What is a Prayer Chain

 

I think that most of us already know what a prayer chain is. However, just in case you are a new Christiaan and do not know what it is, I think it is a good question to answer. As in many questions, I went t gotquestions.org to get a good answer for this, so please read on

What is a prayer chain?

A prayer chain is a group of people, usually associated with a church, who share prayer requests and commit to pray for needs as they arise. It’s called a “prayer chain” because the individual members are “linked” by prayer, and requests make their way from one person to another, following the “chain.” In a prayer chain, each link represents one person committed to pray for the needs of others. The more “links” in the chain, the more people are praying for the needs or struggles of others. The imagery of a chain also underscores the strength of God’s people who are united in prayer.

A prayer chain is not to be confused with a chain letter, which is a communication passed along to an ever-growing number of people, promising some benefit or the avoidance of some curse. Such letters (or emails) are hoaxes and have nothing to do with a prayer chain, which simply alerts the people in a set group that it is time to pray.

Those who participate in a prayer chain commit to pray for whatever need arises, when it arises. There is no reward promised; those who pray do so out of concern for others’ needs. They know they are entreating a God who hears them if they ask according to His will (1 John 5:14).

Many churches started their prayer chains with telephone calls: when one person received a phone call relaying a prayer request, he or she had the responsibility to call a predetermined set of other people to relay the message. In that way, the prayer information was disseminated quickly and efficiently. One person did not have to call all the people in the church; every person called a few. More recently, most churches have gone to an email or text-based prayer chain. In this system, a prayer request is channeled to one person who has the database, and that person will send a group text or email asking for immediate prayer. God’s people pray, and the Spirit makes intercession according to His will (see Romans 8:26–27). Other churches also utilize a website or a closed or private social media page as an online prayer chain.

In Scripture, we are commanded to pray, making our requests known to God with thanksgiving (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Colossians 4:2, Philippians 4:6–7). Jesus gave His disciples instructions about prayer, including a model prayer (Matthew 5:5–13). God wants to hear from His people. A well-organized prayer chain helps to inform God’s people concerning matters of prayer and also prompts them to pray.

James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” The concept of a prayer chain relates directly to that verse. We should confess our sins (and struggles) to one another and pray for one another. If God wills, our multitude of fervent prayers can avail much. We are not responsible for the outcome of the prayers, but we are commanded to pray, leaving us with peace that whatever matter we take to the Lord is in the best possible hands (see Philippians 4:6–7).

In short, a prayer chain is a group of people who have volunteered to pray for one another and encourage others to pray. They are the “minutemen” of prayer, ready at a moment’s notice to pray for whatever need develops. Their commitment creates a chain, long and strong, of praying saints. Our prayers are made in the confidence that things will always work out according to God’s will. When we see answers to prayer, the prayer chain then becomes a “praise chain,” and that’s a beautiful thing to see.

(source: gotquestions.org)

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This method of praying for each other, is a great way to pass on the needs of those partisipating in the chain.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends.

Have a great day and be blessed in Jesus!

Social Media Prayer Requests?

Here are a couple interesting questions for you?

Have you ever asked for prayer on any Social Media platform?

Do you think it is wrong to do so?

To be honest, I have never considered this. However, if my memory services me, I think I did request prayer on Facebook several years ago when we were traveling south on a trip.

But I think those are good questions, so I looked for answers on gotquestions.org to see what they said about it.

Here is what I found:

Should Christians post prayers on social media?

Of course, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest are not mentioned in the Bible. But some people are concerned that Jesus says something in the Sermon on the Mount that might prohibit Christians from posting prayers on social networking sites.

Here is Jesus’ command: “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” Is tweeting a prayer or posting one as a status update a violation of this command?

We know that Jesus’ words cannot be a prohibition against all public prayer, because Jesus Himself prayed publicly (Matthew 14:19; 26:26–27; Mark 8:6; Luke 23:34). Also, Jesus taught others to pray publicly (Matthew 6:9–13), and the early church prayed publicly (Acts 1:24-25; 4:31). Rather, Jesus’ words should be taken as a command against hypocritical public prayer spoken to attract attention. Jesus was condemning the self-serving practice of offering public performance prayers, show-offish prayers designed to make the people praying look spiritual in the eyes of those who heard them pray.

Prayer should be about communicating to God sincere confession, repentance, thanksgiving, worship, adoration, intercession, and petitions for guidance and/or other help. If prayer becomes a religious recital, not really even addressed to God but just spoken (or written) for the sake of the hearers (or readers), it is not truly prayer.

