Be Specific

“And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” -- Luke 11:9-10

I was asked to help organize prayer for Love Loud again this year so I've been reading about prayer and special programs people have written to help groups pray. The conclusion I have come to is that we simply need to be more specific.

So often among Christians today, prayer is too general. Some ask, “Lord, bless us. Lord, bless the church. Lord, bless the missionaries. Lord, bless and save the lost. Amen.” Now that’s safe praying because you never know if God answers it.

When you pray that way, you miss out on the joy of seeing your prayers answered. I talk to Christians all the time who can’t name one prayer that God has answered for them. And inevitably, it’s because they aren’t praying for specific things!

But when Jesus taught us to pray, he taught us to pray specifically. As we see in Luke 11:9-10, we aren’t to be timid when it comes to prayer, but to present our requests to God knowing that he is going to do something great. And when you begin to ask God to do specific things in your life, you’ll see him work in amazing ways.

So the next time you pray, make a list with specific prayer points and pray boldly. Then, write the answer down when God gives it! Doing this will not only help you see a clearer picture of God’s faithfulness, it will empower your prayer life as you continue to pray boldly!

If you would like to help with the 2011 Love Loud Prayer please contact Barbara Parker for more information.