Set a Prayer Intention and Watch for God's Movement
“And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of all the saints, ascends before God from the angel's hand.”
Revelation 8:4
Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), one of my favorite ways to study the Bible, has been part of my weekly routine from September through May almost consistently for nearly 28 years. If you have never enrolled, I encourage you to check it out. We are currently studying the book of Revelation, and I look forward to it every week. I can't say that about many other disciplines in my life.
When we think about the Book of Revelation, we tend to think about apocalyptic times, God’s judgment on the world, confusing, hard to understand writing and metaphors. Some people find this portion of scripture downright frightening, so I was surprised to find the topic of prayer as the focus in one of our recent lessons. I hadn’t made the connection with this portion of scripture. But it was a key theme and led me to set a new prayer intention for myself. Have you ever set a prayer intention? Friend, I believe God longs to hear from us and delights when we turn to him in prayer.
“Prayer is our most formidable weapon, but the one in which we are the least skilled, the most averse to its use.”
Here are some beautiful thoughts from this BSF lesson:
Prayer expresses dependence on God and our faith in His power and sufficiency.
God certainly knows and hears all our prayers.
A believer's access to God in prayer came at a cost…Jesus Christ and the death He endured.
Through prayer we connect to God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 3:14, Colossians 3:17, Jude 1:20-21). Truly beautiful, that through the act of prayer, we connect to the Holy Trinity.
I invite you to pause for a few moments and ponder your prayer life. How much consideration do you give prayer? Maybe you pray regularly, or desire to grow your prayer life. Or possibly, for some, it's a bit of a mystery, and you are unsure how to make prayer part of your day-to-day rhythm. For me, it really is one of the most important things I do.
By looking at prayer in this week's lesson, I am prompted to set a new prayer intention. Is this something you may feel led to step into? Here are a few ideas:
1) When someone shares a concern or care, pause to listen then ask,” May I pray for you right now?” This may take some courage on your part but could mean the world to this person. Keep it simple but sincere and then watch for the peace that ushers in.
2) IF you are asked to pray for a friend, whether on social media or in person, create a habit and ask to pray on the spot or post a prayer in the social thread. Something more than the 🙏emoji. Try this, “Dear Lord, I come on behalf of my friend to lift up this care to You, would You allow my friend to see how You care and are at work in this? We ask this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ. AMEN.”
3) I keep a running list with an alarm sounding @ 7:08 am. This reminds me to pray specifically for people I have on my prayer list. New names roll on and then off, and it allows me to remind my friends I am praying. It also serves as a way to note how God is at work in their situations. Some days it's a quick arrow prayer, when time allows I pause over each name and pray specifically.
Would you pray this with me?
Dear Father,
We acknowledge prayer is a gift and the benefits are for our good and glorify YOU. Help us grow our prayer life, give us a greater desire to pray Your will and plans for our lives. Use prayer to give us a great awareness of just who you are and how great your love is for us. Help us to draw nearer to You through the act of prayer, as for me it is good to be near You, our Father.
( Hebrews 4:16, Psalm 73:28)
If this devotion has spoken to you, I would love to hear how!