Prayerful Urgency

How important is prayer in your life?   In your marriage?  In your family?   What about in the life of your church?  If people were to meet you, or drop into your church on a Sunday, would they notice a prayerful urgency in your life and that of your church? 

In our missional strategy to reach the lost for Christ we maintain that prayer is our first task.  So it is no wonder, then, as we consider the core Biblical values that shape the culture of the CRCA, that prayerful urgency rounds out our five core values.   By prayerful urgency we are saying that we are humbly dependent upon God and filled with prayerful, sacrificial compassion for the lost in the world.  Over the past number of blogs we have looked at the other four core values.  In this blog we begin looking at the final core value:  prayerful urgency (for the other blogs in this series, see list and links below).

By declaring that prayer is our first task and one of our core values, as churches we are unreservedly admitting that we are completely dependent upon God.   Jesus reminds that he is one who will build his church (Matthew 16:18).   King Solomon testified: "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain."  (Psalm 127:1)   And Solomon knew a thing or two about building.   In Ecclesiastes he tells us that he "undertook great projects.  I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.   I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them."  (2:4-5)   Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes it becomes crystal clear, if God is not in our building projects, then everything we do is really vanity, a chasing after the wind.  So it is with growing healthy churches, planting new churches, multiplying disciples and leaders, and reaching out to the lost in the world.   The LORD is the master builder of everything, including our churches.   Jesus is the one who will build his church.   All our church work is in vain unless we recognise how dependent we are upon God.   This is why prayer is so important.

Other Bible passages underscore the importance of prayer.   Take for example James 4:2 where we are told: "you do not have because you do not ask God."  God is ready to give to individuals and churches what they need, but we need to ask!   In fact, as Jesus teaches us about prayer he tells us the story of a friend who calls at midnight (see Luke 11:5-9). The point of this story is that we are to pray persistently.   We don't just ask once, and then quit praying.   We ask time and time again.   As Jesus tells us:  "I tell you ... because of the man's persistence he will get up and give [his friend] as much as he needs."  (11:8)   Jesus then simply adds:  "Ask and it will be given to you... for everyone who asks receives." (11:9-10)   

This persistence in prayer will require humility on our part.  But humility is the essence of prayer.   As the LORD God reminded Solomon:   "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)   It is through prayer that we humble ourselves before God and admit we need his help!   We admit we cannot do anything on our own.   But as we humble ourselves before God, "he will lift [us] up."  (James 4:10)   As we ask, we will receive.

The great South African Reformed theologian Andrew Murray (d. 1917) emphasized in his writings our dependence upon God through prayer.   He wrote:  "God rules the world by the prayers of his saints, that prayer is the power by which Satan is conquered, that by prayer the church on earth has disposal of the powers of the heavenly world." (With Christ in the School of Prayer)   In another book he wrote:  "Christ actually meant prayer to be the great power by which his church should do its work, and the neglect of prayer is the great reason the church has not greater power over the masses in Christian and in heathen countries....  Through intercession [God, our King] continues his saving work and we can do nothing without it; through [prayer] alone we can do all work and nothing avails without it." (The Ministry of Intercession)  May we as churches in the 21st century gain this sense of the urgency of prayer.   

There was one preacher and church who understood the urgency of prayer.   The story is told of five young college students who were spending a Sunday in London (UK) many years ago. While in London they decided to go and hear the famous preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon(d. 1834). While they were waiting for the doors to open, the students were greeted by a man who asked, "Gentlemen, let me show you around. Would you like to see the heating plant of this church?" They thought the man was rather odd since they really had no desire to see a heating plant on a hot July day. They didn't want to offend the stranger, so they consented. The young men were taken down a stairway, a door was quietly opened, and their guide whispered, "This is our heating plant."  To the surprise of the young men, they saw 700 people bowed in prayer, seeking a blessing on the service that was soon to begin in the auditorium above.  Softly closing the door, the gentleman then introduced himself.   He was none other than Spurgeon himself.

What is the 'heating plant' of your life, your marriage, your family, and your church?   As CRCA churches we realise that we are humbly dependent upon God for all things. That is why prayer is our first task.   Prayer is also one of our core values.   For as we humble ourselves before God and pray, God will build his church and heal our land.  As churches we might have as our goal to multiply disciples and churches and grow throughout Australia and the world.  But this will not happen unless there is prayerful urgency.

CRCA Core Values:

Overview of Core Biblical Values

1. Contemporary Reformed (confessional and contextual) 
2. Word-Based
3. Gospel-Focused (kingdom-orientated, outward-looking, evangelistic, disciple-making, community-hearted)
4. Local Church Empowering (support, partnership, mutual accountability, encouragement)