I recently came across the term “Christ-encountering prayer” through an article by Fred Hartley entitled, “A Praying Church Is a Missional Church” in Prayer Connect Magazine.  This concept grips my heart and had me asking the question, “What does Christ-encountering prayer look like in my life?” Heading to my trusty thesaurus, I came across some intriguing synonyms for “encounter” which stimulated some thoughts that describe ways to experience Christ-encountering prayer.  Let’s take a look together:

Meeting – Prayer allows us to meet with Christ in the same way that Jesus met with the Father while on earth. He went to lonely, solitary places to key in on the voice of the One who continually instructed Him as He functioned in the realm of the flesh: “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner” (John 5:19).  What would your prayer life look like if you sought the activity of God in all things? Perhaps we could frame our prayer something like this: “Father, I can do nothing apart from You! Help me to see what You are doing around me so that I can take part in the activity of Your kingdom!” There is another kind of meeting with Jesus that is happening all over the earth…as God’s people intercede for those who have yet to know Him, the Father is moving through dreams and visions. Many times in closed nations, the only missionary that can get through is a prayer missionary. Continually, there are reports of Muslims who are responding to Jesus because they have encountered Him in a dream or vision. “Lord Jesus, may the prayers of my heart for those who are lost go places I could never dream of going physically. May You send dreams and visions in response to my prayers so that Your glory will be known throughout all the earth!”

Come across – Sometimes, in the ordinary moments of our lives, we come across the activity of God. It isn’t an intentional seeking-after, but more of an awareness that there is something of spiritual significance that has crossed our path. If we are too busy to notice, we may never have any unexpected and serendipitous times of prayer. “Lord Jesus, help my spiritual eyes and ears to be continually aware of Your activity and Presence, so that whenever my heart comes across something that intersects Your purposes, I will be aware that Your Spirit is stirring me to seek Your face.”

Bump into – At first glance, I thought this was a lot like “come across”; however, as I began to ask God what this might mean in a different context, I believe He gave me an interesting insight. Sometimes we casually come across something as we are aware of our surroundings and what may be up ahead of us…and other times we literally bump into a situation unexpectedly where prayer is needed immediately. Perhaps the most frequent occurrence of this is when a person is in need of a touch from Jesus that He wants to give through us! “Gracious Savior, when I bump into someone I know, or even a complete stranger, whose situation or life is in need of You, compel me to pray for him or her right then, knowing they may not be able to intercede in that moment for themselves. May I encounter You in them and minister to them as I would minister to You! Give me courage to step into their need and to connect their need with Your power so that they might also have a Christ-encounter.”

Grapple with (wrestle, struggle, grasp, grip) – Sometimes Christ-encountering prayer is difficult, and we question the pain or the suffering we or someone we are praying for may be experiencing. To encounter Jesus in the midst of hurt, sorrow or grief is to allow His heart to intersect our struggle even when we are arguing with God or trying to deal with things on our own rather than in His strength. Relinquishing control often comes as we place our difficulty on His altar and allow Him to move in response to our cries for help. “Lord Jesus, there are times in my life and in the lives of others when tough times come and we don’t know what to do, but our eyes are upon You! Let me encounter You in the midst of hard things. Thank You that I can grapple with You and that You understand that in my frail flesh I struggle – even when I know Your character is to work in and through every situation I encounter. May that reality continually sink in to resolve my fear and fill me with the hope found only in You.”

There are so many more ways to have Christ-encountering prayer!  He lives in us and lives to intercede for us. Since He is within us, His intercession becomes our own.

(c) Harvest Prayer Ministries

Keeping a Kingdom focus is difficult when circumstances get tough, when we get discouraged, or when we simply get tired and worn down. Yet, we all know of people who epitomize Galatians 6:9: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” What makes the difference in those who can work tirelessly in thankless and/or tedious service to others…and those who “give up”?

When asked how she could work day in and day out caring for and loving the “poorest of the poor,” Mother Teresa simply answered, “I pray.” Her life example, as well as intentional teaching of others who worked with her, was to develop a consistent life of prayer. It was her observation that well-meaning people could sustain work such as she did among lepers in Calcutta and with the poor in many places of the world, for perhaps a year or two at best. However, those who willingly and joyfully pressed into difficult work for God’s kingdom day after day, year after year with joyful hearts could only be sustained by an unwavering moment by moment, constant and unfailing prayer life.

The transformational work of God that enables us to do “small things with great joy” (Mother Teresa) which have significant impact on lives, families, communities and beyond, are fueled by connectivity with the Father who gives us the strength to do all things! Nurturing holy habits of prayer are paramount to the endurance needed to run the race set before us. Trying to do so in our own enthusiasm and strength only sets us up for failure. It means the work is based only upon what we, in our humanness, are able to do rather than what God in His holiness and power can do through us.

One prayer habit that has been most helpful to me is an ancient one. It is called the Prayer of Examen. Scripture says much about examining ourselves and opening ourselves up to the Lord’s examination. Here are two such verses of many: “When you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent” (Psalm 4:4). “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). The Prayer of Examen is a prayer practice in which God examines our hearts, minds and motives. As I have tried to make this more of a habit in my every day prayer life, I’ve discovered that the Holy Spirit has more of an opening to do a deep work in me…to purify my heart and life of those things which distract and deter me from living more fully for the sake of Jesus and His kingdom.

