Praying in the Woods

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” — James 5:16 (KJV)

If Brainerd is famous for one thing, it is prayer. He prayed the way other people work. He would go off into the woods for hours, sometimes whole days, to pray for the people he served.

In 1744 he moved to the Forks of the Delaware, in Pennsylvania, to work among the Delaware people, also called the Lenape. One evening he heard that people were about to gather for a large religious feast, one he believed would keep them away from the gospel. He went into the woods and prayed with everything he had. Afterwards he wrote:

“I was in such anguish, and pleaded with such earnestness and importunity, that when I rose from my knees I felt extremely weak and overcome; I could scarcely walk straight; my joints were loosed; the sweat ran down my face and body, and nature seemed as if it would dissolve.”

Importunity means persistent, not-giving-up asking, like the widow in Jesus’ parable who kept coming back to the judge. Brainerd prayed like that.

The next morning he woke and his first thought was the same: “When I waked my soul was burdened with what seemed to be before me. I cried to God, before I could get out of my bed; and as soon as I was dressed I withdrew into the woods.”

There is something challenging here for all of us. Most of our prayers are short and a bit distracted. Brainerd’s show what it looks like when someone really believes that God hears, and that prayer changes things. He prayed for people by name, for whole villages, for things that looked impossible.

But a word of balance. Brainerd often went without food and sleep, and he was already sick with tuberculosis. He pushed his body far harder than was wise, and it shortened his life. That is not something to copy. God gave you a body to look after. You can pray with passion and still eat your meals, go to bed and see a doctor.

The lesson to take is not “pray until you collapse.” It is “pray like it matters.” James says the earnest prayer of a person who walks with God is powerful and effective. In the next chapters you will see what came of Brainerd’s.

One thing to do this week: choose one person or situation that feels impossible. Pray for it every day this week, not just a quick mention but a few honest minutes, as if it really matters. Write down what you are asking for, and keep the list.