All throughout history, famous men and women who began and fueled revivals, men who did amazing things for the Lord, people who we know consider great men and women of the faith, all have one thing in common: their prayer lives.
Their prayer lives were the power behind the amazing things these Christian heroes did.
As Christians, we admire these men. Men like Hudson Taylor, John Wesley, George Muller, and Jim Elliot. Some of us long to be like them. But we consider it absolutely impossible. Who are we? Can I tell you a secret?
These were ordinary men--just like you and I.
There was nothing special about their lives--their strengths. They had weaknesses, just like you do. And if we could ask them, I bet every single one of them would tell you that they DIDN'T feel qualified for the position that the Lord asked them to fill. But they did it, and made an indelible impact on Christian history.
So what was the secret of their great strength? Prayer.
James Duncan, preaching with great power, was asked what was the secret of such powerful preaching. “The secret,” he said, was “thirteen hours of consecutive prayer.”
When asked the secret of his spiritual power, Charles Spurgeon said: “Knee work! Knee work!” 1
John Wesley spent two hours daily in prayer, and often noted, "God does nothing except in response to believing prayer."
Martin Luther said, "If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer." 2
The secret of their ministries was the level of their prayer. I can testify to this in my own life. Although I am nowhere near the level of George Muller, nor do I spend two hours in prayer (which I should), I have found that the more I pray, the more I am able to follow after the heart of Christ in my own life and am able to better encourage others with the words of Christ.
But what about you and I? Do we get up at 5 in the morning and spend 2-3 hours in prayer?
I know this may sound scary for some, but remember, if we want to grow closer to Christ and influence our generation, we must pray.
But don't force your body to start praying two hours when you've only been praying for five minutes. Take it slowly. I challenge you:
Double the amount of time each day that you pray.
If you set aside fifteen minutes, make it 30. If 39 minutes, then an hour. If and hour, double it to two hours.
Trust me, it will not be easy, but it will be worth every minute of it. If we want to become more like our gracious King, we must, must pray.
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1. https://bible.org/illustration/prayer-lives-famous-men
2. https://bible.org/illustration/prayer-lives-famous-men
I like that quote from Luther. We often think that we're too busy to spend time in prayer. But actually, we're too busy to NOT spend time in prayer.
ReplyDeleteI wake up at six and have two hours of prayer. Does that count? Hehe. It really is a life changer to talk with the Friend who sticks closer than a brother.
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