The Mighty Ministry of Prayer

"Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV) Of all the works the Christian woman can do, there is none more powerful than prayer. A woman on her knees can change history. She can bring down strongholds of the enemy. She can move the hand of God to heal, to save, to provide, and to protect. Kingdoms have risen and fallen because of praying women. Entire families have been brought to Christ through the faithful, secret prayers of a mother or a grandmother. Do not ever think of prayer as small work.

The Bible gives us clear instructions about prayer. We are to pray without ceasing. We are to pray for our enemies and those who persecute us. We are to pray for kings and all those in authority, that we may lead quiet and peaceable lives. We are to pray for one another that we may be healed.

We are to pray in secret, and our Father who sees in secret will reward us openly. We are to pray with faith, not doubting. We are to pray in the name of Jesus. And we are to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let me introduce you to Hannah. Her story is in First Samuel chapter one. Hannah was married to a man named Elkanah, but she could not bear children. In that culture, this was a great shame and sorrow. The other wife, Peninnah, mocked her for it. Year after year, Hannah went up to the tabernacle of the Lord at Shiloh, and year after year she wept. One day, her prayer changed everything. She went into the house of the Lord and poured out her heart. She prayed so deeply that her lips moved but no sound came out. Eli the priest thought she was drunk, but she was not drunk with wine — she was drunk with sorrow and desperation for God to hear her. She made a vow: if God would give her a son, she would dedicate him to the Lord all the days of his life.

God heard Hannah. She conceived and gave birth to Samuel. And Samuel grew up to become one of the greatest prophets in the history of Israel. He anointed King David, the man after God's own heart, whose descendant was Jesus the Messiah. Think about that, sister.

The whole line of King David, leading to the birth of our Saviour, came through the answered prayer of a weeping woman. Never despise your tears before the Lord.

Then there was Anna, in Luke chapter two. She was an old woman, a widow of more than sixty years by the time we meet her. The scripture says she did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple, Anna saw Him, recognized who He was, and gave thanks. Her years of prayer prepared her to recognize the Messiah the moment He arrived. Prayer trains your eyes to see what others cannot see.

The Lord Jesus Himself taught us how to pray. He taught us to begin with worship — "Hallowed be thy name." He taught us to pray for God's will — "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done." He taught us to ask for our daily needs — "Give us this day our daily bread." He taught us to seek forgiveness and to forgive others. He taught us to ask for protection from temptation and deliverance from evil. Every time you say the Lord's Prayer, you are praying a prayer that Jesus Himself gave to us.

In the history of the Church, there is perhaps no more famous praying mother than Monica. She was the mother of Augustine, who became one of the greatest teachers the Church has ever known.

But before Augustine became a man of God, he was a rebel. He chased worldly pleasures, he followed false teachers, he broke his mother's heart again and again. Monica prayed for him for many years — some say almost thirty years. She wept for him. She followed him from North Africa to Italy. She would not give up. One day, Augustine heard a child's voice saying, "Take and read, take and read." He opened the scriptures, read a passage from Romans, and gave his life to Christ. He later wrote that he owed his salvation to the tears of his mother. My sister, if you are praying for a wayward son or daughter, or a husband who does not yet know the Lord, do not give up. Monica prayed for thirty years. Your prayers are not wasted.

Closer to our own time and place, the East African Revival of the 1930s and the following decades was born in prayer. In the hills of Rwanda, in Uganda, in Kenya, small groups of Christians began to meet and pray with great earnestness. They confessed their sins to one another. They walked in the light. And the Spirit of God fell upon them. The revival spread to Tanzania, to the Congo, and around the world. Women played a central role in this movement. They prayed in their homes, they witnessed in the markets, they formed fellowships that still exist today. The fire of that revival came down because women and men were willing to pray.

So how do you develop a life of prayer? Let me suggest a few simple steps. First, choose a time.

It does not have to be a long time at first. Five minutes in the early morning, before the children wake, is a good start. As your prayer life grows, you will want more time with the Lord, not less.

Second, choose a place. Jesus said to enter into your closet, meaning a private place. Perhaps it is a corner of your bedroom, a seat under a tree, or a place in the garden. Third, use a simple structure.

You might begin with thanksgiving, then confession of sin, then intercession for others, then your own requests. Fourth, pray the scriptures. Open your Bible to the Psalms or to the prayers of Paul in Ephesians or Colossians and pray them back to God. Fifth, keep a prayer list. Write down the names of your husband, your children, your pastor, your neighbors, your president, the missionaries, the lost. Pray through that list regularly. Sixth, pray throughout the day. While cooking, while washing, while walking to the garden, lift your heart to the Lord.

Do not be discouraged when you do not see immediate answers. God's timing is not our timing.

Sometimes He answers the moment we ask. Sometimes He waits. Sometimes He answers in ways we did not expect. But He always hears. The prayer of a righteous woman avails much.

A Prayer Lord Jesus, teach me to pray. I confess that I am often too busy, too distracted, too tired to come before Your throne. Forgive me. Draw me back to the secret place. Give me the heart of Hannah, who poured out her soul before You. Give me the faith of Anna, who watched and waited for the Messiah. Make me a woman of prayer, that my family, my church, my nation, and my generation may be blessed because I bent my knees before You. In Your mighty name I pray, Amen.