Extended Times of Personal Prayer

 
"Like flying over the battlefield in a reconnaissance plane, a day of prayer gives opportunity to think of the world from God's point of view.  Especially when going through some difficulty we need this perspective to sharpen our vision of the unseen and to let the immediate, tangible things drop into proper place.  Our spiritual defenses are strengthened while we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.”  Lorne Sandy

During the past three months I have been in Kansas City at the International House of Prayer (IHOP).  It has been a great joy and blessing to me personally.  During this time I have experienced several extended times of prayer.  I invite you to make it a part of your life with God.  You will find that it is not as hard as you think.  It goes by fast and is such a great blessing.  In the future, I will be giving you some tools to help you stay engaged in the prayer room. 

   

We all need to sharpen our vision of God by fixing our eyes on the eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).  He is always with us, longing for our attention.  I encourage you to spend extravagant time with Him in personal prayer and devotion.  Your view of what is really important will sharpen dramatically.  We are made to dwell with God.  He inhabits our lives and desires our relationship. 

We are called to be men and women with a steadfast, single gaze at God. 

The length of time you spend in an extended time in personal prayer can be a day, a week, or even a month.  Some incorporate it into their weekly lifestyle.  If you don’t have time available right now, make it a half a day.  It depends on your personal situation.  I know a Christian leader who spends one week every quarter of the year in personal prayer and meditation.  He and his wife look forward with anticipation to this time apart with God.  It is a vital part of their life and ministry.  Others like to spend a day in prayer monthly.  Here in Kansas City many spend 24 hours in the prayer room per week!   

However God leads you, it is very important to make time for those valuable periods of personal prayer.  God is looking for those who are desperate for Him.  It would seem that in the coming days we must seek Him with more passion, more intensity, and with singleness of heart.  We must have the mind of Christ and see from His eternal perspective.  We are His earthly habitation.  King David said in Psalm 132:4-5: “I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.” 

There are many Biblical examples of extended times of personal prayer.  The men and women God used mightily spent extended times in personal prayer. 

Jesus, our greatest example, spent whole nights praying to God (Luke 6:12). 

Moses spent forty days and nights with God before receiving the Ten Commandments. 

Elijah spent extended time alone with God as a preparation for ministry. 

David spent extended time with God and took every situation to the Lord in prayer. 

These men sought after one thing - God Himself.  Your greatest victory, your deepest revelation, your highest joy is likely to come when you give God extended time.  You will ascend the heights in prayer when you do.  We are made to behold His beauty.  Psalm 27:4 says, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.”  Andrew Murray in his book, Andrew Murray on Prayer, expresses man’s response to God’s desire to dwell in us.    

“Here we have man’s response to God’s desire to dwell in us.  When the desire of God toward us begins to rule the life and heart, our desires are fixed on one thing, and that is to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our lives…  Our faith begins to see how high our calling is and how indispensable God has made fervent, intense, persistent prayer as the condition of His purpose being fulfilled.  We are then drawn to give up our lives to a closer walk with God.  We will wait unceasingly upon Him and will become a testimony to our fellow believers of what God will do in them and in us.”

 
Perhaps you are thinking, “This sounds good, but I’m a busy person.  If I’m going to invest my time in an extended time of prayer, I need to know why it will help me!  I need to know the benefits for my life personally.”  There are so many beneficial reasons why we should spend longer lengths of time with God.  Extended times of personal prayer have helped me personally to evaluate my life and prepare for future ministry.  Let’s look at some reasons you may personally want to spend a day in prayer and how you can prepare for it: 

• For renewed perspective - Because of the struggles of everyday life, a day of prayer can give you a new perspective on your life. 
• For extended fellowship with the Lord - Your relationship is deepened as you spend extended time with God.  It can help you to focus on one thing, your being a habitation for God.     
• For personal evaluation of your life before the Lord - With extended time with the Lord, you are able to personally evaluate your life, narrow down your interests to what is really important, and build up those areas that need strengthening. 
• For help in making important decisions - God has all knowledge and wisdom and knows the best way for all of us.  Time with Him will give you heavenly revelation for every important decision in your life. 
• For preparation in ministry - There is no greater way to prepare for ministry than to spend extended time with God, who is the author and supplier for all our service.  He knows exactly what He made you for, and He can prepare you in a way that will give Him the greatest glory.  
• For more time in focused prayer - You must make time for undistracted and focused prayer.  God changes the world through your prayers, and you can be His channel of blessing.

