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Manual 2: "Hitting Continue"
Becoming a 'prayer partner' who moves easily with His Spirit of love
If the Spirit of Love has already shown you something of what “praying with God” can do for your loved ones in the everyday challenges they faced, then somewhere along the way he may have also prompted you to ask, “Is there more?” Is there more we could be doing to help Jesus disrupt the ‘normal’ pain laden routine of these times and introduce a lot more people to the kingdom of God’s Love that he wants them to experience?
We know from Jesus’ story that he invariably wanted to insert God’s love for us into wherever he happened to be that day and, at the same time, to make his followers see the bigger picture…His Father’s desire to restore many, many more to living in His joy full, healing Presence (“kingdom”). Is that what the Spirit of Love is up to with us, also? Is He looking to expand our prayer horizon to include whole communities, towns, cities and even countries?
This second WCP manual, ‘Hitting Continue,’ targets our ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions so that we can become His ‘prayer partners’ for the long haul. Week by week, we will become ever more used to Him gently guiding our thoughts and prayers into calling on the God who “is love” to intervene in just one more difficult to seemingly impossible situation. He wants us to see for ourselves how His compassionate and graceful Presence, working through our prayers, can in fact touch and heal anyone and everyone He “places on our heart to pray for”! (1 John 4:16; Exodus 34:6; Luke 4:33-40)
Becoming a world changing pray-er
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[[A reality check as we move into our mission to 'change the world through prayer'...
A challenging world ethos;
But before we begin, we need to see clearly what to expect as we are moved to keep on showing compassion to whomever he puts in our path. On that last night he was with them, Jesus told his followers:
In this age’s world system you will [keep on having] trouble. But [keep on taking] heart. I have
[both now and in the end] overcome that system of injustice, oppression, greed and escapist
addictions. (John 16:31b)
Right now, when we look out over the current world’s political and social landscape, we might observe that the time when Your Spirit of love overtakes and fills a new age/time and recreates us all humane humans again and finally turns “all things new” and “very good” again…has not arrived. So what are you telling us, Jesus, that is ‘true factually’ for today…and for all the ‘tomorrows’ that are coming our way…and for the ‘forever’ time of harmony/peace/joy/you will someday soon (it’s coming!) install/finalize? And what do you mean by “Take heart”? And “I have [already] overcome the world”?
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Therefore...
World changing 'prayer partners' recognize their role in 'making all things new' is worth all the time and energy we will need to invest if we are going to get good at proactively praying God's life-prospering will into people's lives. But even more, we realize how much we need the Spirit of Jesus… to ignite our compassionate, 'truly human' hearts…and to fill our minds with His good purposes as we pray…and then give us the words (or "groans too deep to be uttered"!)…so that we can off load (rightly so) on our loving Father and Jesus the sometimes very intense burden we are feeling for broken and wounded people 'just like us'. (Romans 8:26-27; Hebrews 5:7)
Many times we will identify deeply with their desperation and hopelessness. Thankfully, 'guided by His Spirit of Love,' our prayers are now going to place His "plans to give you hope and a future" right in the middle of all their overwhelming difficulties. and activate His future for them 'right there in the face of' it all. Thank you, Jesus, for letting us be part of the solution! ((1 John 4:13, 16; Jeremiah 29:11)
what's coming
As His love flows through our prayers to them, we soon see three ‘facts’ clearly:
- He is already “making all things new” by healing/transforming our lives, one person, friendship, village, workspace, family, town, county, country at a time.
- The “old order of things” – the fear filled, violently oppressive one – is slowly being transformed and will eventually (in His timing!) become a thing of the past.
- And as we are praying, He is, right here, right now, putting in place “a new heavens and a new earth” where Love (He!) rules the day, every day.
Before Jesus returns and finishes the job, God’s Spirit wants all of us to experience the beauty and blessing of “the age to come” over and over and over… again. Therefore, He wants our prayers to not only encourage and restore our close in loved ones but to also, literally, bring ‘heaven’ (God’s loving Presence) to ‘earth’, that is, insert His goodness, generosity and peace-inducing kindness ‘right in the middle of’ the most hurtful and stressful times we humans create for ourselves. Therefore, He wants us totally focused (actually, obsessively fixated) on introducing all people(s) to that new creation ‘world to come’ through our very often feeble and inconsistent prayers…amazing!
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away… And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:1-5 NIV)
Let’s join Him in prayerfully introducing our little corner of the world...and beyond!...to His loving, healing Presence with them. And Spirit of Jesus, thanks for walking us through, weak as we are.
confidence: How "making a difference' through prayer works
Some ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions to get us started…
What difference can prayer really make considering the overwhelming challenges we face
from...everywhere!? [Please read the real life stories in “Four World Changing Prayers.”]
Can our compassion first, mercy focused prayers truly heal this pain full and so often
anti-love world? [Please find Jesus’ instructions to us in “Unconditional Pray-ers.”]
