The Critical Component of Prayer in Ministry

If we are going to reach the next generation, it will happen through prayer.

If we are going to build a volunteer team, it will happen through prayer.

If we are going to see fathers and mothers come to Christ, it will happen through prayer.  

If we are going to see kids grow up to love and serve Jesus, it will happen through prayer.

If we are going to have God's anointing and power in our life, it will happen through prayer.

If we are going to see our ministry grow and reach more kids, it is going to happen through prayer. 

The most important thing you do is not seen by others.  It happens in a secret place.  A place where you are alone with God.  A place you go to get on your knees and seek God's favor and blessing.

Look what this verse says.

"When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."  Matthew 6:6 

When you pray - it's not if you feel like praying and don't have anything else to do - rather prayer is not optional if you want God's blessings on your life and ministry.

Go into your room and shut the door - Notice that it is your door - no one can take your place in prayer - it has to be you...alone...pouring out your heart to God. 

Pray to your Father who is in the secret place - it is in solitary prayer that you will encounter God.

Your Father who sees in secret will reward your openly -  if you want God's blessings on your ministry to be obvious, then spend time praying in secret for the ministry. 

It's so easy to fall into the trap of trying to do ministry without spending time with God. You can get so busy working for God that you neglect spending time with God.

Remember this...

Nothing of eternal value happens without prayer.

Will you commit your time and energy into what will move you and your ministry forward?

Will you commit your heart to seeking God?

Will you commit to deepening your prayer life?

My thoughts take me back to when I was first starting in ministry as a teen boy. I was invited to speak at a church youth rally.  The church was about an hour from my house. 

Back then, I kept my sermon notes in a small brown binder. I had several binders.  As I was leaving for the service, I grabbed a brown binder.  

I got to the church and the service started.  When it was my turn to speak, I approached the pulpit and opened my sermon notebook.  My heart dropped when I looked at the sermon notes and realized I had made a terrible mistake.  I had grabbed the wrong notebook.  The sermon notes I was looking at had nothing to do with youth.  

I stuttered and stammered around for a couple of minutes...praying fervently for God to move in-spite of my mistake.  I told them the mistake I had made and said, "if anyone wants to invite Jesus into your life...come forward and we will pray with you."

I didn't expect anyone to come...not after that terrible excuse of a sermon.  But then something miraculous happened.  People began to come forward to begin a relationship with Jesus.  I was shocked.

I was to speak again the next evening.  I drove home and got the "correct" sermon in hand.  I must be honest.  I was thinking God was going to do something even bigger since I now had the "awesome" sermon I had created for the youth rally.

I got to the church.  The service was packed with people.  I was so excited about sharing my "awesome" sermon.  If people came and got saved at the end of my terrible excuse of a message the day before, surely many more would come forward at the end of my sermon. 

At the end of the service, I extended an invitation for people to come forward and accept Jesus as their Savior.  

Guess what happened? Nothing. Not one person came forward.  Not one person even raised their hand about coming forward.  

As I was driving home that night, God reminded me of something.  

It was not my "fancy sermon" that made the difference. Rather it was the power of God that comes from fervent prayer in the secret place. When we spend time praying, God will move in-spite of our "poor sermons." 

If you want to see God move in your ministry, remember this.

"It is not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord."

Prayer...it's a critical component of ministry. 

If you are reading this, will you join me in committing ourselves to prayer in the secret place?

It is the difference between powerless ministry and powerful ministry.