Pray Earnestly

Posted : 29 Jun, 2012 06:25 AM

Quote by John Stout:

�When we came in the service to the pastoral prayer it was led by a lay brother because the pastor was on holiday. So he prayed that the pastor have a good holiday. Well that�s fine, pastors should have good holidays. Second, he prayed for a lady member of the church who was about to give birth to a child, that she may have a safe delivery. Which, of course, is fine. Third, he prayed for another lady who was sick and then it was over. That�s all there was. It took twenty seconds. I said to myself it�s a village church with a village God. They have no interest in the world outside. There was no thinking of the poor, the oppressed, refugees, places of violence, world evangelism.�



Matthew 9:36-38 ESV

"36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, �The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.�



We need to be rescued from our small praying. It�s good to remember that prayer in itself does nothing unless prayer connects you to someone who is powerful. When we pray, it�s not because our prayers are so powerful, but because our God is so powerful. We have a God who always hears us.



So in addition to praying for our own desires and things in our own lives, let's pray for our country, our president, our troops, the countries we are in war with, pray for the poor, the hungry, and the enslaved. And pray that the Lord send workers into the harvest whether it be in Africa, Asia, or right there in your city.

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