Why has God chosen me (of all people!) to pray into people's lives the good and loving future
he has planned for them? [Please see “Extra Ordinary Pray-ers” and “Prayer Partners are…”]
And then there is the more 'unconscious' question that we may be shy about sharing out loud:
What should we expect when ‘praying with God’? What does that look/feel like
from the inside? [Please see “Praying with God”]
Our lack of confidence…
After all, aren't we talking about having a wide open, everyday-friendly (maybe way too 'familiar'?) conversation with the living God, the Creator of the Universe, the Holy One, the ‘Almighty'…who wants to “make all things (everything!) new”…who wants to transform “this present evil age”(Paul) into “the age to come” where there will be “no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away”? (Rev 21:4)
In all honesty, what we are suggesting ‘should’ become our new normal in this life goes way beyond what most of us think is ‘possible for me’! I, for sure, recognize that I am not even close to adequate to such a monumental task. Really, I struggle to be consistent in the simplest of prayer tasks. Yet… could that be a good thing?
God's confidence...
He recognizes that turning us into His 'prayer partners' who easily flow with His Spirit in prayer will take some time. But He is also very confident of the outcome, even if we are not and we get impatient with ourselves in the process. He knows already that our 'irregular attendance to' His supportive presence 'there with us' cannot thwart His working more and more of His life-loving, hurt-healing energy into every corner of our hearts and into all our ways of treating people and into every prayer we utter for them. (Philippians 2:13)
Eventually, He will bring us into depending utterly on His being with us…anytime, anywhere. We will come to expect Him being there personally to:
- advise us on how to pray for this particularly difficult situation
- and guide us into praying exactly what He deems 'right now critical' to healing and transforming these people's lives.
- assure us that He has chosen us to pray for these folks
- and line our prayers up to fit right in with His plan to 'make all things new' for them.
Simple or complex, small or very large, we will come to ‘rest continually’ in His Spirit’s control of our prayer situation and to trust completely in how He is “making all things work together for good” through our prayers(!) that He has timed perfectly to that moment. Thank you, Jesus for literally carrying us through all of it. (Romans 8:28; Hebrews 4:9-10; Rev 21:3-4)
They, however “impossible” their troubles appear, will experience Jesus’ grace-full caring for them so ‘up close and personal’ that it will ‘just naturally’ draw them into his ‘light’ and ‘easy’ way to get through the trying times we live in. And then…his Spirit of Love will move them to pray for their own circle of family, friends and so many more. Net result: all of us will start living into the freedom and overflowing joy of ‘the age to come’ right in the middle of our ‘present evil age’ and we will become for peoples all over this world the ‘unveiling’ of God’s renewed world to come, where His loving Presence has finally filled all things…including us humans! (Matthew 11:28-30; Gal 1:4; Eph 3:14-19)
[[[[A 'reality check' as we move into our mission to 'change the world through prayer'...
World changing 'prayer partners' recognize their role in 'making all things new' is worth all the time and energy we will need to invest if we are going to get good at proactively praying God's life-prospering will into people's lives. But even more, we realize how much we need the Spirit of Jesus… to ignite our compassionate, 'truly human' hearts…and to fill our minds with His good purposes as we pray…and then give us the words (or "groans too deep to be uttered"!)…so that we can off load (rightly so) on our loving Father and Jesus the sometimes very intense burden we are feeling for broken and wounded people 'just like us'. (Romans 8:26-27; Hebrews 5:7)
Many times we will identify deeply with their desperation and hopelessness. Thankfully, 'guided by His Spirit of Love,' our prayers are now going to place His "plans to give you hope and a future" right in the middle of all their overwhelming difficulties. and activate His future for them 'right there in the face of' it all. Thank you, Jesus, for letting us be part of the solution! ((1 John 4:13, 16; Jeremiah 29:11)]]]] [SEE ABOVE]
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BECOMING A WORLD CHANGING PRAY-ER
So...if He has you engaged with him already and feeling the need to understand what you are 'in the middle of' when praying...and looking (sometimes urgently!) for some ways to handle the next difficult situation confronting your praying…please check out the following:
Four World changing prayers
Praying with God to make a real difference for this pain-full world
Here, we get more specific about what he is asking of us.
He wants us to join him in applying four precisely targeted, world changing prayers to our
neighbors, both close by and very far away. Why will they be world changing? They coincide
with his desire and set-in-concrete purpose to create humanity humane again. Each one rests
on four unstoppable God-realities: (1) his gracious, all-in engagement with us, (2) his power-
laden love transforming us, (3) his mission-focused Spirit overtaking us for the long haul, and
(4) his ‘newly revived by love’ community surrounding us and taking us in.
Wherever we find ourselves in this fractured world, His Spirit of Love is already at work,
building up and adding to ‘His people’, that is, to those who are becoming, once again,
truly human. Thanks, Lord, for letting us join you in praying our world whole again.
(For more, click here.)
