Jun
03
2010
How to Pray Big Global Prayers that Don’t Sound Like Boring Generalizations
Ours often don’t have much of God in them and don’t articulate what the great spiritual things are that we want God to do for “the missionaries” or “the nations” or “the world” or “the lost.” The words “God bless” would not sound so weak and vague if we said what the blessing would look like that we are praying toward. There is a world of difference between “Lord, help our missionaries,” and “Lord, help our missionaries to drink deep at the river of your delights.” Or, “Lord, help our missionaries rejoice in tribulations and remember that tribulation works endurance and endurance hope.”
Big general prayers become powerful when they are filled up with concrete, radical Biblical goals for the people we are praying for. “Hallowed be thy name . . . thy will be done on earth as in heaven,” is a huge, sweeping prayer. But it asks for two concrete things: that in all the world God’s name would be regarded as precious, and that hearts would be changed to do God’s will with the same zeal and purity that the angels have in heaven.
It is mentioning these spiritual goals with passion that turn insipid generalizations into dynamite generalizations. So don’t shrink back from praying huge, sweeping prayers. For example, Ephesians 6:18, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit. . . for all the saints.” Think of it! What an incredible breadth and generality. ALL the saints! Do you do that? I admit I do not do it often enough. My heart is too small. But I am trying to get my heart around it. The Bible commands it.
This will not sound silly, like “God bless all the saints.” It will sound robust and cataclysmic, like, “God, look upon your entire Church everywhere and have mercy to waken her and give her new life and hope and doctrinal purity and holiness so that all the saints stand strong for your glory in the day of temptation and distress.”
You can read the whole thing here.