Let me be the first to admit that I have the problem. I have fallen asleep in my share of prayer meetings. Sadly, I have even led some of these supplication siestas.
My problem started as a child. It was complicated by a serious drug issue. My parents drug me to church several times a week. The Wednesday evening prayer time provided a special occasion for napping. After a few hymns, the group commenced a long litany of boring, gossip-laden, and seemingly tedious prayer requests. My eyes grew heavy. By the time the people gathered in huddles, sluggishly recounting the lists of names and problems, I was out like a light.
Over the decades, I have been in prayer meetings where participants drooled, fell over, snored, and even snorted. You have probably seen it—and done it. Somehow, I do not think God had this in mind when He commanded us to "pray in the Spirit" (Jude 20).
Do you remember the details of the all-time low moment in the history of intercession? Jesus told His inner circle of stalwart supporters to wait in the garden while He went a little farther to pour out His soul before the Father as He paced to His agonizing death.
Within minutes, the three disciples were sawing logs. He said to them, "What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:40-41 NKJV).
The Greek term for watch literally refers to staying awake. In essence, Jesus said, "Couldn't you even stay awake with Me one hour? Wake up and pray!"
I cannot imagine the disappointment the Lord must have felt. As for the disciples, they were missing the real action at one of the most important moments in biblical history. I wonder how many times I have missed what God was doing because I retreated to slumberland when I should have advanced on my knees to the front lines of battle.
As a pastor, I have been exasperated with lethargic, dozy prayer gatherings. I do not want to attend, and I certainly do not want to lead these dead-in-the-water prayer times. It's time to declare war on sleepy prayer meetings!
When Paul wrote to the young New Testament churches, he said much about prayer. He commanded the saints to gather collectively in passionate, Spirit-guided, energized prayer. He also challenged them to stay awake!
Colossians 4:2 tells us, "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving" (NASB). "Keeping alert" means "to stay awake." A more literal reading of Colossians 4:2 says, "Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving" (AMP). Eugene Peterson's rendering says, "Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude" (MSG).
The Holy Spirit certainly had us in mind when He inspired this command. In fact, this issue is so important, it is included in the great spiritual warfare passage of Ephesians 6, appearing as an exclamation point on Paul's instructions for overcoming the devil. Paul tells us that we should be "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18, emphasis added).
The Message renders this imperative point as, "Prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out" (emphasis added). The idea is clear. Stay awake and alert! Encourage one another to wakefulness at all times and in every prayer meeting.
Over the years, I have discovered an approach I call worship-based prayer. These prayer times are participatory, encouraging, God-centered, and biblical. Instead of an hour of drowsy requests and pitiful pleading, fresh doses of Scripture reading and Spirit-led worship invigorate these gatherings. The foundation of these experiences is the character and Word of God, followed by spontaneous, Spirit-led surrender, intercession, and participation.
Worship-based prayer incorporates a balanced, biblical pattern for prayer, based on the model Jesus gave to His disciples in Matthew 6:9-13 (commonly known as the Lord's Prayer). An understanding of this pattern provides a valuable grid for facilitating creative prayer.
This pattern is similar to the 4/4 musical beat of a conductor. As a prayer tool, it is an effective way by which the Holy Spirit can direct our hearts with fresh creativity in our prayer times.
The conductor raises a hand and fixes it at a point in the air to capture the attention of the musicians. Everyone gets ready to begin. In the prayer pattern Jesus gave His disciples, He instructs us to begin with a focus of worship ("Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name"). We call this upward focus the "Reverence" stroke. This is the concept I call worship-based, rather than need-based, prayer. It begins with the character of God as we take time to focus our entire beings on the wonders of who God is.
The conductor gives the downbeat, and the music begins. Jesus taught a second element of biblical prayer when He said, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." This stroke is our response to God's character in prayer. This involves yielding to the control of the Holy Spirit and recommitting to God's kingdom purposes. Introspection and surrender mark this time of response. It is a season of pledged obedience to the will and Word of God, desiring the accomplishment of His will in our lives.
From the downbeat, the conductor now moves the baton to the left, setting the tempo for the music. "Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." This is the next element Christ teaches in His model prayer. This involves a period of heartfelt requests with the themes of provision and purity.
This is not a time of informing God of our needs as much as it is a conscious trust in God as the perfect definer and provider of our needs. It involves prayer about personal requests and the concerns of others.
Not only is God's provision a key concern during this stroke, but so is purity. As we willingly enter the forgiveness process—in both directions—we commit ourselves to lives of purity, living with a clear conscience before God and others. We pledge to seek and extend forgiveness daily. Purity is the key to harmony and unity in the body of Christ and must not be neglected in our daily time with the Lord.
The conductor moves the beat to the right, keeping tempo. The outward stroke reminds us of the spiritual contest before us and, more importantly, reassures us of the spiritual resources within us.
When we pray, "Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one," we recognize our own inability to overcome the temptations and attacks of daily life. We entrust our welfare for the warfare to the delivering force of our Divine Enabler, often through the power of His promises.
With an upward motion, the conductor returns the beat to the starting point. The traditional version we recite of this model prayer concludes on a high note of praise: "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." Consistent with the pattern of the traditional Lord's Prayer, seasons of prayer should end with praise and declarations of God's power and rule. Often a closing song can accomplish this purpose.
Let's take the 4/4 pattern one more step to clarify practical handles for praying more innovatively. I call these the who, how, what, and where of creative prayer. Here are four basic questions that stimulate Spirit-given insight that can be useful to prompt responsive prayer:
• Who is God?
• How should we respond?
• What should we do about it?
• Where do we go from here?
As you look at any passage of Scripture, first ask, "Who is God?" Invite the Holy Spirit to give you understanding of what the text tells you about the character of God. Assuming you are in a group prayer time, ask others to contribute their insights from the text. It is truly astonishing to discover so many truths about God's nature, names, and person in the texts of the Bible.
Second, notice insights about "How should we respond?" Again, the passage will often give direct clues of expressions of surrender to the will and kingdom of God. Look for such terminology as "I will" or "I have." Take note of positive action verbs such as trust, praise, worship, or cry out. Observe willful declarations such as "I will not be afraid," "I will walk," or "I will not turn away."
Third, consider the question, "What should we pray about?" Often a passage will contain specific requests or express certain desires that can form a basis of our own prayers. Look for fears, struggles, needs, decisions, challenges, and longings. Again, these observations foster creative ways to invite participants to pray in similar practical fashion.
The fourth area of discovery involves the question, "Where do we go from here?" Most texts will speak of some challenge or spiritual enemy to overcome. Often these ideas will guide the participants in identifying and anticipating practical spiritual battles. With the Spirit's insight, you can use these themes to guide others into meaningful prayer.
As you look for creative entry points in prayer, insight from the Word and illumination by the Spirit will be sufficient in any occasion to provide the inspiration and innovation you need to stay awake in prayer.
Adapted from PRAYzing!, © 2007 by Daniel Henderson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of the book, call 800-366-7788 (or online at www.navpress.com).
The editors heartily recommend Fresh Encounters and PRAYzing! to equip the church for vibrant, worship-based prayer.
Worship-based prayer incorporates a balanced, biblical pattern for prayer based on Jesus' instructions to His disciples. Here is one example of this pattern in action.
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