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unconditional pray-ers
Partnering with the Spirit of Jesus to apply mercy first
The ‘First’ of the Four World Changing Prayers ends with a description of how our loving Father wants us to ‘unconditionally’ pray with His Spirit for all people:
So what is ‘our part’? To offer these preemptively gracious prayers on their behalf, whatever
the condition of their faith or morals, whatever economic or social status they come from or
even if they occupy a political or religious ‘position of authority’ or are homeless and helpless
in every sense. And when we pray for them in this ‘unconditional way,’ we need only ask that
he continue revealing himself and loving on these priceless-to-him creations…until they are
continually being transformed by that love. (Luke 15:1-32)
Our part, then, is to let the Spirit of Jesus join Himself to our spirit in praying without reservation
or ‘discrimination’ for anyone he places in our path this week. In this way we will become his
‘co-creators’ of a ‘new’ humanity that prayerfully breathes his love-life into every corner of
this world. (For more, click here.)
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extra ordinary pray-ers
Why God has chosen us (of all people!) to help make ‘all things new’
Why doesn’t He enlist more ‘qualified’ people like pastors, teachers, evangelists, and
missionaries? Or even better, why not count on prayer professionals, variously called
(depending on which religious social circles you travel in) ‘prayer warriors’ or ‘God’s
intercessors’ or spiritual ‘guides’, ‘mentors’, ‘coaches’. They have taken the time (it’s
assumed) to get well connected with You and to ‘perfect the Way of Prayer’…so why can’t
they be drafted into getting this job done for us, Lord?
If it was just a matter of getting a specific set of tasks done ‘for the Lord,’ well…he has
already planned to take care of all those needs for prayer…but not by limiting participation
to a few ‘worthy and capable’ individuals. From His point of view, every one of us is a ‘key
player’ in his plans.
We are the ones who are ‘on location’ – in the right place at just the right time! And we
are filled with His Own Spirit…who is more than ready to give voice to God through us…
presenting to our loving Father their relentless desire to renew the lives of broken humans
we ‘just happen to be standing next to at the time.’ (For more, click here.)
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prayer partners are
What God actually looks for in his pray-ers...
At the beginning of his Gospel (1:35-51), John tells a series of stories about Jesus' first
encounters with the men he was recruiting to be his long term student-followers ("disciples").
Those starter conversations reveal what he saw in those ‘average’ humans and what he
thought made them ‘good material’ for the spiritual work ahead…in particular the task of
praying his kingdom of love into every place they were going to be sent.
Out of his insight into who they were at heart and his foresight of what they could become,
he encouraged a mixed bag of very ordinary, not hyper religious men to join his traveling
fellowship of 'trainees in Holy Spirit led living and praying.' They came from all walks of life,
and one has to wonder what he found in such a diverse group that made him choose them
as his future ambassadors (“apostles”) to their Jewish family and ultimately to all the peoples
of the world! (For more, click here.)
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praying with god
When God prays for the world through us
In recent time you too may have been deeply disturbed at the all too often unkind and
faithless, self-serving and heartless ways we humans treat each other. And when “the
breaking news” of the day paraded before your eyes yet another occurrence of violently
abusive behavior with the caution “too graphic for some children to watch,” you may have
felt your stomach slowly knotting up in pain (I certainly did and way, way too often recently).
Whether the attack was on someone close to us or across the world…whether the abuse
was ‘only’ mean words and hateful emotions and did not get ‘really physical’…didn’t seem to
change the horror we felt.
But the worst part of those moments when we were shocked into seeing plainly the 'brutal
realities’ of our present world? We felt helpless to do much about it…any of it!
And that’s when the compassionate (like our loving God) side of our human heart (consciously
or not) wanted to know two things: “What is God doing about all this?” and “How can He use
me to somehow make a difference? (For more, click here.)
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some very important 'footnotes'
My prayer in all these 'trainings'...
All of the Hitting 'Continue' pages, when taken together, will help you see yourself as a ‘well qualified’ prayer partner with Him and set you free to pray His loving presence into the lives of your friends, family, workmates, and even perfect strangers. May the Spirit convince you of your place in this prayer-mission to change the world for good!
Asking for help…
The first two 'manuals' give us a solid place to begin participating in God's 'change the world' plan, but if you could use some help with making this prayer-mission happen in your neighborhood, please send us a note through the "Contact Us" page, and we will introduce you to some equally compassionate and concerned fellow travelers on Jesus' Way who have the same desire to make a difference through persistent, focused 'praying with the Spirit.'
Inspired? Challenged?
Also, if you find something in these articles that God uses to inspire/help you in some specific way, please feel free to share your story through the Subscribe link. We can all use to hear from you and will greatly appreciate the encouragement!
On the other hand if it raises unsettling questions for you, please do contact me through the "Contact Us" page as every question, however difficult to ask, is worth considering, for both our sakes! I truly look forward to hearing from you any time you can take the time!