Gathering Resources

Prayer Articles

The Gospel Prayer by J. D. Grear: It’s a little prayer I pray, almost every day, to fortify my mind in the gospel. I call it the gospel prayer. This isn’t a magical prayer, and it’s certainly not something I claim to have invented. It came about a few years ago as I began to see how central the gospel is to all of Scripture and all of the Christian life. This was my way of applying the gospel to my daily life. As we often say around here, the gospel isn’t just the diving board; it’s the pool itself.

What types of Prayer are in the Bible? – From Christianity Today. Jesus had a lot more to say about prayer and it all boils down to relationship; honoring God and having our hearts engaged no matter what we want to talk to him about. The various types of prayer are assorted ways to communicate what we need.

The Who, What and Why of Prayer by David Platt: Radical. This excerpt is slightly adapted from Secret Church 19, “Prayer, Fasting, and the Pursuit of God,” p.219–221 in the Study Guide.  The video for this teaching session can be found HERE.

The Doctrine of Prayer by J. Gary Millar: Prayer is the act of asking God to do what he has already promised to do. We do this through the power of the Spirit as adopted children through the Messiah Jesus. We see this kind of interaction with God evidenced throughout the Bible as his people continue to ask him to follow through on his promises and bring about his kingdom and rule. We can be confident that God will answer our prayer for his purposes because he has explicitly promised to bring his purposes to pass. These include for God to glorify himself, for forgiveness, for our own knowledge of God, for godly wisdom, for the strength to obey, and for the gospel to spread.

Why the Lord’s Prayer Is So Offensive by Andrew Wilson: The Lord’s Prayer is not mild, inoffensive, vanilla, listless, nominal, wishy-washy, or wallpapery. If you don’t worship the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is deeply subversive, upsetting, and offensive—from the first phrase to the last.

Does Prayer Change God’s Mind? – Ligonier by R. C. Sproul: Does prayer make any difference? Does it really change anything? Someone once asked me that question, only in a slightly different manner: “Does prayer change God’s mind?” My answer brought storms of protest. I said simply, “No.” Now, if the person had asked me, “Does prayer change things?” I would have answered, “Of course!”

The Chapel Message that Changed My Prayer Life by Jared Oliphint: Listening Intently to Romans 8 – A massive weakness permeates our lives and everything about them. In prayer we are ignorant not just of the right way to pray, but of what to pray for. And that is true not just some of the time, but all of the time. There is a futility factor that cuts through the entire creation. Things, including ourselves, just don’t work right. In the fragile clay jars that we are, we have this very invaluable treasure—the Spirit praying. You and I are free as believers to be ourselves in prayer because we are not ultimately dependent on our own efforts in prayer. Our dependence is elsewhere.

What Is the Prayer of Faith? by Sinclair Ferguson: The prayer of faith can be made only by the “righteous” man whose life is being more and more aligned with the covenant grace and purposes of God. In the realm of prayer, too (since it is a microcosm of the whole of the Christian life), faith (prayer to the covenant Lord) without works (obedience to the covenant Lord) is dead.

Humble Yourself and Fast by David Mathis – Desiring God: Fasting, biblically speaking, is an act of self-humbling. Prayer, we might say, is the quintessential act of self-humbling, as we confess to God some inability on our part and attribute decisive power to him. However, certain intensity in prayer, born in days of unusual desperation, can be especially self-humbling. And these kinds of prayers, in Scripture, are often accompanied with fasting…Not everyone who fasts is humble. But humble people fast. They know themselves weak, and God strong. They know themselves small, and God big. They know themselves desperate, and God so ready to pounce with his great mercy. How can such people — humble people — not ask for his help, and not reach, at times, for that special prayer-intensifying tool he’s given, precious and unpleasant as it is, called fasting? When we know that our God stands so ready to show mercy, like he did for such a wretch as Ahab, how can we not ask? Not only in daily prayer. And not only in scheduled fasts. But spontaneously. Next time his humbling hand descends, what if you responded with prayer and fasting?

Prayer Will Win the Nations – Three Ways to Pray for Missionaries by Elliot Clark – Desiring God: Prayer isn’t just a passing gesture or a frivolous holiday present. Prayer is supplying missionaries with essentials for their survival. Prayer is partnership in their work, vital to its Spirit-filled efficacy and the rescue of sinners. At the risk of sounding clichéd, prayer is a matter of life and death. Our intercession protects them from harm (2 Corinthians 1:11) and provides for the gospel’s advance (Romans 15:30–32). As I’ve lived on both sides of this relationship over the years, I’ve found that there are some simple prayer requests that are always applicable and always needed. Even if we don’t understand our missionaries’ living situation or don’t know special requests from the field, Christians at home can still become more intentional and directed in their prayers. Of all the gifts you provide your missionaries, these will be among the best — in part because they always need them but perhaps never thought to ask.

Why Prayer is Activism by Eugene Park -TGC: As our nation reels from George Floyd’s death, many in the church feel compelled to do something. Responses have run the gamut from listening, learning, and lamenting to posting black squares on Instagram, donating, marching, and more. Yet in our rush to engage, many of us have neglected the most potent form of activism at our disposal: prayer to the sovereign God of the universe. Again, prayer should not be the only way we respond to injustice, but for these reasons and doubtless more, it must not be something we neglect. Before we passionately post about #BlackLivesMatter on social media, let’s pray even more passionately to the Lord of Lords, petitioning our all-powerful, all-just God on behalf of the precious black lives that matter so dearly to him.