A prayer posted on Facebook or sent out on Twitter is public, but it need not be hypocritical. Jesus’ apostles not only prayed publicly (Acts 27:35), but also wrote down prayers for others to read (see Ephesians 3:14–19). Just as Paul wrote out a prayer for his Ephesian brothers and sisters in Christ, a sincere prayer of praise, thanks, or intercession on a friend's Facebook page can also be appropriate. If a tweeted prayer is wrong simply because the public can view it, then we should expect there to be no prayers in the New Testament. The truth is that the New Testament contains many prayers (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Romans 15:5; Hebrews 13:20; Revelation 22:20).

Are some prayers on Facebook and Twitter of the hypocritical variety? Undoubtedly. Much of what is posted on social media is self-serving, and prayers often are as well. We should be careful about everything we post. Especially, we must guard against sharing religious-sounding words in order make ourselves appear spiritual. We should never offer a prayer as a “Jesus juke.”

James 1:19 says we should be “quick to listen and slow to speak.” These truths should be applied to posts on social media. We should always examine our motives for posting. We should always actually pray the prayer before we proclaim it publicly. Private prayer—simply having a heart-to-heart conversation with God—should be the essence of our prayer lives. Any public prayer we offer, on social media or elsewhere, should be an extension of our time alone with God.

Whenever we pray, and on whatever platform we express our prayers, our prayers should be for God’s glory, not our own. “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

S. Michael Houdmann

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While I agree with this article, I would submit also that there is a difference between prayer that is communicating to God, and prayer requests. Some of our communication to God is private. Prayer requests can help us by letting people know there is a need either for ourselves or on behalf of someone else, and we are asking God for answers

In asking God for prayer requests on behalf of others, we should be mindful of their privacy as well as for ourselves too.

Thanks for coming by, Friends.

Have a blessed evening!

Are You One of Those....

 

...kind of people that has a problem about praying in public. To be honest with you, I am one that has never liked to pray in public. But not to worry. There is good news for us. I found an answer on gotquestions.org that addresses this and gives us "permission" if you will to not feel guilty about it. (if you do) Read on:

How can I stop being nervous about praying publicly?

Many people find praying publicly or in a group to be a daunting prospect. Public speaking of any kind is one of the greatest fears experienced by people. Public prayer adds the extra pressure of the spiritual aspect and makes people even more nervous because of the potential impact public prayer may have on others. It should be remembered, however, that although prayer is commanded by God, public prayer is not. In fact, Jesus said when we pray, we should go into a room, close the door and pray in secret (Matthew 6:6). So the first thing to understand about public prayer is that it is not a necessity of the Christian life.

For those who want to join in praying publicly, there are several ways to reduce the nervousness that often accompanies the experience. First, it’s important to pray with a group of people with whom we are comfortable, those we are sure won’t judge us for our less-than-eloquent prayers. Praying with others can be a great comfort when we hear our needs being lifted to the throne of grace by those who care enough about us to do so. Others who hear us pray for them are similarly encouraged. A group of people who love one another and accept one another in love and humility will usually ease the fears of those who are nervous about praying in public.

Another way to ease the burden of nervousness is to pray silently in advance of the public session, asking God to direct our minds and hearts to Him and away from ourselves. When we direct our thoughts toward the Creator of the universe and allow ourselves to become immersed in His immense nature, we will find our thoughts and feelings about ourselves diminishing. Our concerns will be more centered on what God thinks of us, not what others think. God loves us with an uncompromising love, and if we belong to Him through Christ, He has put our sin as far from us as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12), and He invites us to come boldly before His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). Being mindful that He does not judge us for our lack of eloquence will go a long way toward easing nervousness. People look at the external, which includes the speech, but God sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

Finally, many people find that the sheer repetition of praying in public will ease the nervousness. Praying with others can be a very edifying experience, but ultimately prayer is the privilege of communicating with our heavenly Father who sees our hearts and knows what we need before we even ask. He doesn’t need to hear eloquence in our prayers in order to bless us and draw near to us. What He asks for is a contrite heart and a lowly spirit, things He will never refuse (Psalm 51:17), no matter how eloquent our prayers.

(source: gotquestions.org)

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So there you go, Friends. While God does want us to pray, He doesn't command us to pray in public. I always felt a bit guilty when I have been in a group and the question was asked, "Would anyone like to lead us in a word of prayer."  The article today, puts my guilt behind me now, and I know that I don't have to feel that way.

Thanks for sticking with me these past 2 days, Friends. I am feeling better and happy to be back giving you content again.

Thanks for coming by today. Have a blessed day!

Is it a Sin?

Is it a sin when we don't communicate with God? A good question, I think. So I went to gotquestions.org and the following is what they have to say about it.

What does the Bible say about prayerlessness?

