Stay Connected to Your Commander

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” EPHESIANS 6:18

 

PONDER THIS

I was in Colorado where I have a friend who helps lead America in the Strategic Space Command. They keep the satellites high above the Earth in synchronous orbit: spy satellites, military satellites, and the space command. I went into a very small room there for a briefing. They asked, “What part of the world do you want to see?” I asked to see Libya. On a big screen, Libya comes up, and we can see the streets and the houses in Libya. You could see the lights that were twinkling at that very moment in all of Libya. They said, “If a missile is fired from here, we’ll know it the minute it’s fired.” Sitting in Colorado, they’re watching Libya. It’s an amazing thing.

In the same way, we have a Commander who lives above us. And He knows what is going on; He knows what the enemy is doing. Therefore, we must stay in contact with our Space Command, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.”

How does prayer keep us connected with God who is aware of and in control of everything?

What practices can you put in place to stay in touch with “space command”?

PRACTICE THIS

Write a list of ways you can stay connected with God in prayer each day and week. Put some of these practices into place this week.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Praying for What Matters Most

“‘For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.’ So they worshiped the Lord there.” 1 SAMUEL 1:27-28

 

PONDER THIS

If our desire is for godly children, then our goal will be to live as godly parents. Have desires for your children. Have goals for yourself. Say, “By God’s grace, I will be a magnificent mom like Hannah was, a woman of grace.” Hannah prayed, “Lord, I want him to serve You.”

Do you know what Joyce and I do every morning that we’re together? We sit at the breakfast table and hold hands, and we pray for each of the children and the grandchildren by name. We’ve done this for many days, morning, and evening, over and over again. We’re not praying that they’re going to be rich. We’re not praying that they’re going to be famous. We are praying that they will know and love God with all their hearts. That’s what we want from the Lord.

When you look at the goals you have for your children, are you certain they are worthy goals?

Who do you need to submit before the Lord today, recognizing that He is in control, and you are not?

PRACTICE THIS

Write out a list of desires you have for loved ones in your life. Submit these desires before God. Commit to praying God’s will for your loved ones.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Prayer’s First Priority

“Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Matthew 6:9)

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches that the first priority in praying is to ask our heavenly Father to cause his name to be hallowed. In us. In the church. In the world. Everywhere.

Notice that this is a petition, a request. It is not a declaration or acclamation. It is not an expression of praise, but petition. For years I misread the Lord’s Prayer as if it began with praise: “Praise God, the Lord’s name is hallowed, revered, honored!” But it is not acclamation. It is supplication. It is a request to God that he would see to it that his own name be hallowed.

It is like another text, Matthew 9:38, where Jesus tells us to pray to the Lord of the harvest that he would send out laborers into his own harvest. It never ceases to amaze me that we, we laborers, should be instructed to ask the owner of the farm, who knows the harvest better than we do, to add on more farm hands.

But isn’t this the same thing we have here in the Lord’s Prayer — Jesus is telling us to ask God, who is infinitely jealous for the honor of his own name, to see to it that his name be hallowed, which means honored, revered, exalted as supremely precious?

Well it may amaze us, but there it is. And it teaches us two things.

One is that prayer does not move God to do things he is disinclined to do. He has every intention to cause his name to be hallowed. Nothing is higher on God’s priority list. But we should ask anyway.

The other is that prayer is God’s way of bringing our priorities into line with his. God wills to make great things the consequence of our prayers when our prayers are the consequence of his great purposes.

Bring your heart into line with the jealousy of God to hallow his name, and you will pray with great effect. Let your first and all-determining prayer be for the hallowing of God’s name, and your prayers will plug into the power of God’s jealousy for his name.

John Piper 

Shut the Door, Open the Window to Heaven

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” MATTHEW 6:5-6

 

PONDER THIS

The best time your pastor spends for you is not when he’s with you talking to you about God, but when he’s with God talking to God about you. Did you know that? Do you know the best time you are for your children is not necessarily when you’re with your children, but when you’re not with your children, talking to God about them? There are problems that you face as a parent, neighbor, or Sunday school teacher that you need to isolate yourself from. You need to get alone with God.