The Prayer of Examen is a powerful way to experience God in all things by intentionally thinking carefully about your day before going to sleep. Here are some helpful steps:

1. Bring to your mind as much as you can about what you did and thought about, what interactions you had with others, what things happened to you, etc. throughout the course of the day.
2. Think through all of the blessings you received and blessings you gave to others. Thank God for each one of them in turn, giving yourself opportunity to be truly grateful.
3. Consider all of the good you might have done but didn’t because you were too busy, missed the opportunity, were too afraid or uncertain, etc. Take time to confess those sins of omission to God with a repentant heart.
4. Repent of every unloving or unkind action including angry or harsh words that were spoken to others. Be still for a few moments and ask the Father to help you to consider how you could act in more loving ways and how you might make right any situation in which someone else was hurt or harmed by your actions or words.

Prayerfully taking inventory of your day allows you to learn how live more fully for Jesus and to serve Him in Christ-like ways. Taking this posture of humility on a consistent daily basis will give you the spiritual tools and strength to step more fully into God’s kingdom purposes for your life.

I recall being especially imaginative as a child. In first grade, my best friend and I had an imaginary “office” in the big magnolia tree in our front yard. She would dictate imaginary letters while I would write with a stick on the leaves of the trees. We conducted all kinds of imaginary business. In the fourth grade, another friend and I spent hours taking turns telling a never-ending story to one another. As I grew towards adulthood, I used my imagination less for amusement and more for specific purposes in life. For example, how many of us have counted imaginary sheep to fall asleep, or imagined that we were standing on top of the podium to give ourselves confidence before a big competition?

Until a few years ago, I never thought to bring my imagination into my prayer life. A professor in one of my graduate courses gave me a new perspective on this by sharing that God created all of me, including my imagination. Just as I am to be holy and set apart for God, so should my imagination also be holy and set apart; consecrated for God’s pleasure and purposes. It occurred to me that my imagination should therefore be a part of the day to day living out of my spiritual life.

An Anglican brother in the Society of St. John the Evangelist brought me additional fresh insight into how the imagination can be utilized effectively in prayer. Geoffrey Tristam stated, “It can be very helpful in prayer to use our imaginations and to actually spend time holding a person before…Jesus. I often imagine Jesus looking at the sick person with deep kindness, knowing them, loving them as someone unique. I imagine Jesus laying His healing hands upon them, and filling them with new hope and peace.”

This thought intrigued me, so I began allowing my imagination to picture Jesus entering into more of my conversations with the Father and into my reading of Scripture. How amazing to allow the One who lives to intercede for me…and the One who is the very Word of God…to participate in my prayers for myself and for others in this unique way. Engaging my imagination provides a powerful opportunity to allow Jesus to be very present in the midst of all that is upon my heart. I pictured Jesus wrapping His arms around my friend whose mother is in the hospital, and saw Him bending down to whisper into my granddaughter’s ear as she played…telling her how much He loves and cares for her as I prayed for her. Wow! That was a particularly sweet prayer time for me.

There are many other situations; however, I’m sure you get the idea. Why not give this a try as you pray through your everyday life? Use your imagination to include Jesus in the lives of those for whom you pray. See if His involvement doesn’t grip your heart and give you fresh insights and words to pray into every situation. Perhaps you will find, as I have, that your prayers may get redirected to reflect His kingdom purposes for the sake of the Father’s glory.

I’m guessing many of you are like me and get aggravated when your computer is slow, or when fast food is less than fast. When I think I need an immediate deliverance from an unpleasant situation or circumstance, I quickly ask God for rescue and most often, I am left in the situation until it is resolved…and perhaps not the way I would have liked. I keep wanting to think that God is teaching me patience in those moments; however, I’m beginning to pay closer attention to what I already know – He wants me to change my expectations from wanting my answers to prayer to be according to my anticipated outcomes to using the mind of Christ He gave me:  “‘For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). The mind of Jesus was always perfectly submitted to the will of the Father…it awes me to think this same mind belongs to me…if I will use it!

Patience (or long-suffering) is a fruit that doesn’t seem to ripen on my tree sometimes. When I need help, I want God to hear me quickly and deal with my situation perfectly, which would, of course, be exactly the way I think He should deal with it. Sometimes God has other answers in mind that I am incapable of understanding when standing in the moment of “need.”

Dallas Willard said, “Wanting God to be God is very different from wanting God to help me.” If I could grasp this, my praying would be very different much of the time! In my heart I know that my prayers should always be in alignment with the will of God, and that I need to lay aside my own agenda in deference to His plans and purposes. But there are just times when I need help from God and so I ask! I wish I could say that I always ask with a pure heart, expecting God to be God and then get out of the way. Often, my whiney prayer is to get my needs met according to my own human expectations. What if God has a higher and better outcome through my suffering…or by letting me experience waiting or pain or disappointment? Am I able to step aside and watch from God’s perspective as my situation plays out in the heavenlies, or am I so impatient that I miss an important lesson, or even a blessing?