How to Prepare for a Day in Prayer

“Finding and preparing a place for personal prayer should not be taken lightly.  Christ’s invitation to us is of infinitely greater value than a visit from the president.  The eternal God of the universe has asked for an invitation to dine at your house.  When you pray, open the door and invite the Lord to sit with you in your heart and reveal His secrets to you.  You are not merely finding a quiet place to pray.  You are preparing a place to dialogue with almighty God, the King of Kings!” Eddie and Alice Smith

• Decide on a place - Try to decide on a place that is free of distractions, telephones, and other people.  You want to concentrate on God.  You may spend a day in nature, a cabin in the woods, or even in your home but be sure to unplug the telephone.
• Fix a date in your calendar - If you don’t plan a day of prayer, it may never happen.  The devil will try to distract you.  Write the date in your calendar and let nothing change it.  It is your time with the King of Kings.
  
• Ask God to prepare your heart - You want to enter a day of prayer with expectation.  God is going to speak to you and meet with you.  Begin preparing your heart before your extended time of prayer.
  
• Bring the needed equipment - You may want to bring a map or globe, CD player, a light, a notebook and pen, your Bible and commentaries, a prayer journal, hymnbook, or devotional books.

During a day of personal prayer you want to read, pray, and meditate on Scripture.  You want to spend time in worship and meditation.  You want to confess your sins to the Lord, and take time to write down your thoughts. 

I remember when my little four-year-old, blond-haired and blue-eyed niece, Madeline, was on her yearly vacation with her dad.  It was an exciting time of flying alone with dad, visiting family and experiencing life in Minnesota.  I had the privilege of watching her interact with my brother, Jeff, for a week. 

As I carefully watched Madeline relationship with her father, I couldn’t help but compare it with our relationship with God, our heavenly Father. 

Madeline has an unusual confidence in life - She is not afraid of trying new things - She loves to boldly climb the tree outside my parent’s house as her dad watches.  We went to the Mall of America, the largest shopping mall in the U.S., and watched as she fearlessly and quite boldly went on the scariest rides with her father.  She trusted him completely and held his hand as they went from ride to ride.  She is trusting, she has no anxiety, and she enters into each day with joy and zeal.  It energized me and excited my heart to watch her.  I felt revived in a special sort of way.  It felt a little bit like touching heaven.     

Her father is good to her.  He listens to her, reasons with her, and is there to help her through the ups and downs in life.  This vacation was very important for her because it was an extended time of personal relationship with her father.  This was very “special” because dad was with her and he cares.

This is so much like our relationship with God.  Our personal prayer life is so significant.  God can’t wait for us to spend it with Him.  Just as my brother enjoys time away with Madeline, God enjoys us and longs to be with us.    

He will reward you for spending extended time in prayer.  You will definitely come back an enriched person with an overflow of His love and life shining through you.  You will grow in your trust, joy, and zeal for life.  I have so much enjoyed the extra time I have spent in personal prayer.  It definitely changes my perspective.  I feel as if I touch heaven.  And I know it will do the same for you.

You will be a person with a passion for one thing, for God Himself.

I invite you to join the free prayer room webstream here at the International House of Prayer any time day or night at: http://www.ihop.org/Publisher/Article.aspx?ID=1000058181

“The viewpoint of an intercessor for God must not be as near the highest as he can get, it must be the highest.  Be careful to maintain strenuously God’s point of view.  It has to be done every day, bit by bit, (and especially during extended times of personal prayer); don’t think on the finite.  No outside power can touch the viewpoint.  The viewpoint we are to maintain is that we are here for one purpose only, to be captives in the train of Christ’s triumphs.  We are not in God’s showroom, we are here to exhibit one thing - the absolute captivity of our lives to Jesus Christ.” Oswald Chambers (adapted)

By Debbie Przybylski

Intercessors Arise deb@intercessorsarise.org http://www.intercessorsarise.org

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A Pattern for Successful Prayer

“When we praise God, He inhabits or enters our praises, and His power overwhelms the power of the enemy.  He is a mighty God, and Satan cannot match His strength.  Light will dispel darkness through God’s entering into our praise.  Through praise, the Lord Himself begins to do warfare on our behalf to silence our enemy, as we shall see.”  Cindy Jacobs
 
Wouldn’t you like a more successful prayer life?  Wouldn’t you like to mentor others in victorious prayer?  If there were a pattern for successful prayer, would you not want to know what that is?  I know I would!

When I was growing up I took a sewing class at school.  I remember how my home economics teacher gave us careful instructions on how to make a dress. We first had to pick a pattern and then buy the right amount of material for that particular dress.  Without the pattern it would be impossible to sew the dress - especially our class of eleven-year-old girls!  I remember obediently going to the store with my mother and picking out the pattern and material.  Throughout that course, I made the dress and even got a good grade for the class. 

There was only one problem - I never wore the dress!   

What was the reason?  By the time I finished the dress, I had realized something very important.  I didn’t like the pattern that I had originally picked out!  And the color of the material was an ugly tan.  I still remember it clearly.  I had picked out the wrong pattern and the wrong material.  As you can probably imagine, I never did become a seamstress - I never applied what I learned - and I definitely was not successful in that area of my life.

But I want to tell you about someone who was extremely successful in prayer.  He had the right pattern for successful prayer.  It was a perfect pattern that strategically empowered others.  The Bible gives us an example of a victorious answer to prayer that affected multitudes of people.  In one sense what happened in this situation is a pattern for successful prayer that is repeated all throughout the Bible.  We can find an amazing picture of prayer in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30. 

Let’s learn how we can mentor others in successful prayer by looking at the pattern of King Jehoshaphat. He was a great example for us to follow because his pattern worked!

The first thing to realize about this king is that he was desperate.  A vast army was coming against him.  He was alarmed but resolved to inquire of the Lord.  He proclaimed a fast for all Judah, and all the people came together to seek the Lord.  The King was desperate - a good place to be - and His eyes were on the Lord.  Instead of trying to figure everything out first - what we often do - He looked straight to the lord and said, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” 

The Pattern for Victory

Judah must go first.  Judah actually means “Praise Yahweh”.  This is truly the pattern for ultimate victory.  Praise must go first!  Let’s look at Jehoshaphat’s pattern for successful prayer.

• Praise God - In 2 Chronicles 20:6-9 he prayed, "O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven?  You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations.  Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.  O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?  They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying,  'If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us’” 

• Describe the situation - In 2 Chronicles 20:10-11 he prayed, "But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them.  See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance.”

• Ask God to intervene - In 2 Chronicles 10:12 he prayed, “O our God, will you not judge them?  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."

Jehoshaphat spent a lot of time praising God.  Instead of spending most of the time trying to figure everything out, he turned his eyes upon God first and praised Him for who He is and what He has promised.  This is the major part of his prayer.  Then he described the situation (the problem) to God.  Finally he asked God to intervene and help.

So often we reverse our priorities in prayer.

So often we complain and advise God what He should do.

So often we spend very little time praising Him for what He can do.  

But look at this pattern - the majority of his prayer was praising God and the least amount of his prayer was asking God to intervene.  If we were to consider the seriousness of this problem in our own lives, we would say it was pretty major.  The army was vast, and it was coming against him.  It was an immediate emergency!

The Empowerment for Victory

But when Jehoshaphat used this pattern for successful prayer, a prophetic word came forth that empowered the people to go into battle with the singers leading.  This encouragement was directly from God.  He certainly took immediate notice of this type of prayer, and He strengthened their hearts with this word:

• Do not be afraid or discouraged - “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army” (2 Chronicles 20:15, 18).

• The battle is God’s - “For the battle is not yours, but God's” (2 Chronicles 20:15).

• Take up your positions and stand firm - “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm” (2 Chronicles 20:17). 

• See God’s deliverance - “…see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 20:18).

• The Lord will be with you -  “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.  Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you." (2 Chronicles 20:18).

Jehoshaphat’s army was led by praise.  They faced the enemy singing.  As I already mentioned, Judah means “Praise Yahweh”. They had thanked God for the victory by faith even before seeing it.  We read in 2 Chronicles 20:19, “Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord.”

The Lord set up ambushes, and the enemy was defeated.  But when the praising army arrived, the enemy was already dead.  God had given them a tremendous victory.  They returned joyfully and with great plunder because the Lord had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies.  See 2 Chronicles 20:24-26. 


Are you presently in spiritual warfare?   


Do you know others who are in battle who need to learn this pattern of successful prayer?  


You may feel that you are in a battle that seems absolutely enormous and you may see no way through.  Think about it - whose battle is it really?  Who is going to fight this battle for you?  Why not try this pattern for successful prayer right in the midst of your situation?  Why not mentor and empower others in this method of strategic prayer?  Here’s how you can help yourself and others align themselves with God in prayer.  And this is what you can teach the younger generation, even children.  God invites you to enter into the strategic empowering of others in this type of prayer.  Start with praying, “Lord, I don’t know what to do but my eyes are upon you.”


Then spend most of your time praising God.  Describe your situation to Him, but do not allow yourself to be afraid or discouraged.  If you are, simply confess it to the Lord.  Then ask Him to intervene for you.  After you have prayed in this fashion, stand firm and take up your position (Do what He says) and watch the deliverance of the Lord.  Remember, He is with you - This is His battle - He is aligning Himself with you to lead you forth in victory. 


“Praise causes the presence of the Lord to come into our midst.  Even though God is omniscient, He manifests His authority and rule in our environment when we praise Him.  When we praise, God comes in and leads us forth… He does not just visit us, but He abides and aligns Himself with us to walk with us into the path that He has chosen for us.”  Chuck Pierce 


Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise
http://www.intercessorsarise.org


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