Prayer

Many years ago, when I lived in Arizona, I found myself going through a very difficult time in life. To try to understand and survive the situation, I would walk home from work each night and meditate on different portions of Scripture. One of my favorite portions was Colossians 1:9 – 14. As I meditated on its content, a prayer began to form from the verses. As I thought about the prayer and prayed it, I began to realize how God was at work in my live.

I have taken that prayer and structured it in a way, as shown below, that would clearly show each aspect of it and how the pieces relate. It is a prayer that has become dear to my heart and one that I use extensively here in China as an outline for prayer. I will illustrate enough to hopefully give you an idea.

There are two main parts defined by the name Father. The first part consists of two main things to pray for. The second part consists of two main things to be thankful for. First I want to illustrate the logic of the structure and then its application here in China.

I am having conversation with my Father. I am going to make a request. That request is to be filled with something, but what? I want to be filled with the knowledge of his will, but how and why? I want to have spiritual wisdom and understanding and I want to walk in a particular way. How do I want to walk? I want to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. Why? Do you get the idea?

Now imagine you are sitting on a part bench looking across the world’s third longest river at a portion of a city of ten million people. You look and you say, “Father.” You have begun to pray, but for what? You ask that the people over there would be filled with something and that something is the knowledge of His will. Maybe you stop here with the prayer shown above and you continue to talk to Father and listen concerning the knowledge of his will you want them to be filled with. I can come back to this park bench, every day for two weeks and still not get through the above prayer. If I did, what do you suppose would be accomplished? Do you have the faith to believe that the faithful prayers of a righteous person will accomplish much (James 5:16)? It is a work of faith because you can’t see the results, but I know there are results because I know the Father.