James 4:3 says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” The writer of Proverbs states, “All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but his motives are weighed by the Lord.” Ouch. When I want prayer to be about me…my need, my timing, my expectation, my way, my comfort, my desire, etc. instead of looking with anticipation for God to be all that He is in the midst of my situation, I’m asking with wrong motives. He holds my best interests in His heart. How can I ever think that my thoughts and ways are higher and better than what He intends? I wonder how often I actually screw up the perfect plans of God because I am impatient or ask selfishly.

As the fox says to the Little Prince in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic story, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” For God to be God, we, His people, must desire to trust what we cannot see enough to know that it will be His very best for us, whether we believe it at the time or not. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you’” ( Jeremiah 29:11-12)

Perhaps you have already set your New Year’s resolutions in committed stone for this year; however, I encourage you to consider weaving one or more of these powerful prayer resolutions into the mix as you seek to be more like Jesus, the One who lives to intercede for us! Utilize them to help you successfully implement your other resolutions. Only our God can give us the wisdom and strength to successfully carry out the desires expressed through the pledges we make each January:

“Be still, and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10

It has been a “noisy” year for me…perhaps for you as well. What better way to begin my year than spending some time devoted to being still before my Creator and allowing His perfect Presence to become more full and rich within my heart, healing my weary soul and renewing me from the inside out.  Take some time to shut out the noise and activity that clamors to take the hectic pace of this year and continue it right into the New Year. Instead, begin listening to His quiet invitation to stillness. Allow yourself opportunities to trade busyness and noise with a listening prayer that offers the opportunity to hear from the great I AM.

“…pray continually…” 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Would you like this to be the year when prayer becomes like breathing to you? Take time to invite God into your every thought, word and activity so that the likeness of Jesus can become more fully formed in you. As you pray, consider what the prayer of Christ for you, for others, for circumstances, etc. might be in the moments of life you experience this year.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:18

As we pray for other believers, it is important to seek what is on the heart of God for them. As our teacher, the Holy Spirit has such knowledge and will impress upon us how we should intercede – if we look to Him. Lifting up the needs of those who love Jesus is a privilege and an important way to “pray continually.” Ask God to show you believers who need a touch from Him through your prayers.

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”  1 Timothy 2:1-4

Praying for and giving thanks for “everyone” is not an easy task – especially those we don’t agree with who may be in authority over us. I would suggest making a very personal request of the Father: “Lord, place on my heart a burden to pray for those who need to come to a knowledge of the truth! Show me their faces or place their names before me so that I might be aware of their need for you. Give me great love for all those in authority over me so that we may all live peaceful, quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. I want to please you God my Savior.”  After you pray, listen carefully for the prayer assignments God gives to you and be faithful to complete them!

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”  James 1:5-8 

There are so many times when wisdom is needed in my life and I have forgotten this amazing promise. I try to “fix” things in my own strength rather than through the wisdom that God wants to generously give me…if I will ask. This promise does come with a condition – I am to believe and not doubt when I ask. My pastor put it this way, “When you ask for wisdom, you must believe that it is on its way.” Sometimes I want wisdom immediately, but there may be things God wants to do in me to get me to the place where I can receive and utilize the wisdom He gives me. In this new year, make a habit of asking the Father for His wisdom and then believe that it is “on its way.”

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”  James 5:16

No one likes confessing sin, which is perhaps why it is so important that we do it. Keeping short accounts with God is vital to our spiritual health and to our work for the sake of the kingdom. If you don’t have an accountability partner, or a spiritual friendship that allows for each of you to confess sins and pray for one another, that would be a transformational life goal for this new year. Ask God to connect you with at least one other person with whom you can share the dark places in order to be healed, allowing your prayers to become powerful and effective for His glory.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem…” Psalm 122:6-9 

Has there ever been a year in recent history when praying for the peace of Jerusalem has seemed more urgent? The nation close to the heart of God is surrounded by enemies and turmoil. Press in “for the sake of the house of the LORD our God” (v 9).

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matthew 26:41

I am often tempted by things that I could avoid completely if I was watchful! It is when I am not paying attention that the enemy creeps in to mess with me! It is so easy to say or do something that harms another person or damages my own soul when I am careless about watching what is going on in and around me as I pray.

“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. ” Mark 11:25   

“…bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6:28

I am convinced that a lack of forgiveness is the root of much sin in life! Saying we forgive someone is very different from actually forgiving from our hearts. The redemptive work of God can only take place when we let go of bitterness, anger and/or a desire for revenge. Prayerfully ask God to show you if you are holding anything against anyone as you begin this year. As you pray blessings over them, He may also show you some tangible ways to bless their lives as well.

 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2

Is prayer a delight for you…or a duty that you feel compelled to do as a believer? In this new year, ask the Father to give you an extraordinary love for prayer. Again, we are told to be watchful and thankful as we dedicate our hearts to His plans and purposes expressed through our prayer lives.

 As you weave one or more of these prayer resolutions into your life this year, you can be encouraged by this wonderfully encouraging promise from God: For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer…” 1 Peter 3:12