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Impactful Prayer
Brian Mashburn
February 5, 2017
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Impactful Prayer
I believe I have read, researched, and experimented more on the subject of prayer than anything else in my life.
I've done years in Bible study, close and repeated examinations of the prayer life of Jesus, and I've read dozens of books, some more than once. I've practiced fasting, silence, meditation, listening prayer, communal prayer, repetitive prayer, free-style prayer, every prayer posture you can imagine, prayers of praise, of confession, of thanksgiving, conversational prayer, and secret prayer in the closet. I've prayed prayers in the beauty of creation, prayer trips to monasteries, prayers of healing, prayers of spiritual warfare, evangelistic prayers, exorcism prayers, concerts of prayer, proclamations of blessing, transformative prayer, silent prayer, screaming prayer, crying prayer, singing prayer, chanting prayer, and wordless prayer. I have prayed "just being with God" prayer, petitioning prayer, daily prayer, weekly prayer, hourly prayer, the Stations of the Cross, prayer labyrinths, prayer reminders, contemplative prayer, journal prayers, prayer without ceasing, the prayers of Jesus, the prayers of Paul, the prayer of Jabez, praying the Psalms, commissioning prayers, being prayed over, prayed for, prayed with... and more.
And yet... I still feel like a beginner. I get distracted as I pray, disillusioned by unanswered prayer, and I have prayer droughts where I give up on it altogether..
I'm weird, I know, but none of this discourages me. And if you have any of these experiences, I don't want it to discourage you. For all of my questions and frustrations, prayer has been and remains the adventure of my life. It remains as the only antidote to my religion becoming empty, my Bible knowledge puffing me up, people bringing me down, and indeed, life becoming stale. Nothing allows me actual God-contact like prayer.
And I need God-contact. More than air. So do you.
I've preached on prayer before, but this time, I want to take a look at it through the lens of prayer that really works... really makes an impact... on God, on you, and on the world. Let us pray.