Pastors need to get alone with God. Sometimes people are disappointed because the pastor is not always available. I want to tell you something. The man of God who is always available isn’t worth a whole lot when he is available. Whoever you are, wherever you are, if you have a relationship with God through Jesus, you need to spend time with Him.

What did Jesus say? When you pray, enter your closet and pray. He didn’t mean a clothes closet. He meant a closed place, a place where you shut the doors to the world and open the window to Heaven. Start a routine to get alone with God. It should be a regular rhythm if you belong to Christ.

Do you have a rhythm to get alone with God? Who and what do you pray for in that time?

How have you seen time with God make a difference in your life? What are some ways you can spend more time with God throughout the day?

PRACTICE THIS

Set aside time daily to get alone with God.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Never Give Up

“Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, ‘Because I have asked for him from the LORD.’”

1 SAMUEL 1:19-20

 

PONDER THIS

Hannah was a woman of prayer, but not just prayer easily uttered and soon forgotten. She prayed and continued to pray before this child was born and after this child was born. If I had a problem and I wanted somebody to pray for me, and Hannah were around, I would want her to pray for me. She knew how to get hold of God and not let go.

Never waver in your prayer, no matter how dark the circumstances. There is a principle of persistence. “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31). Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait on the Lord, be of good courage.” Parents, there will be times when you think you’ve failed. There were times when I thought we just weren’t going to make it. Raising children is not easy. And the world, the flesh, and the devil pulled at our children. But we continued to love and continued to pray. There’s power in persistence. If you’ve got a wayward child or other loved one, keep praying.

For whom have you persistently prayed? What have you prayed for them?

What are some things that lead you to grow tired of praying? How have you been discouraged by seemingly unanswered prayer? What is the value in praying persistently, no matter the outcome?

PRACTICE THIS

Admit to God why it is difficult for you to pray persistently. Ask a trusted believing friend how to stay persistent in prayer.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Dressing Up Your Conversation with God

“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. ‘Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.’”

MATTHEW 6:7-8

 

PONDER THIS

Why do we pray? We do not pray to impress God. Neither the logic of our prayers nor the language of our prayers impress God. You don’t have to be a poet to pray. Have you ever heard anybody say, “Oh, I can’t pray”? Well, can you talk? Can you talk to another human being? Can you not talk to God? Do you think you must be Shakespeare to pray?

When my children were small, suppose I came home and my daughter said to me, “Hail, yon eminent pastor. On thy sojourn home from yon Bellevue Baptist Church, I beseech thee, that thou wouldst grant to thy daughter, thy second daughter Janice, one dollar that I may sojourn to yonder apothecary and procure some things to impart cosmological changes to my face.” I’d say, “Well, Janice, would you say that again, honey?” And she’d say, “Daddy, can I have a dollar. I need to get some cosmetics.” Do you think I’m going to be impressed by the fact that she used this kind of language? Have you ever heard anybody pray that way? Jesus said (in effect), “You don’t pray to impress God. It’s not the language of your prayer. It’s not the length of your prayer. You’re not heard for much speaking.” God is ready for you to talk to Him. Come to Him as you are, and open yourself up to Him; you don’t have to dress it up.

Is it easy or hard for you to pray to God? What are the things you regularly go to Him about?

When are you most likely to go to God in prayer? Has He become the One you regularly turn to in life? Why or why not?

PRACTICE THIS

Spend time with God in prayer.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Mrs. Harvey’s Ministry

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.” COLOSSIANS 4:2-4

 

PONDER THIS

When I was young, I was preaching a revival service in Jacksonville, Florida, with a friend of mine who was from there, and he asked me to meet his mom. I’d never met Mrs. Harvey. So, we went to their small home and this little woman came out and she had crippling arthritis. Her hands were very puffy. Her joints were swollen. She could hardly stand up straight. When we talked to her, she asked about the revival service. I was a young evangelist and full of myself, so I said, “Wonderful! God came down; it was glorious.” I began to tell her all the things that happened. Tears welled up in her eyes. She said, “I knew it.” She said, “Adrian, the whole time you were preaching I was on my knees praying for you.”

I was amazed—what pain it must have been for this lady even to get on her knees! But what a ministry! Some of you feel like you have nothing to offer, but you’ve got prayer. Would you pray for your Sunday school teacher, and will you pray for others in the Lord’s Church? That is a ministry! And you’ve been called into the ministry.

