Earnest Prayer

"Get up and pray" were Jesus' words to his followers just prior to his death on the cross (see Luke 22:39-46).  Earlier that night he had urged his disciples to pray.   But while Jesus earnestly prayed to our Father in heaven, even to the point that his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground, he found his disciples fast asleep, exhausted from sorrow.  It was then he commanded them to "get up and pray".

This command of our Lord Jesus is one that we as churches and church leaders need to heed.   We need to get up and pray.  And as churches in the CRCA, one of the strategies that we want to use to live out our denominational mission and vision in this world is to "increase church-wide commitment to earnest prayer for gospel workers and gospel growth." ¹   We want to increase church-wide commitment to "get up and pray"! 

The priority of prayer in the life of the believer is found  throughout the Bible.   For this reason in the CRCA we speak of the practice of prayer as our number one task.  One of our denominational core biblical values is prayerful urgency.  But why do we talk about earnest prayer?  Well, we see the idea of earnest prayer in Jonah 3:8.  The prophet Jonah had just told the people of Nineveh that because of their wickedness God was going to destroy their large city in 40 days (Jonah 1:2; 3:4).  We are told that these Nivevites believed God and the king decreed:  "Let everyone call urgently on God!" (3:8)   The Greek translation of the word 'urgently', translated elsewhere as 'mightily', is the word 'earnestly'.   These people did not only call out to God.  These did so earnestly.   There was a sense of urgency, eagerness, seriousness, and intensity.  In the face of the prospect of their city being completely destroyed, they called earnestly on God.  And the city of Niveveh was spared.

In the NT we read about the early church in the time when King Herod was arresting Christians, intending to persecute them.   The apostle Peter was also among those seized.   In the face of this powerful persecution, we are told that "the church was earnestly praying to God." (Acts 12:5)   Again we get a sense that God's people were taking prayer seriously.  So with urgency, eageress, and intensity they prayed.   And not long later we hear how an angel of the Lord struck Herod down and he was eaten by worms and died.  "But the word of God continued to increase and spread."  (12:24; see v. 23) 

It really doesn't take some super spiritual saint to engage in earnest prayer.   If the Ninevites could call out to God earnestly, so can you!  So can your church.   All it takes is realising our total inability to see something happen.   For the Nivevites it was God relenting and turning from his fierce anger on their wicked city.  For the early church it was the church prevailing in the midst of fierce opposition.   Their earnest calling upon God was an admission that these things were outside of their power.   The answer to their earnest prayers rested in God alone.

So it is with us today!   The more we believe that we are in need, the more powerless we feel ourselves to be, the more serious and earnest our prayers will be.  And for us as churches we have a great, great need for gospel workers and for gospel growth.   Not a week goes by when I am not in a conversation with a church or some church leaders about the need for gospel workers.   Today we have 48 pastors serving our 57 churches, and in the next 10 years we need another 40 more!   This great need requires an increase of a church-wide commitment to earnest prayer for gospel workers.   As individuals, in families, among small groups, at prayer meetings, on Sundays.   Our prayers require a sense of urgency, eagerness, seriousness, and intensity!   And the same goes for gospel growth.   In the face of Christianity being marginalized in the media, in politics, in our culture, and in our social consciousness, as churches we need to have church-wide commitment to earnest prayer for gospel growth.  Tens of millions of people, some our family members, our neighbours, work-colleagues, fellow students, and Australians are destined for an eternal death rather than eternal life (see Revelation 21:6-8)   For God's Word to increase and spread, and his church to grow, we need God's intervention.   And so we need to pray earnestly!

Our strategy in the CRCA is to continually encourage our churches to increase their church-wide commitment to pray for gospel workers and gospel growth.  This commitment to prayer not optional and not something to take lightly.  A lukewarm response to the call of prayer will not cut it.   We cannot remain unconcerned or indifferent.   We need to be committed to earnest prayer!    

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¹ Check out the rest of the other CRCA strategies outlined in this current series of articles: coaching, evangelism, disciple-making, leadership development, growing gospel workers, church health analysis, church growth, cross-cultural investment, and models of effective churches.