A Burden for Prayer: 5 Days to Prayer Motivated by the Holy SpiritSample

View those you pray for as those whom God desires to bless (Rom. 9:4–5). As Paul looked out at his unbelieving fellow Israelites, he saw them as God’s adopted people who had been entrusted with His glorious presence, His covenant promises, His law, the privilege of temple worship, and countless other promises. They were also the offspring of the famous patriarchs— Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And most of all, through them... had come the Christ, who is described as being “over all, God blessed forever” (Rom. 9:5). Rather than viewing them only as ones who had opposed and rejected him and their glorious Messiah, he sees them as ones whom God desires to bless.

The most challenging person to love in your life may unlock the greatest blessing as you obey God in that relationship. Remember that no one in our lives is more deserving of God’s wrath than we are. Worship God because He loves us so much and delivered us from that judgment, and because He is “kind to ungrateful and evil people” (Luke 6:35). Trust Him to see others also from this perspective!

All these suggestions are things each one of us can do as we depend on the Holy Spirit. We all are tempted like praying missionary John Hyde (from day one) to respond in unloving judgmentalism as we encounter things that disturb us—even things that should disturb us. However, there is a path that can lead us to experience God’s love in and through our lives:

• Seek to live in integrity before God by turning your temptations into conversations with God and even intercessions for others. (This will be further explained in the next chapters.)
• Surrender your heart to the Lord and be open to any prayer burden that He gives you. What He gives you will be accompanied by His motivating and enabling grace.
• Look to the Lord to empower you to lovingly respond to the prayer burden He gives you.
• View those God directs you to pray for—even the very difficult assignments—as those whom God desires to bless.

As you follow these principles, only eternity will be able to tell the story of the fruit that will result from your obedience, which He alone can and will motivate and enable.

This study has been taken from the book How to Resurrect a Dead Prayer Life by Bill Thrasher. The full book is great for personal reading or group study. Click here to pick up your copy or get 40% off when you order 12 or more.