Cindy Caldwell, Director of Adult Discipleship

Day One Prayer
THE PRIVILEGE TO PRAY

Read Romans 5:1-2a
I like to take walks at sunrise. It reminds me of the constant and faithful care God provides over His creation. Ever since God first spoke the universe into existence, the sun has risen and set each day. The rain falls, the seasons change, creatures multiply upon the earth, and God maintains it all. Most wondrous of all is that God created mankind in His own image. Like God, we too are creators, thinkers and relaters. We too can influence with the power of our words. Consider this: All of human progress has come as a result of this powerful gift of communication. All human relationships rise and fall on our ability to communicate effectively. This marks us for a unique, vital, two-way relationship with God. Only humans can pray.

Prayer is no less than the power and privilege to meet with God. Apart from Jesus Christ, this is impossible, for our relationship with God has been broken by sin. Yet, through the sacrifice of Christ at the cross we may gain access to communication with God. By the blood of Jesus we are cleansed and restored, and by faith we enter into the presence of the Almighty as children before a loving Father. (Romans 8:15-16)

So, why do our prayers so often seem empty and powerless? Perhaps it is because we are at the wrong entrance. The throne room of God does not open at the point of our human desires and needs, but at the foot of the cross. It is there that Christ died for our privilege to pray. It is there, and there only, that we begin to comprehend how great is our Father’s desire to be in a relationship with us, and how desperate is our need for Him.

Reflect: What motivates me to pray? How often do I enter prayer, not with a “wish list” but with a deep hunger to know God more? How might this change my experience of prayer?
Pray: Thank You, Heavenly Father, that You invite me, a sinner, to communicate with You in prayer. Help me to appreciate the power and privilege of this great gift. Amen.

Day Two Prayer
IF GOD ALREADY KNOWS MY NEED . . .

Read Luke 11:9-13
My 10-year-old daughter did not want to play soccer last fall. The season prior she broke her arm on the second night of practice and was out for the season. I insisted, however, that she give it another try, and she complied, but the fear of injury impaired her game throughout the season. I tried my best to be positive and instructive, but she would not pull her weight in the game. She begged me to let her quit. I would not.

Once on the way to a game, we made a deal. “You can quit”, I said, “if you will try your best today.” “I do try my best”, she argued. “No, you don’t”, I said. “How do you know if I am doing my best?” she asked. “I always know when you are doing your best,” I returned. Then, I gave her some details about what “doing your best” looks like in soccer. “I will be watching,” I assured her. I will know”.

That day she relentlessly followed the ball and defended her goal like a champ. The coach was thrilled. The parents cheered her on. I was elated. Her team went on to win the championship and she now proudly displays the finest Rec Council trophy I have ever seen. She will play again.

The apostle Paul reminds us:
“We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.”
--Romans 8:26-27

Reflect: Sometimes, without knowing it, we ask for stone and snake instead of bread and fish. When has God helped you stay in the game by denying what you ask for in prayer?
Pray: I am grateful, Father, that in response to my prayers You give Your Holy Spirit, who not only hears what I ask, but discerns what I need to live and to thrive within Your will. Amen.

Day Three Prayer
FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD

Read Psalm 121.
In the time of Abram, it was a common pagan belief that every mountain housed a god. When people prayed, they would cry out to the hills. When God made His covenant with Abram, He said, “I am El Shaddai,” which means “Almighty God” or “God of the Mountains”. This covenant forever changed Abram to Abraham, a man of great faith who shared with God the making of a nation set apart for God’s glory. Abraham became a “friend” of God.

A few years back I was on a youth mission trip in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. One day my friend and I were assigned the task of scouting out a restaurant for dinner. We drove along scenic mountain roads until, at one point, we were so taken by the view that we had to pull over to get a better look. It was breathtaking. Far, far below us we could see a patchwork of farmlands and forest and smaller hills set against a brilliant blue sky. As we watched, we observed several eagles in graceful flight below us. My friend whispered, “Praise God”, and I spoke the name that immediately came to mind: “El Shaddai”. We both felt that we were lifted above our human perspective and given, in a small but powerful way, the eyes of God.