Who has prayed for you? How has that made a difference in your life?

Who do you pray for? How can you build a rhythm of praying for them regularly?

PRACTICE THIS

Talk to your pastor, Sunday school teacher, or other leaders in your church and ask where they need prayer. Commit to praying for them.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers

A Dependent Partner

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." JOHN 15:4-5

 

PONDER THIS

Why do I speak to God in prayer? God has given me the privilege to fellowship and partnership with Him. Prayer is one of the greatest acts of love and kindness that God has extended because God enables you to join with Him in the ruling and administration of the Universe and the affairs of men.

Some time ago I was on a private plane to go to a speaking engagement and the pilot asked, “Do you know how to fly an airplane?” I said, “No, I don’t.” He asked, “Would you like to try?” I said, “Yes, I would.” He instructed me how to hold onto the controls, and he let me fly the plane. Of course, he was sitting right next to me. He could fly it without me, but I’ll guarantee you I couldn’t fly it without him. He had his hands on the controls. I had my hands on the controls. We were having fellowship, and he was allowing me to participate with him where he didn’t need me, but I needed him desperately. It was a delightful experience. God enables you to be one with Him, and God teaches us a dependency upon Him and a fellowship with Him. We aim toward this in prayer.

What is your typical purpose for going to God? What are some reasons we might go to God outside of fellowship and dependency?

How is the level of dependency we have on God connected to the frequency with which we go to Him?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray and seek fellowship with God in prayer.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Are You Fully Dependent on God?

PRAY OVER THIS

“When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. Then He said to them, ‘Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.’”

Luke 22:45-46

 

PONDER THIS

God knows we need sleep, but there’s a time when sleep is inordinate. There are times in the morning when we don’t get out of bed in time to have a quiet time with the Lord. There are times when other pleasures come before the Lord Jesus Christ. And here is Peter asleep while Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Are you asleep at the wrong time? Do the things that break the heart of Jesus break yours? Can you sing sincerely, “The cross before me, the world behind me,” or do you yawn in the face of God? Jesus taught us to pray every morning, not only for daily bread but also for daily protection. Do you put on the armor of God every morning, saying, “Dear God, in the name of Jesus, protect me and keep me?”

Have you been boasting when you should be depending? Have you been sleeping when you should be praying? Do you know why we don’t pray? Many of us have a boastful spirit. If you knew you could not make it without the power of God in your life, you would begin every day in prayer. But if you don’t pray, your prayerlessness is not the worst part of it. Your prayerlessness is the indication of the pride that says, “I’m quite capable to handle this day by myself.” And so, you whisper a little prayer and off you go, but then spiritually fall flat on your face.

When was a time you felt totally dependent on God? What did you do?

How can you remind yourself of your need for God today?

PRACTICE THIS

Talk to a fellow Christian about what it means to be dependent on God and ways to keep each other accountable for spending time with Him.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Do You Bring Your Needs to God?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Then the king said to me, ‘What do you request?’ So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, ‘If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.’ Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), ‘How long will your journey be? And when will you return?’ So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.” Nehemiah 2:4-6

 

PONDER THIS

Even though Nehemiah asked for help from King Artaxerxes and received a favorable reply, it wasn’t from the true King. Nehemiah received help from Almighty God. He turned to God, saying the king’s heart was in the hand of the Lord. Just like the rivers of waters, God turns the king’s heart wherever He will. Even though it appeared from the outside as if King Artaxerxes were doing something for Nehemiah, it was God doing something for Nehemiah. It was after prayer to God that Nehemiah saw the favor from the human king.

So often when we see a problem, we jump to fix it on our own power. Nehemiah saw the task that needed to be done and prayed for it. You can’t serve God on your own. You need the King’s permission. You need the King’s authority. Would you ask God for His blessing? Seek His hand on you so that you might have the King’s permission and authority and so that the King of kings would use you.

How quickly do you bring your needs before the Lord? What causes you to hesitate?

When have you seen God answer a prayer through another person?

PRACTICE THIS

Ask a pastor or small group leader about a time he or she felt God’s permission to do something after seeking Him in prayer.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Do You Weep Over the World?

