How to Pray

[baron]

Wondering how do you pray? By this I mean do you pray for individuals and specific request for each person? Or do you pray just in general terms like God bless so and so?

Pastor's do you pray for all of your congeration? The reason I ask is I sought guidence from a couple of pastors recently they said they do not pray for their people in specific terms or by name, they pray generaly that God might bless their people. (They do not have time). But they pray for their family members by name and need. These pastors only have about thirty people in their congeration but average around twenty on any given Sunday. ( I thought all pastors prayed for their people). One pastor prays that God bless our country and leaders, but is that praying? Nothing was asked for. I just keep rambling Sorry.

The reason I ask is as I try and pray for people it's a never ending process. Our prayer list gets longer. I seem to be so ill equiped to pray for people. Just saying God bless some one is easier and faster than praying specificially for people. So is it wrong to pray like that. To me it seems I have not prayed at all by just asking God to bless some one.

Sorry that I'm asking a lot of questions the burden of prayer is crushing me but I realize that I do have the time, can always give something up just need to become more disciplined.

Thank you for you patience in reading this.

 

[Ex Nihilo]

It is helpful for me to mention specific people and specific issues, because then I can make sure I'm not focusing only on myself. It's also part of bearing each other's burdens, mourning with those who mourn, and rejoicing with those who rejoice -- if we have real concern for our brothers and sisters, surely we will also bring that concern before our Father in specific terms. I do think that asking for God's blessing in general terms is definitely still praying, especially since we don't always know what the specific needs are. It is good just to remember the other person, and praying for them (even very generally) is a way to learn to care for them more. That is my experience, anyway.

I find it really odd that a pastor would not have time to take 20-30 minutes to pray for 20-30 people. I wonder what these pastors are doing that is more important than considering their congregation's specific needs and bringing them before the Lord! But I am not a pastor, and perhaps I am misunderstanding their situation or what they actually said.

I am not sure what to do about a prayer list that seems crushing! I am sure someone with more experience will have good advice.

 

[baron]

Evie thank you for your reply. With the pastors I spoke of they just do not have time. I can understand this to a point but is this not part of being a pastor?

Example as a Baptist our Wednesday night servie is called Bible Study and Prayer. I have notced at a few churches they used to spend at least thirty minutes in prayer. Today they spend minutes instead. Last Wednesday at church the study ended at 7:45 pm so we had fifteen minutes left for prayer. Pastor took prayer request and we were done praying by 7:50 pm. So total time in prayer five minutes. Seems many are spending less time in prayer.

 

[LeeJUk]

Here are some of the best guides on prayer ever written:

I would start with power through prayer, essentials of prayer and purpose in prayer by E.M. Bounds(old american preacher, who is pretty much famous for his prayer life):
Works by Edward M. Bounds | Christian Classics Ethereal Library

after that I'd go with "The hidden life of prayer" by David M'Intyre
The Hidden Life of Prayer


another one by R.A. Torrey

How To Pray | Christian Classics Ethereal Library

and finally "a path to prayer" by Samuel Chadwick, great old Methodist preacher who actually taught Leonard Ravenhill who I consider to be the greatest preacher probably I've ever heard and ever will hear.

Samuel Chadwick


Each of these guys are very detailed so it will take you some time to get through it all but it's very helpful. A lot of them you will find are repeating the same things.

Take Care, Hope you are blessed by this. One thing I would say...don't ever read anything from the mystics especially that crazy madame guyon and I'd say nor Brother Lawrence.

Cya

 

[larryjf]

I pray for every individual in the congregation by name generally, unless i know of specific issues in their life, and then i pray more specifically.
I have a list of names that i keep on my blackberry, and i go through the whole congregation every week....not every day.

 

[baron]

Here are some of the best guides on prayer ever written:

I would start with power through prayer, essentials of prayer and purpose in prayer by E.M. Bounds(old american preacher, who is pretty much famous for his prayer life):

I just picked up E.M. Bounds on Prayer for $10.00. It's his complete work on Prayer in one book.

and finally "a path to prayer" by Samuel Chadwick, great old Methodist preacher who actually taught Leonard Ravenhill who I consider to be the greatest preacher probably I've ever heard and ever will hear.

Is this the Leonard Ravenhill who was connected to Keith Green?

Take Care, Hope you are blessed by this. One thing I would say...don't ever read anything from the mystics especially that crazy madame guyon and I'd say nor Brother Lawrence.

I almost bought Brother Lawerence on Saturday but did not want to spend the money at that time. Guess I will take it of my list for future books. Thanks

 

[LeeJUk]

Yeah its the same Leonard Ravenhill, you should listen to him on sermon audio, he was never done stressing prayer.

As for brother Lawrence and such we are talking about people who had very very strange views, they tried to seek God without the mediator, they were in love with mystical experience, but I would ask how much did they ever spread the true gospel or glorify God as outlined in the book?

Remember they were not protestants, but works-based RC'S who thought that through a process of murdering the self and years of meditation (which they again outline, she for example had X amount of years where guyon would be in anguish of soul etc.. , meditate to bring X years to experience redemption mystically) and sometimes self inflicted harm you could gain favor with God, spiritual power and even lose yourself and have a complete union with Christ (that guyon actually detailed she had achieved, sinless perfection, her literally being Christ not just Christ-like). It's literally when you look at it even I'd say something between hypnotism and occultism. The disengaging of the mind, chanting, murmuring, visualization. We see this even in large charismatic circles today, the return to mysticism. WoF are not the only people doing this. I think I had even ravi zachari(spelling) heavily endorses mysticism. Of course the emergent church is the same having parts of this in their midst.

Anyway, just thought I'd warn ya. Yeah I have the E.M. Bounds book too in one volume all his stuff on prayer