we ought to also be sharing the Good News with them, building friendships with them, and walking alongside them as we show them who Jesus is. 

Praying for Indigenous Religious People

There are 7.8 billion people on this planet. Only 2.6 billion of them are Christians. We will consider blog post by blog post ways to pray for the remaining 5.2 billion people on the planet. 

There are 400 million adherents of indigenous religions in the world. Today, we are going to focus on praying for them. 

Pray for practitioners of indigenous religions to encounter Christ through dreams, visions, and conversations.

Pray for Christians to engage in respectful dialogue with them, where questions can be asked, considered, and answered.

Pray for followers of indigenous religions to encounter and study Christian resources, such as radio stations, books, and other media.

As Christians, we believe there is only one way to heaven, namely through faith in Jesus Christ, so we ought to be interceding for those who do not accept Him as Savior and Lord. More than praying for them to become Christians, we ought to also be sharing the Good News with them, building friendships with them, and walking alongside them as we show them who Jesus is. 

Praying for Both Gaza and Israel

 Pray for Israel, but also pray for the civilians in Gaza as well.

Israel's defense minister was quoted as saying ""No electricity, no food, no water, no gas - it's all closed," he said, adding that "we are fighting animals and are acting accordingly.""
<https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67051292>

Let me be explicitly clear: People are not animals. When we dehumanize people, we begin to head toward genocide and we kill off a part of our own humanity inside us as well.

People need food and water. People with medical problems need electricity. People need medicine. The people living in Gaza are struggling with food insecurity because of the violence and now are having their access to water and electricity cut off.

This is breaking my heart. Yes, the group Hamas are terrorists and committed acts of terror, but Palestine, and Gaza in particular, is NOT 100% Hamas.

We have all these groups halting aid to Palestine, whereby Palestinians are suffering along with the Israelis (attacked by Israel and oppressed by Hamas).
<https://www.npr.org/2023/10/09/1204662594/europe-condemn-hamas-support-israel-suspend-palestinian-aid>

We can mourn the attack on Israel and condemn the actions of Hamas WITHOUT cutting off essentials to life. Pray for Israel, but also pray for the civilians in Gaza.