Prayer is the lifeblood of a Christian’s walk with God. Prayer connects us to God, prayer is an active way to love and connect with others, and prayer makes room in the pray-er’s heart for God’s correcting voice. The Bible says to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), so anything other than a continual attitude of prayer and communion with God is sin. Anything that interrupts our connection to God or leads to self-reliance is wrong.

We could look at Adam and Eve’s actions in Genesis 3 as a type of prayerlessness. They eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and are too ashamed to speak with the Lord as He comes to meet them in the garden. They are disconnected from God in their sin; their communication with Him is interrupted. Adam and Eve’s “prayerlessness” was sin, and it was caused by sin.

Can you imagine someone claiming to be your best friend and never talking to you? Whatever friendship was there would certainly be strained. Similarly, a relationship with God is impoverished and fatigued without communication. Prayerlessness is antithetical to a good relationship with God. God’s people will have a natural desire to communicate with their Lord. “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly” (Psalm 5:3). The biblical commands to pray are accompanied by wonderful promises: “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth” (Psalm 145:18).

Christ is our best example of prayerfulness. He Himself was a man of prayer (see Luke 3:21; 5:16; 9:18, 28; 11:1), and He taught His followers to pray (Luke 11:2–4). If the Son of Man saw a personal need to pray, how much more should we see the same need in ourselves?

Prayerlessness ignores the gift of intercession that God has given us. We are called to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ (James 5:16). Paul often solicited the prayers of God’s people on his behalf (Ephesians 6:19; Colossians 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:25), and he was faithful to pray for them (Ephesians 1:16; Colossians 1:9). The prophet Samuel saw prayers on behalf of the people of Israel as a necessary part of his ministry: “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you” (1 Samuel 12:23). According to Samuel, prayerlessness is a sin.

Prayerlessness is defiance toward God’s command to love others. And we are not only to pray for people who are easy to pray for. “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people” (1 Timothy 2:1). Jesus tells us that we must also pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). This is the message of Christ, to love and support everyone with prayer, even those who are hard to love.

Prayer makes room for the correcting voice of God. Prayerlessness weakens our ability to hear Christ when He whispers words of correction or conviction to our spirits. Hebrews 12:2 reminds us that Christ is the “pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Without His Spirit living in our hearts, we would be on a rough road following our own judgments. As we pray for God’s will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10), the contrariness of our own wills is revealed.

Matthew 26:41 offers another admonition: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Prayerlessness clouds our hearts to the temptations surrounding us and leads to further sin. We only become wise to the ways of our hearts through the Spirit’s illumination and direction. And it’s only in the Spirit’s power that our prayers are effective (see Romans 8:26–27).

Prayer is our lifeline and connection to God. Christ showed the opposite of prayerlessness in His walk on earth and modelled a prayer-filled life.

(source: gotquestions.org)

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For sure. Prayer is our lifeline connection to God. Why would we not want to communicate to a God that wants to have a relationship with us?  I am thankful for the daily privilege of knowing that God is always waiting to hear from me and I hope you take advantage of it as well

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a wonderful and blessed day. God is good!

Repeated Prayers?

It seems that the jury is out on the question of whether we should pray for the same thing over and over. And so, I will give you the answer that gotquestion.org has provided on thier website, and maybe it will help you decide.

Q. Is it acceptable to repeatedly pray for the same thing?

A. In Luke 18:1-7, Jesus uses a parable to illustrate the importance of persevering in prayer. He tells the story of a widow who came to an unjust judge seeking justice against her adversary.  Because of her persistence in prayer, the judge relented. Jesus’ point is that if an unjust judge will grant the petition of someone who perseveres in a request for justice, how much more will the God who loves us—“his chosen ones” (v. 7)—answer our prayer when we keep praying? The parable does not teach, as is mistakenly thought, that if we pray for something over and over, God is obligated to give it to us. Rather, God promises to avenge His own, to vindicate them, right their wrongs, do them justice, and deliver them from their adversaries. He does this because of His justice, His holiness, and His hatred of sin; in answering prayer, He keeps His promises and displays His power.

Jesus gives another illustration of prayer in Luke 11:5-12. Similar to the parable of the unjust judge, Jesus’ message in this passage is that if a man will inconvenience himself to provide for a needy friend, God will provide for our needs far more, since no request is an inconvenience to Him. Here again, the promise is not that we will receive whatever we ask if we just keep asking. God’s promise to His children is a promise to meet our needs, not our wants. And He knows our needs better than we do. The same promise is reiterated in Matthew 7:7-11 and in Luke 11:13, where the “good gift” is further explained to be the Holy Spirit.

