Prayer Ladder
Many people try to climb the ladder of success. But what about the ladder of prayer? This is a model of praying that I learned from Alvin Vander Griend in his book Love to Pray. As churches we are committed to PRAY that there will be such an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that people will manifest a godly life! In my life, in your life, in the life of our churches, and in our community around us. So what is this prayer ladder?
Well, the prayer ladder is based on one of the apostle Paul's prayers as it is recorded in Ephesians 3:14-19. Here we find an outline of how to pray for others. It is a prayer ladder to ascend. On this ladder there are six rungs:
1. Pray for inner strength by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us: "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." (Matthew 15:18-19) If the matter of our hearts is the heart of the matter, then this is the place to begin in our prayers. Pray that by his Holy Spirit God will strengthen our hearts in our inner being -- that our hearts will be set on God and be made pure (Matthew 5:8).
2. Pray that Christ may live in believers' hearts through faith. To live a godly life believers need to remain in Jesus and Jesus to remain in them. As Jesus reminds us: "No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." (John 15:4) Pray that Christ may more and more live in us and through us evidenced by people surrendered to God and being his hands, his feet, his influence in this world.
3. Pray that believers will be rooted in God's love. If the root is bad the fruit will be bad. In the Psalms we read how a blessed person is one who is "like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." (Psalm 1:3) Pray that we will be rooted in God's love, nourished by God's love as a plant is nourished by its roots.
4. Pray that believers will grasp the extent of Christ's love. Notice that Paul prays about "how wide and long and high and deep" is the love of Christ. Can we ever truly comprehend the extent of God's love for us in Christ Jesus? Hardly! As Paul writes elsewhere, quoting the prophet Isaiah: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"-- (1 Corinthians 2:9) Pray that we will truly know that there is no sin too great, nor problem too large, nor situation so severe that will separate us from the love of God which is ours in Christ Jesus (see Romans 8:28-39).
5. Pray that believers may experience the love of Christ. It is one thing to know the love of Christ; it is even better to experience the love of Christ. This is the "knowing" that Paul prays for in v. 19, a knowing that surpasses knowledge. Pray that we will truly experience a personal relationship with God in Christ Jesus, sense his nearness, and always remember that God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
6. Pray that believers may be filled with the very nature of God. The final and highest rung on the prayer ladder is to pray for the fullness of God, for God to pour himself into us, to be filled up to overflowing (Psalm 23:5).
Imagine the difference you will see as you pray in this way for yourself, your family, your brothers and sisters in Christ, and the people all around you! Use this prayer ladder, one rung at a time. And as you are assured of God's love through his Word, may you and those around you grow in pleasing the Saviour in all things, manifesting the godly life and being filled with prayerful and sacrificial compassion for the lost in all the world.
About the author
Jack De Vries was hired on by the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia and began his work as Ministry Training Coordinator in January 2008. In 2012 this role shifted to that of Ministry Development Coach.
Jack came from Canada where he pastored three Christian Reformed churches: Alliston CRC, Alliston, Ontario(1983-87), a church plant: New Life Community Church, Pickering, Ontario(1987-95), and Bethel CRC, Listowel, Ontario (1995-2007). Jack is a graduate of Calvin Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity - 1983) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry - 2003) Jack and his wife Jeannie currently live in Petrie, a northern suburb of Brisbane in Queensland. They attend and are members of Bray Park Community Church. They have four adult children and seven grandchildren living in the USA and Canada.
In Isaiah 58:11 we read: "The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Australia has seen times of drought and floods. There is another type of drought in Australia; there is a spiritual drought. But God promises to provide refreshing rain, a never ending supply of refreshing water. The water he provides will satisfy the needs of all Australians. As we take up the missional vision God has given us we extend the life changing invitation of Jesus: "Come! Whoever is thirsty, come, and take the free gift of the water of life!" (Revelation 22:17)