PRAY OVER THIS

“And they said to me, ‘The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.’ So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”

Nehemiah 1:3-4

 

PONDER THIS

Nehemiah’s prayer was one of contrition. The Bible says what he saw broke his heart. Do you know what is wrong with us today? We are more interested in being distracted by professional sports, vacations, money, or whatever it might be, and have forgotten how to weep. Nehemiah wept over the people of his day. When was the last time you shed a tear over a soul? When was the last time you broke down before God? The things that break the heart of Almighty God ought to break our hearts.

Somebody has described the Church today as a dry-eyed church in a Hell-bent world. I suggest that it is time to weep. Our city is worth weeping over; our children and grandchildren are worth weeping over; our homes are worth weeping over; this nation is worth weeping over; the lost souls of people are worth weeping over. The glory of God that is being trampled in the dust when the gates have been burned with fire ought to move us to tears. Maybe you need to begin by saying, “God, break my cold heart and have mercy on me.”

When was the last time you were broken over something that broke God’s heart?

Why is it important for us to care about the things God cares about?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray over your city and those who don’t know God.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How to Plead for Unbelievers

Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1)

Paul prays that God would convert Israel. He prays for her salvation! He does not pray for ineffectual influences, but for effectual influences. And that is how we should pray too.

We should take the new covenant promises of God and plead with God to bring them to pass in our children and our neighbors and on all the mission fields of the world.

God, take out of their flesh the heart of stone and give them a new heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 11:19)

Circumcise their heart so that they love you! (Deuteronomy 30:6)

Father, put your Spirit within them and cause them to walk in your statutes. (Ezekiel 36:27)

Grant them repentance and a knowledge of the truth that they may escape from the snare of the devil. (2 Timothy 2:25–26)

Open their hearts so that they believe the gospel! (Acts 16:14)

When we believe in the sovereignty of God — in the right and power of God to elect and then bring hardened sinners to faith and salvation — then we will be able to pray with no inconsistency, and with the confidence of great biblical promises for the conversion of the lost.

Thus, God has pleasure in this kind of praying because it ascribes to him the right and honor to be the free and sovereign God that he is in election and salvation.

John Piper 

Do You Stay in Contact with God?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”

Ephesians 6:18

 

PONDER THIS

I was in Colorado where I have a friend who helps lead America in the Strategic Space Command. They keep the satellites high above the Earth in synchronous orbit: spy satellites, military satellites, and the space command. I went into a very small room there for a briefing. They asked, “What part of the world do you want to see?” I asked to see Libya. On a big screen, Libya comes up, and we can see the streets and the houses in Libya. You could see the lights that were twinkling at that very moment in all of Libya. They said, “If a missile is fired from here, we’ll know it the minute it’s fired.” Sitting in Colorado, they’re watching Libya. It’s an amazing thing.

In the same way, we have a Commander who lives above us. And He knows what is going on; He knows what the enemy is doing. Therefore, we must stay in contact with our Space Command, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.”

How does prayer keep us connected with God who is aware of and in control of everything?

What practices can you put in place to stay in touch with “space command”?

PRACTICE THIS

Write a list of ways you can stay connected with God in prayer each day and week. Put some of these practices into place this week.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Praying for an Audience

PRAY OVER THIS

“Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.” Acts 12:5

 

PONDER THIS

I heard about a young lawyer who just got his degree and opened up his brand spanking new law offices. He didn’t have any clients, but he had his sign out front. One day, he heard footsteps in the hallway and thought his first client was coming. So, he picked up the phone like he was busy. He said, “Hello, yes, no, I’m sorry I can’t, perhaps next Thursday. I have a heavy corporation case coming up on Wednesday but perhaps we can arrange it.” And he put the phone down. By this time the man he heard coming was standing in front of his desk. The lawyer said, “Yes sir, what may I do for you?” The man replied, “Well, I’m from the telephone company and I came to hook up your telephone.” Many times, our prayers are that way—we’re trying to impress somebody else but we haven’t connected with God. The people in today’s passage weren’t trying to impress anybody else. They were desperate. Their prayer was unto God.

Would you say you more often pray for God to hear or for others to hear?

What might be some characteristics of these two kinds of prayers?

PRACTICE THIS

Spend time today praying to God. Be honest with Him, sharing your heart and praying for Him—and not anyone else—to hear.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers