Sunday Thought: Part Five of Five: Patterns for Prayer

 

Because my husband’s health was in decline, I had cut back on my traveling and speaking so that I could stay home and care for him. As a result, I had time to be quiet and listen more to the whispers of the Spirit. He revealed things to me in the stillness that I’m not sure I would have heard in my prior chaotic busyness.

 

Looking back over this time when I was closer to home, I am intrigued to recognize that God intentionally placed me there to focus more on prayer and assigned me the privilege of calling others to prayer. As of this writing, five different times God has deeply burdened me to offer online prayer initiatives. Each one has been distinctly different. Each one drew tens of thousands of participants. And for each one I wrote prayers that I sent out by email on a daily basis during the initiative. My purpose was not just to ask people to pray, but to lead them in prayer so that we would all be on the same page as we prayed. God poured out His blessing on these initiatives, and we have seen many, many answers to our prayers.

 

The response I received to these initiatives helped me grasp the fact that many people want to pray, but like me, they just need some help and direction in their prayers. Therefore, because I have challenged you this week to pray the Daniel Prayer, I wondered if you might also be more inclined to do so if I led you in it.

 

Below I have written a prayer for one of the sections that I outlined in Daniel’s prayer. These prayers are not meant to be ritualistic or formalized. They are simply offered as patterns for your own prayers.

 

A Prayer That is Clear

 

You do not have, because you do not ask God:

                                                          James 4:2

Great God of Creation. God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Living God of Daniel.
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We worship You alone.
In the darkness, You are our Light.
In the storm, You are our Anchor.
In the face of terrorism, You are our Shield.
In time of war, You are our Peace.
In our weakness, You are our Strength.
In our grief, You are our Comfort.
In our despair, You are our Hope.
In our confusion, You are our Wisdom.
In times of uncertainty, when buildings implode, bombs explode, stock markets slide,
people commit suicide, banks collapse, businesses are bankrupted, and homes are foreclosed . . . When the nations rage and the people imagine a vain thing . . .
When the rulers take a stand and gather together against the Lord . . .
When the earth beneath us breaks apart . . .
When the sky above us is torn by lightning and thunder . . .
When the air around us is a swirling dervish of violence . . .
When the mountains fall into the midst of the sea . . .
When the waters roar and foam . . .
When nations are in uproar and kingdoms fall . . . When everything gives way, You are the Rock on which we stand! Save us from ourselves. Free us from the chokehold of sin. Protect us from our enemies. Spare us from Your judgment.

We are pleading with You for an outpouring of Your Spirit on us, on our families, on our churches, and on our nation. Send down Your Spirit in Pentecostal fullness! Captivate us by Your love! Rend our hearts with deep conviction and sorrow for our sin! Draw us back to the foot of the Cross. Plunge us beneath the fountain filled with His blood, then . . .

Revive our hearts! Fill our hearts! Ignite our hearts . .

 

. . . with a pure and holy passion to love You and to live our lives for You and for Your glory alone! Then use us to bring revival to the hearts of Your people!

 

We are asking You to saturate us in Your holiness, purity, righteousness, justice, power, mercy, grace, truth, and love. Saturate us in Yourself, so that all may see You reflected in us.

 

We are asking You to revive the confidence of our faith and the authenticity of our personal relationship with You.

 

We are asking for one more great spiritual awakening before Jesus Christ returns to rapture the church and bring judgment on the world.

 

O Holy God, look on Your people who are called by Your Name. Hear our prayer. Listen to our pleas. Have mercy on us. Let the Fire of the Holy Spirit fall fresh on us!

 

You have promised that You will do whatever we ask in Jesus’ name. So please, answer us. Answer us! Answer us in JESUS’ name.

 

For the glory of Your Name.

Amen.

This devotional is drawn from The Daniel Prayer: Prayer That Moves Heaven and Changes Nations by Anne Graham Lotz. Used by permission