Prayer

Many years ago, when I stepped out of pastoral ministry into executive leadership, I was overwhelmed and knew I would not survive without spiritual support. I decided to write a column in the Northwest Baptist Witness asking for people who were already praying for me to form a prayer team. Note the careful qualifier – people who were already praying for me.

Not everyone knows about Jesus.  It still surprises me to find that to be true.  While I grew up going to Sunday and Wednesday church services, Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, countless others did not. 

Prayer, the chance to kneel before the Father and have a conversation, is the greatest thing this side of heaven.

WASHINGTON( BP) – President Joe Biden encouraged unity amid diversity at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington Feb. 1, evoking the sentiment of Abraham Lincoln at one of the most divisive moments in American history.

Earl was an IMB Missionary in Central America before he retired, but he wasn’t always a Christian. In the 1970’s Earl liked to drink and get high with his buddies from school. When he got home late at night, reeking of weed and alcohol, he tried to tip-toe past his parents’ bedroom on the way down the hall to his own. But Earl’s parents were prayer warriors, and he often saw and heard them kneeling beside their bed, praying their son would give his life to Christ. 

Metaphorically speaking, prayer and Scripture combine to be nuclear energy for your spiritual life. It’s the combination of the two forces of the Word and prayer that creates dynamic, spiritual fusion.

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (BP) — The 21 Days of Prayer emphasis at Liberty Live Church has a connection with new beginnings.

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – First Baptist Church of Clarksville Visitation Pastor Bill Graham has desired continuous citywide prayer for the city ever since reading about the Unceasing Prayer Movement in Austin, Texas. There, Kie Bowman helps lead pastors in making sure someone is praying every minute of the year.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) – Church planter Chris Mills and his wife Sarah want prayers for grace as they “make everyday missionaries” in New York. U.S. Army Chaplain Dom Grotti and his wife Megan request prayers in discipling soldiers and their families in Columbia, S.C.

Prayer connects us to Heaven. Fasting disconnects us from Earth. For these reasons, churches are setting aside days for fasting and prayer in January 2024.