“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1).

The parable referenced is the Parable of the Persistent Widow. In this parable, a widow persistently asked a local judge for justice. She had to keep asking because he was not paying any attention to her, and finally he relented just to get her off his back. Jesus then by comparison said that he would bring about justice for his chosen ones, and quickly at that.  ^“And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?” (Luke 18:7). So, Jesus said the lesson in this parable is to always pray and not give up, just like the persistent widow.

We all have so much to pray about. Prayer for our own circumstances, our families, the Mission, our churches, our leaders, our country, those on the front lines, the lost, to get back to “normal.” The list is endless. It’s overwhelming. And praying is hard work.

I used to teach my middle school Sunday School class a simple way to pray using the acrostic “ACTS.”

A – Adoration: I have found out that when I start my prayer with acknowledging the attributes of God, everything else falls into place. A good example of this is in the Lord’s prayer when we say, “Hallowed be thy name.”

C – Confession: Just as with adoration where we remember who God is; with confession, we agree with him about who we are and where we have fallen short. “When we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

T – Thanksgiving: Counting our blessings helps to put our needs and wants into perspective. The Psalms are full of scriptures of praise and thanksgiving. Psalm 100

S – Supplication: this is where we ask God for what we want for ourselves and others, and I will spend a little more time on this section.

Another term for supplication could be intercession, and this part of our prayer would be intercessory prayer. To be sure, God hears our prayers no matter how articulate. Sometimes the Holy Spirit prays for us, even when we can’t utter a coherent word. You have heard that prayer changes things. What this means is that prayer changes us, and that takes some work.

Here are some keys for effective intercessory prayer (with help from C.H. Spurgeon’s My Utmost for His Highest Devotional).

1. We must believe that God is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do. Otherwise, all we are doing is talking to ourselves, being sympathetic, or maybe even gossiping when we pray.
2. We must bring the person or situation before God and seek to be changed by his attitude toward that person or situation. Paul said in Colossians 1:24 “I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church.” (NLT). Spurgeon says, “Our work is to be in such close contact with God that we may have His mind about everything, but we shirk that responsibility by substituting doing for interceding.” I know I have been guilty of this.
3. And finally, we must be persistent. Spurgeon says, “What we must avoid in intercession is praying for someone to be simply “patched up.” We must pray that person completely through into contact with the very life of God. Think of the number of people God has brought across our path, only to see us drop them! When we pray on the basis of redemption, God creates something He can create in no other way than through intercessory prayer.”

I challenge us all to become fervent, persistent, prayer warriors. The world is in crisis. But we know that nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

“Therefore 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” (James 5:16).

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power…And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” (Ephesians 6:10,18).

In Christ,

Judy