DAY 24: A Prayerful Generation

By Dr. Glenn Sheppard (National Prayer Committee)

“Lord, teach us to pray...”
— Luke 11:1 (NIV)

In The Necessity of Prayer, E.M. Bounds says, “Prayer is the contact of a living soul with God. In prayer, God stoops to kiss man, to bless man, and to aid man in everything that God can devise or man can need.” Someone once said, “We never stand taller than when we kneel in prayer.”

The disciples saw the power of prayer and the priority of prayer as they followed Jesus. He rose before day to pray and withdrew from them at times to be alone with the Father in prayer. Seeing the importance Christ placed on prayer, it is understandable why they asked, “Lord teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1)

In Acts 4, Peter and John, released from prison, told the believers what had happened. Those who had been praying saw the extraordinary move of God that resulted from their prayers:

1. They Experienced the Presence of God (Acts 4:31 – “the place where they were meeting was shaken”)
2. They Received the Power of God (Acts 4:31 – “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit)
3. They Achieved the Purposes of God (Acts 4:31 – “they spoke the word of God boldly”)

The result was a massive move of God that impacted the Roman empire and shaped human history.

In 1970 in Wilmore, Kentucky, a revival that continues burning 50 years later began with a small group of college students who consistently prayed. The Asbury Revival, from a small and simple beginning, swept across campuses and touched the lives of thousands of young people. In time, a “Jesus Movement” made front page news in national media. Many Christian leaders today trace their own revival experience back to the Asbury Revival — and to that small group of students who prayed.

PRAYER POINTS:

• “Oh God, we come into your presence desperately crying out to you, ‘Lord, do it again!’”
• “Forgive us for spending more time strategizing than agonizing in prayer. Forgive us for making plans from our collective committees and asking You to bless those plans instead of seeking Your divine plan!”
• “We humbly acknowledge we have been shaped by human standards more than by Heaven’s plumbline. We repent and turn to You in prayer. Please, dear Heavenly Father, use our generation as You used those in the past!”
• “Set campuses afire with Your presence as we humble ourselves, pray, and turn from our wicked ways, that once again we will experience Your presence and healing power for our campuses, our nation, and our world.”