Prayer Hacks

As we begin a new year, taking stock of our prayer life can be a good thing. How can we improve? In what ways can our prayer times become more dynamic? Are there weaknesses in our prayer life we can ask God to help us overcome? One of the biggest deterrents to effective prayer is

In an earlier “Prayer Hacks” I wrote about the purposes for prayer. (To read click here.) The primary purpose is to grow a relationship with God and the other purpose is to “release God’s will on earth.” As we develop in our prayer life, usually one of these purposes dominates. Those of us who crave

One of my favorite passages in Scripture is Luke 2:22-31, the account where Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple for circumcision and to offer a sacrifice. In the account we see a godly priest, Simeon, and an elderly widow, Anna, who came every day to the Temple to worship and pray. Both of

One of my favorite quotes on spiritual warfare comes from The Kneeling Christian: “There is nothing the devil dreads so much as prayer? His great concern is to keep us from praying. Someone has wisely said, ‘Satan laughs at our toiling, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.’” (p. 17). The phrase I

By Alvin VanderGriend Have you ever thought about all the different ways that God has at his disposal to answer prayer? He can work naturally or supernaturally. He can use people, angels, or natural forces. Being eternal he can shape history and arrange circumstances over many years so that they converge in an answer that

By Dave Butts In every election cycle, American Christians face both amazing opportunities and grave dangers. We are privileged to be a part of those who can choose their own leaders. As people who believe that godly leaders are a source of blessing to a nation, this provides us with great opportunity. The dangers arise,

By Alvin VanderGriend Sometimes when we pray we don’t know what God’s will is for the specific situation we are praying about. We don’t know if He will grant our request or not, so we pray and leave the choice to God. Even if we don’t know His will, our prayers are still prayers of

 In John 13-18, at the last supper, we have an interesting snippet into the life of Jesus. Like a parent who is leaving his child at college for the first time, Jesus covers everything important His “kids” needed to know before leaving them on their own for the first time. In this talk, Jesus reveals

Steve was a new believer who attended our singles ministry at Immanuel Alliance Church in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Steve’s wife had recently left him, and due to some medical issues and medication he was taking that impaired his senses, he had lost his job as a truck driver. He was clearly in need of prayer. During

By Elizabeth Schmus While there is no simple answer to why prayers go unanswered and no easy formula guaranteeing a yes, consider asking the Lord some of these questions:  1. Could God be taking a different or longer path to answering your prayer? I heard a story from some visiting missionaries who shared the gospel overseas with

Longtime Presbyterian minister, Dr. Wilbur Chapman (early 1900s) was 26 when called to be pastor of Wanamakers Church in Philadelphia. His first Sunday, an old gentleman came up to him and said, “you’re much too young to be the pastor of such a fine church as this.” Chapman thought the guy was a kook. But

Human beings are created to live in fellowship with God. We are meant to have and to enjoy life in relationship with God. Without this relationship we are like branches cut off from a tree, like toasters not plugged in. Prayer is the way we get in touch with God and the way we keep

By Kim Butts The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks and answers many questions about the Christian faith. The first question asks: “What is the chief end of man?” The answer? “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” The second question in the Catechism is, “What rule hath God given to direct

If we want to grow in our prayer life, sometimes all it takes is a simple technique or a memory jogger to bring us to more regular prayer. Nancy Lindgren of MORE Mentoring shares a simple technique that worked for her. You may want to try it as a way to stimulate you toward regular

Sin hinders prayer. A person may pray and pray without receiving an answer, and then conclude that the problem is in God. In reality, the problem may be in the person’s heart. David understood that if he cherished sin in his heart, the Lord would not hear him. If I had cherished sin in my

I knew my daughter was upset. She had been wounded by a friend and was trying to deal with the pain. Standing down the hall from her room, I couldn’t make out what she was saying. But I heard the emotional pitch—up and down—of her words. Anger and hurt were spewing forth. No one was

My 9-year-old grandson, Jack, seems to have a heart for prayer. I have noticed that heart recently when he was eating at Grammy and Grampy’s and we asked him if he would pray our before-meal prayer. He gladly agreed and then took off praying. He thanked God for family, blessings he had experienced at school—like

By Ebony S. Small I didn’t know I was an intercessor. But I knew I loved talking to God. After I recommitted my life as a disciple of Christ, I underwent a radical transformation. The world around me started to change because the “inner me” was changing. Jesus became the source of my strength. He

By Alvin VanderGriend I received a letter the other day from a person asking me to pray about a family problem. Along with that request came additional pages with forty-four more prayer requests, all of them for various aspects of personal and family life. Most of the requests were for good and legitimate concerns. This

One of my favorite passages I like to use when I speak or preach is James 5:13-17. Most believe the book of James was written by Jesus’ brother James, who became a primary leader of the church in Jerusalem. His nickname was “Camel Knees” because his knees were stiff from all the time he spent

My friend Joe seldom prays out loud in our prayer group—yet he comes faithfully. While others bounce in and out with short prayers four or more times during the forty-five minute prayer time, if he prays at all, Joe will only pray once. I have heard him pray publicly, in a church service, and he