No Prayer, No Revival

Jeremiah 33:3

Luther once told his assistant, “I have much to do today, so I am going to have to spend an extra hour in prayer this morning.”

What is prayer?

Prayer is mentioned or alluded to over 600 times in Scripture. That is nearly 10 times per book in the Bible. It is one of the most prevalent spiritual disciplines mentioned, second only to praise/worship, and prayer itself is an act of worship and praise.

Pray daily,~70%, Most Christians say they pray every day.

Read the Bible weekly,~50%, About half read Scripture at least once a week.

Attend church regularly,~30–45%, Around one-third attend weekly; nearly half attend at least monthly.

Tithe (give 10% of income),~20%, About one in five Christians say they tithe.

in Scripture it is described as

bowing the knees

looking up

lifting up the soul

lifting up the heart

pouring out the soul

calling upon the name of the Lord

crying unto God

beseeching the Lord

seeking unto God

seeking the face of the Lord

supplication

So with prayer being so prevalent in Scripture, as well as in the lives of Christians, why do we have such a seeming lack of revival and growth?

Im no medical doctor, nor am I a doctor of divinity, but I have done a diagnostic and I have discovered the problem isn’t necessarily our lack of action, but a lack of faith. How many times I have prayed out of habit or duty, but with no zeal. No faith. No belief. Illustration: Starting a car with no spark plugs

Prayer with a desire to be heard

Psalm 17:1 “Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!”

Psalm 55:1–2 “Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan,”

Prayer with a desire to be answered

Psalm 27:7 “Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!”

Psalm 108:5–6 “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer me!”

Knowing just this little bit about prayer, I want to ask you, ‘How are your prayer habits?’

Jeremiah 33:3

Pray...to continue in prayer - “Call unto me!”

“When you feel disinclined to pray, let it be a sign to you that prayer is doubly necessary! Pray for prayer!” - Charles Spurgeon

Pray...to expect answers to prayer - “I will answer thee.”

“Doubtful prayer is no prayer at all.” - John Calvin (French Reformer)

Pray...to expect great things as answers to prayer - “I will show thee great and mighty things.”

“Pray for great things, expect great things, work for great things, but above all, pray.” - R. A. Torrey

You might find that during your busy week, prayer often takes a backseat, leaving you feeling spiritually dry. A practical way to keep it central is to create a prayer wall in your room. Using the acrostic: A.C.T.S., dedicate one section for Adoration—post scriptures or phrases that lift God up; another for Confession, where you can jot down areas where you want growth; a part for Thanksgiving, where you can pin photos or notes of things you're grateful for, and finally, a section for Supplication where you can hang requests for friends, family, or even world issues. This visual reminder will help you stay focused and intentional in prayer.

Adoration

Jesus gave the best example of this when He gave us the model prayer: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name.”

Confession

this goes right along with repentance

we should be in the habit of pouring out our confessions to the Lord daily

this keeps us in right standing with the Lord

Ezra 9:6

Thanksgiving

Psalm 105:1-2

if we are thankful, we will be joyful, and why should we not be thankful

and joyful when speaking to the Lord?

Supplication

Jesus encouraged and commanded us to ask the Father for what we need

Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”