A couple of weeks ago Rev. David Feddes make this provocative and convicting statement in his morning sermon at our church: In our prayers, we seem to pray far more for Christians to be kept out of heaven than we do for sinners to be kept out of hell. What he was saying is that we pray far more for people to be healed of diseases and illness than we do for missions and evangelism. He’s probably right. I’m guilty as charged. Maybe you are too.
His statement got me thinking, how do I bring a greater balance to my prayers? How do I avoid neglecting to pray for my neighbors, co-workers, relatives, and millions of others who have yet to come to know Christ? I have a structure that I use in prayer that keeps me better balanced. Maybe you’ll find the structure helpful too. I call it the ripple of prayer. Imagine a bull’s eye with concentric, expanding circles around it. The bull’s eye as well as each of these circles represents an area of prayer. I begin with praying for the bull’s eye items and then pray out through each of these circles. On my prayer list here’s what each represents:
The bull’s eye: Personal prayers-I begin my prayers focusing on my own personal needs. I pray for forgiveness and help in battling particular sins. I pray for the issues facing me that day. I pray for wisdom and strength to lead my family and our church.
Circle #1: Family prayers-My next category of prayer is for Sheri, Nathan, Abbie, Emily, and Kalley. I pray for God’s help for Sheri as she teaches and for her growth in Christ. I pray for any specific challenges or struggles she might be facing. I then pray for my children. I pray for things like profession of faith, healthy and godly friendships, life partners, and physical health. I pray for God’s help for them to be pure and battle spiritual blind spots I’ve noticed in their life.
Circle #2:Church-In this circle I move on to pray for you. I pray for our staff, elders, deacons, and volunteers. I pray for vision and the programs of our church. I pray for unity and God’s protection against division and scandal. I ask God for spiritual and numerical growth.
Circle #3: Kingdom-Finally I pray for the kingdom. This circle of prayer expands my horizons to pray for those who need Christ. I pray for our missionaries. I pray by name for those I’ve met over the years in India and China. I pray for Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh. I pray for missions organizations and those doing evangelistic work such as our sidewalk counselors, Transport for Christ, Kids Hope, Crossroads Bible Institute, and Mission India.
If this structure helps you balance your prayer life, wonderful. You may have some other way of expanding your prayers. Whatever your method, let’s make sure we pray as much to keep unbelievers out of hell as we do to keep believers out of heaven.
Pastor Tom