A Humble Attempt to Promote the Agreement and Union of God's People Throughout the World in Extraordinary Prayer For a Revival Of Religion And The Advancement Of God's Kingdom On Earth, According To Scriptural Promises And Prophecies Of The Last Time.

The Future Glorious State of Christ's Church

'This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, 'Let us go at once to entreat the LORD and seek the LORD Almighty. I myself am going.' And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD Almighty and to entreat him'.
Zech. 8:20-22

In this chapter Zechariah prophecies of the future, glorious advancement of the Church. It is evident there is more intended than was ever fulfilled in the Jewish nation during Old Testament times.

1 Timothy 2:2

The apostle Paul has a word from God which we need to hear all the time but especially the Sunday before a presidential inauguration. The word is found in his first letter to Timothy, chapter 2, verses 1-4:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thankgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

The main point of the text is the command to pray, and Paul mentions three things about this command to pray that we should listen to very carefully. First, he mentions its paramount importance: "First of all I urge you to pray!" Second, he mentions the wideness of its scope: "Pray for all men, especially kings and all in high positions." Third, he mentions the content or aim of these prayers: they include thanksgiving and the request that our lives be spent in peace and tranquillity to the end that men might be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.

Two weeks ago I posed the question, "What do answers to prayer depend on?" The first and most fundamental part of the answer was that all answers to prayer depend on the death of Christ for our sins. The reason that a just and holy God is free to bless us with answers to prayer, even though we are sinners who deserve condemnation, is that Jesus Christ died for our sins and turned away the wrath of God from us. Everything beneficial, which fallen human beings have ever experienced, was purchased at Calvary. And therefore, all answers to prayer are free gifts based on God's mercy.

Unanswered prayer is a universal Christian experience. Every one of us has asked God for particular things that have been denied: we asked for help to make a B and only got a C; we asked for sleep and lay awake all night; we asked that her attitude be changed and she stayed as sour as ever; we asked that they not go ahead with the divorce and they did it anyway; we asked that he be protected in Vietnam and he was killed; we asked that she be given the job and they gave it to another; we asked that the place be full and only a few showed up; we asked that she be healed but she passed away. The experience is so common we have woven it into our hymns. One of the old Swedish hymns says,

Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,
Thanks for what Thou dost deny!
Thanks for storms that I have weathered,
Thanks for all Thou dost supply!

Another familiar hymn says,

Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh;
Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,
To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh;
Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.

It is an agonizing thing to cry out to God for the life of a loved one and watch it ebb irrevocably away.

2 Corinthians 1:11

The thing that I want to accomplish this morning by the Spirit and the Word of God is to stir you up to pray earnestly in the weeks ahead for me as your pastor, for Glenn Ogren as he comes, and for the whole ministry of the gospel as we all strive, with the strength of God, to enlarge and purify the body of Christ in this place. "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain" (Psalm 127:1). We can work our heads off and have countless meetings and go through the motions of worship, but if God isn't in it, it will be hollow and merely human with no divine spiritual life or power in it. And there are few things more fearful to me than the specter of a church running on the momentum of tradition and habit when the power has been severed. Like a train, full of people enjoying the scenery, but coasting to a stop in the desert because the locomotive has been disengaged and has disappeared over the horizon. Earnest, heartfelt prayer is the means by which we couple ourselves to the locomotive of God's power.

Several of my friends are deeply involved in the international prayer movement. I have deep respect for these friends and for this movement. It is clearly one part, and maybe the most important part, of my growing hope that we will see a full-scale revival and cultural renewal in North America. One of my very good friends, Phil Miglioratti, directs the work of the National Pastors Prayer Network (www.nppn.org), as well as other prayer ministries. Phil and I converse now and then and clearly share many similar convictions about the church and the place and ministry of prayer. Rather than curse the darkness Phil lights real candles that assist churches and leaders to actually pray. Phil's articles and writings have appeared in a number of places and can be found by using the Web site above. I heartily commend Phil's ministry and encourage you to utilize it yourself. You may also consider inviting Phil to help you in your efforts to teach and practice prayer in your congregation or city.

Pray with Your Eyes Open
Richard L. Pratt, Jr.,
Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company: Phillipsburg, NJ (1987),
199 pages

If God Already Knows,Why Pray?
Douglas F. Kelly,
Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publisher, Inc: Brentwood, TN (1989),
217 pages

INTRODUCTION

The statements of Jesus' desire for unity
John 17 contains what has been called "The High Priestly Intercessory Prayer" of Jesus. This prayer, recorded in John's gospel just before the arrest of Jesus, contains timeless insights to the mission of Jesus and his intimate desires for his followers. A few of the themes in this prayer include the glorification of God the Father by the Son and the culmination of the Son's mission on the earth. Additional themes are the mission and the sanctification of the church, the desire of the Son for unity among his disciples, and the unity of "those who will believe in me through their message."