When we pray “thy will be done”, we lift up our eyes to see from God’s perspective. What a view! How things change when we can see our circumstances and the condition of the world through His eyes. God’s will then becomes our first desire, and God’s vision forms the basis for our decisions and actions. Jesus said, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15)

Reflect: In what ways do my prayers reflect friendship with God?
Pray: Lord, when I am not sure who is in charge, help me to lift up my eyes and call on Your Name, El Shaddai. Give me eyes to see all of life from Your point of view. Amen.

Day Four Prayer
THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF PRAYER

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24.
“Sanctification” is God’s plan for transformation. It is grace applied in our lives in a kind of partnership with God for the purpose of making us more and more like Christ, who is the image of God. That is, after all, where mankind began before sin entered the world. Once we accept Christ and begin our journey of faith, sanctification is our road back. Paul tells the Thessalonians that part of the process is to “pray continually”. Prayer changes us.

I liken it to practicing a musical instrument. Sometimes it is enjoyable, sometimes grueling, but always necessary. I know, not because I am a musician, but because I have listened to the sound of a child’s clarinet from unpracticed to practiced. There is a difference! My college roommate was so practiced in playing music and listening to music that she could pick out any sound in any musical piece and identify the instrument, the piece and every subtle nuance of the performance.

Prayer is like that. It is speaking to God, it is listening. It is discerning the music of God in the midst of a world that is out of tune with God. Paul knows how powerfully prayer can change our hearts if we practice it. It is a promise from God.

While praying for wisdom, Solomon was endowed with divine wisdom. While praying on a rooftop, Peter received a vision that expanded his mission beyond the Jews to the Gentiles. While praying in a garden, Jesus received the courage to endure the crucifixion. Through prayer, God gives wisdom, expands our love, and imparts courage for the call He has placed on our lives--and we change. The promise is clear: “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” (v. 24)

Reflect: If I were to learn to pray continually, what changes would I hope God would bring into my character and my life?
Pray: Lord, help me to practice Your presence through prayer. Change me, and make me more like You. Amen.

Day Five Prayer
“FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM”

Read Ephesians 6:10-20.
Most of us learned to pray The Lord’s Prayer in the King James version, which concludes with the benediction: “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” Although not part of the original manuscript, it serves to remind us of the awesome power available to us when we pray as Jesus taught us.

Paul reminds us that, until Christ’s return, we are engaged in a spiritual war. Our enemy, Satan, constantly battles against the authority of Christ in our lives. The armor Paul describes is not physical but spiritual; it is submission to, and trust in, the strength and protection of our heavenly King. Notice that Paul concludes his exhortation with a request for constant prayer, the weapon that protects the saints and advances the spread of the gospel.

In his book, The Prayer of Jesus, Ken Hemphill writes:
“Most of the struggles we have over daily provision, forgiveness and temptation to sin . . . are the result of continuing to labor under the mistaken idea that we can live the Christian life out of our own resources. We must understand that we are spiritually impotent, but He is omnipotent. We are without hope, but He is without limits. We are weak, but He is strong. No matter what you’re experiencing in your daily life, be confident that all power belongs to your King, and his power is available to you as you seek His kingdom.”

In prayer, we acknowledge with joy that God is sovereign. Hand in hand with Christ we enter His presence, confident that the One who holds all of heaven’s kingdom, power and glory, is the very same One who bends near to hear our hearts when we pray.

Reflect: Where, in the world and in myself, do I see evidence of the spiritual struggle Paul describes in Eph. 6:12? What is God offering in this passage, to make me less vulnerable?
Pray: Lord Jesus, You are King of my heart. Take authority in me, so I can live faithfully and unhindered for Your kingdom. Amen.