Maybe you’ve seen the meme that starts, “Church Is Hard…” and goes on to tell how it is difficult for young parents, a single parent, a person going through a divorce, a person who has a conflict with someone in the church, or the pastor…to get to church or to want to go to church on Sunday.
Fortunately, it goes on to say that the church – the body of Christ – is worth pursuing, and encourages us to persist and go even when we’d rather not. It’s very solid biblically and realistically.
Here’s a challenge for you to consider as you bemoan the difficulty of being part of God’s family – the Church. The frustrations are real, just as they are in our physical families. Jon Bloom addressed this common angst in a blog about the importance of staying in your church.
Jesus did not design the church to be a place where our dreams come true. Actually, it’s where many of our dreams are disappointed and die. And this is more of a grace to us than we likely realize, because our dreams are often much more selfish than we discern.
That’s hard to hear, isn’t it? But can’t we agree he’s right?
Consider this. What would happen if each of us prayed regularly and specifically for our local church body, our pastor, and other staff, and the specific ministries?
Why We Should Pray for the Church
Perhaps the reasons we need to pray for our church seem obvious, yet many of us don’t. Let’s look at some reasons why caring for the church through prayer is important.
- The church is made up of all the members of God’s family (Ephesians 3:19)
- The church is being made part of God’s dwelling (Ephesians 3:21)
- Christ died for the church (Ephesians 5:23)
- Christ loves the church – His bride and His body (Ephesians 5:25)
- Christ cares for the church (Ephesians 5:29)
- Christ is in the process of fully redeeming all the imperfections of His bride (Ephesians 5:25-27)
God inspired Paul to use several analogies to explain His amazing love for His Church.
Ways to Improve Your Prayers for Your Church
Do you, as a regular part of your prayer life, carve out time to pray for the church you are a member of? Do you do more than mention names or the things that frustrate you?
Perhaps you aren’t sure how you could be more specific as you bring your church to the Lord.
There are many good resources on how to go about it, and you’ll encounter them as you grow in your prayer life. For now, I hope to simplify the process of getting started by helping you consider the people who need prayer beyond the published prayer list.
I also want to point you to a couple of great resources that address common needs across every aspect of your church body and its operations.
You can view and download the Pray for Church Guide or contact me for a mailed copy.
The specifics may seem overwhelming, but don't let that keep you from beginning. Start - no matter how slowly. In an upcoming post, I will give you some ideas for organizing your prayer list, so it rises above a list of names and their current burdens.
What are ways you have prayed for your church and staff that you would suggest? Send me your ideas! I would love to add ideas to this list.
I fear that I am often too bold. I often come to prayer with a heart that feels such great access that I lose sight of God’s greatness and majesty.
Read more...
When you realize your position in Christ with respect to who God is, you can’t help but approach boldly and pray powerfully.
Read more...Just after losing my mom in October, I received an email from The Gospel Coalition editor who was assigned to my article submission. She was working on my article which had been selected for publication.
The article was published today and the timing is so intriguing as I have felt most of the year that the Lord was telling me that the writing opportunities I felt led to needed to wait until Mom’s passing.
I pray this article helps many who are traveling (or will) this challenging road. I’d love to hear how it helped you and how I can pray for you.
Do you pray with a focus on who God is? According to Scripture, we must pray in God's will to have our prayers answered. To know His will, we must know Him, and to know Him, we must know His Word. Knowing Him better also reminds us of our helplessness and need for Him. Recognizing His greatness also helps us believe that our prayers will be answered.
