Disciplines of Private Prayer

ByDr. Dan

Among the lessons I’ve learned through the years is a good way to minister to people is to get away from them on a regular basis. Before you brand me as something weird, I learned this lesson from Jesus who “often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed” (Luke 5:16). One difference is that Jesus withdrew naturally. With me it takes discipline. On Monday evening, March 16 at 7:30 p.m. (Central Daylight Time) I will be the guest teacher for the Tele-seminar sponsored by the Church Prayer Leaders Network. Anyone can call in. There is NO CHARGE other than the cost of the normal long-distance calling rate for an hour. Dial 1-712-432-0232. When you hear the automated voice-prompt for the “Conference Access Code,” dial 732668#. (Don’t forget the “Pound” key at the end.) There will be a brief welcome and an introduction. Then I will teach for thirty minutes on “The Disciplines of Private Prayer.” The lines will be opened and I will respond to questions for twenty minutes. I will try to say that private prayer requires the following disciplines: time, place, mind, continuation and organization. Private prayer is the spiritual warm-up for the day. Athletes do not warm up after the contest. Musicians do not tune up after the performance. Private prayer is also the on-going energy for the day as we “pray without ceasing” (I Thess. 5:17) and the spiritual reflection as we wind-down at the end of the day.

Join me this week as we pray for the following global concerns:
• Pray for thousands of university students who will spend spring break all over the world serving our Lord and ministering to people.
• Continue to pray for the members of First Baptist Church, Maryville, Illinois as they try to move on following the murder of their Pastor as he preached on March 8.
• Continue to pray for Carrie as she enters 2nd phase of radiation for the next 4 weeks. This involves a trip to the Vienna, Austria hospital each weekday for a treatment.
• Pray for “ProChrist”, an evangelistic crusade taking place March 29 – April 5 in CHEMNITZ, GERMANY. This will not only be the largest worship service in all of Germany this week, but it will also be transmitted via satellite throughout Europe.