Both of these passages encourage us to pray and to keep praying. There is nothing wrong with repeatedly asking for the same thing. As long as what you are praying for is within the will of God (James 4:3; 1 John 5:14-15), keep asking until God grants your request or removes the desire from your heart. Sometimes God forces us to wait for an answer to our prayers in order to teach us patience and perseverance. Sometimes we ask for something when granting it is not yet in God’s timing for our lives. Sometimes we ask for something that is not God’s will for us, and He says “no.” Prayer is not only our presenting requests to God; it is God’s presenting His will to our hearts. Keep on asking, keep on knocking, and keep on seeking until God grants your request or convinces you that your request is not His will for you.

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So there you are friends. The Bible has spoken.

And it came from Jesus Himself.

If anyone tells you that if you keep praying for the same thing over and over, that you lack faith...

point them to what Jesus says about it.

And not a man.

Thanks for coming by today.

I will be praying for those of you still dealing with the winter weather and the new storm system that they are calling for.

Have a blessed day!

Praying God's Will/How Can We Know It?

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I think sometimes when we pray, we don't think to pray for God's will. We pray for our own. Right?  But even Jesus prayed for God's will when He was about to go to the cross to die for our sins. Luke 22:42. That was a heavy burden He carried, because then in verse 44, scripture says this:  

44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Jesus knew what His Father was asking Him to do. And therefore, He did it. 

However, the question we sometimes wonder today is, how do WE be sure that we are praying according to God's will when we are praying?

Gotquestions.org has answers to this on their site. And I will share them with you on mine. Please read ahead.

Answer:

Man’s highest aim should be to bring glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31), and this includes praying according to His will. First, we must ask for wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). In asking for wisdom, we must also trust that God is gracious and willing to answer our prayers: “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt” (James 1:6; see also Mark 11:24). So, praying according to the will of God includes asking for wisdom (to know the will of God) and asking in faith (to trust the will of God).

Here are seven biblical instructions that will guide the believer in praying according to God’s will:

1) Pray for the things for which the Bible commands prayer. We are told to pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44); for God to send missionaries (Luke 10:2); that we do not enter temptation (Matthew 26:41); for ministers of the Word (Colossians 4:3; 2 Thessalonians 3:1); for government authorities (1 Timothy 2:1-3); for relief from affliction (James 5:13); and for the healing of fellow believers (James 5:16). Where God commands prayer, we can pray with confidence that we are praying according to His will.

2) Follow the example of godly characters in Scripture. Paul prayed for the salvation of Israel (Romans 10:1). David prayed for mercy and forgiveness when he sinned (Psalm 51:1-2). The early church prayed for boldness to witness (Acts 4:29). These prayers were according to the will of God, and similar prayers today can be as well. As with Paul and the early church, we should always be praying for the salvation of others. For ourselves, we should pray as David prayed, always aware of our sin and bringing it before God before it hinders our relationship with Him and thwarts our prayers.

3) Pray with the right motivation. Selfish motives will not be blessed by God. “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3). We should also pray, not so our lofty words can be heard and we may be seen by others as “spiritual,” but mostly in private and in secret, so that our heavenly Father will hear in private and reward us openly (Matthew 6:5-6).

4) Pray with a spirit of forgiveness toward others (Mark 11:25). A spirit of bitterness, anger, revenge or hatred toward others will prevent our hearts from praying in total submission to God. Just as we are told not to give offerings to God while there is conflict between ourselves and another Christian (Matthew 5:23-24), in the same way God does not want the offering of our prayers until we have reconciled with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

5) Pray with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2; Philippians 4:6-7). We can always find something to be thankful for, no matter how burdened we are by our wants or needs. The greatest sufferer that lives in this world of redeeming love, and who has the offer of heaven before him, has reason to be grateful to God.

6) Pray with persistence (Luke 18:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). We should persevere in prayer and not quit or be dejected because we have not received an immediate answer. Part of praying in God’s will is believing that, whether His answer is “yes,” “no,” or “wait,” we accept His judgment, submit to His will, and continue to pray.

7) Rely on the Spirit of God in prayer. This is a wonderful truth: “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will” (Romans 8:26-27). We have the Spirit’s help in praying. At the times of our deepest depression or sorrow, those times when we feel that we “just cannot pray,” we have the comfort of knowing that the Holy Spirit is actually praying for us! What an amazing God we have!

What assurance we have when we seek to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh! Then we can have confidence that the Holy Spirit will accomplish His work in presenting our prayers to the Father according to His perfect will and timing, and we can rest in the knowledge that He is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).

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God will answer our prayers. Perhaps not in the way we want. Or the way we expect.

But that is where trusting in Him truly is.

He is faithful.

And He loves us.

We can depend on Him that what answer He gives us concerning our prayers, will be what we need.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends.

God bless!