Harvest Prayer Ministries

Articles and resources to help Christians learn to pray

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Prayer Power in the Church

By Dave Butts

I love this statement from S.D. Gordon on the power of prayer: “The great people of the earth today are the people who pray!  I do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor those who explain prayer; but I mean those who actually take the time to pray. They have not time. It must be taken from something else. That something else is important, very important and pressing, but still, less important and pressing than prayer. There are people who put prayer first, and group the other items in life’s schedule around and after prayer. These are the people today who are doing the most for God in winning souls, in solving problems, in awakening churches, in supplying both men and money for mission posts, in keeping fresh and strong their lives far off in sacrificial service on the foreign field, where the thickest fighting is going on, and in keeping the old earth sweet a little while longer.”

I do not doubt that there is still spiritual power in the Church today. Lives are being transformed by the preaching of the Gospel. The Church is still being used by God today to make a difference. But, there is so much more that could be happening! When we look at the first believers in Jerusalem, the difference in levels of power is obvious. It comes down to a biblical principle written by the James, the brother of Jesus: “You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:2)

As we move toward the end of the age, the Church must face the fact that it is only through the power of God that we will be able to stand against the onslaught of ungodliness that will come against us. As important as our words are, by themselves they are and will be insufficient. The Apostle Paul was very concerned that those who heard him would not just hear words, but see the power of God at work. “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.” (I Cor.2:4) When the Church begins to pray, we will once again see that demonstration of the Spirit’s power. “God shapes the world by prayer. The more prayer there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil …” E.M. Bounds

Adapted from Forgotten Power by David Butts, PrayerShop Publishing 2016.

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Are You Zealous for God?

By Dave Butts

When you hear the word “zealot” what do you think of? Fanatic? Weird? Overly religious? Maybe an extremely emotional person? I think that most people would say of zeal that it’s just not who they are. Many people have a tendency to identify being zealous as an overly emotional or extreme personality type and would distance themselves from being labeled a “zealot.”

The Bible, however, looks at zeal not so much as an emotion, but as an expression of faith. You become zealous because you have come to know God. It is the awesome character and nature of God that creates zeal within those who worship Him. The more you know the Lord, the more you become zealous for him.

From this perspective, zealousness is more about earnestness toward God, consecration, and undivided service. To be zealous is to focus all our attention on one thing…or rather, one person…the person of Jesus Christ. Perhaps most important for followers of Jesus, to be zealous is not an option but a command. Consider these scriptures which speak of a zealous life:

  • “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:5).
  • “Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart” (Ps.119:2).
  • “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Prov.3:5).
  • “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer.29:13).
  • “Even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning” (Joel 2:12).

The greatest example of zeal is the One who knows the Father the best, our Lord Jesus. The prophet Isaiah spoke of the zeal of Jesus in Is.59:17: “He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.”   In the gospels, John wrote: “His disciples remembered that it is written: ‘Zeal for your house will consume me”’ (Jn.2:17). Following in the steps of Jesus means becoming as zealous as He is.

Living the Christian life is not a casual attachment to religious activities. It is an all-out, loving desire to walk with Jesus day by day. With single-minded passion we draw near to Him and serve him with everything that is in us. Our prayer life moves from mundane requests to zealously seeing the purposes of God brought to earth by our cries of intercession. May it be said of us, as was said of our Lord, “Zeal for your house will consume us!”

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Praying for Peace

By Dave Butts

Growing up in the sixties and seventies gave me a firsthand view of the peace sign used by anti-war protestors and many others. Those two fingers signifying peace was all about being against war. Though being against war is good, the peace that Jesus speaks of is far more than the absence of hostilities. The peace of Christ is more about what is happening inside of you that what is happening around you. Ultimately, biblical peace is all about the presence of Jesus being lived out in your life.

When Jesus comes walking among His people, nothing remains the same. His presence brings His peace. Anxiety and fear have no place to hide when Jesus is near. Knowing of the fear of the Apostles, Jesus’ first words to them after the Resurrection were, “Peace be with you” (Lk. 24:36). He is still saying that to His followers today. In the midst of our fears, worries, and anxieties, the Son of God is still speaking His peace.

Jesus warned us that in this world we would have tribulation. That’s why it is so important for us to draw near to the Lord in prayer. When we do so, He promises to draw near to us (James 4:8). In His presence there is the peace we so desperately need. When Jesus makes a promise, you can count on its fulfillment. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (Jn.14:27).

If you are feeling troubled or afraid, embrace this promise of Jesus today so that His peace may overcome the turmoil of the world and rest within your heart.

Pray: Lord Jesus, Your word says that if I will draw near to You in prayer then You will draw near to me. Please fulfill Your word and allow me to know Your nearness today. You have promised to give me peace as only You can give. I know I can’t find peace in this world, but only in You. Please keep reminding me that Your peace dwells within me because that’s where You have come to dwell.

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Is Ceaseless Prayer Really Possible?

By Dave Butts

Have you ever wondered how to respond in a practical way to Paul’s admonition in I Thessalonians 5:18 to “pray without ceasing”? Some of you may have some of the same questions I have wrestled with over the years: How do you do that? What do you pray about continually? Is this even possible?

One extremely useful way to do so in my daily prayer life came to light for me with this one verse:“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his Law he meditates day and night” (Ps.1:2).

Psalm 1 shows us that unceasing prayer begins with an attitude…. delight. That which delights you will be that which you desire and seek after. The Psalmist speaks of the one who has found delight in the Law or Word of the Lord. Rather than looking at prayer as a duty, we should consider looking at it as a delight. A changed attitude changes everything!

Next the Psalmist tells us that this man meditates on the Law (Word) day and night. Here’s the connection to praying without ceasing. The man who delights in the Word of God will be the one who meditates on it day and night. It becomes like breathing to him – something absolutely necessary for life. The Word fills his thoughts and quite naturally those thoughts come before the Lord.

As we look to this model of one who meditates on the Word of God day and night, we realize the Spirit of God has given us an extremely practical way to pray without ceasing. The content of our prayers will be formatted by the Word of God. We begin to think on the Word (meditate) as we go through the day and the Lord births within us the prayers He desires us to pray. Prayer is no longer a requirement or even a scheduled event. It is a lifestyle of delighting in the Lord’s Word and continually talking with Him about that Word. Take this to heart and you will find that it is indeed possible to pray without ceasing!

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Praying into the Second Coming of Jesus

By Dave Butts

Dave & Kim Butts with Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne Graham Lotz

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt.24:14).

May I suggest to you that this massive, world-changing event, which Jesus told us to watch for, happened during the funeral of Billy Graham. In every nation, even those we call closed nations, the funeral of the world’s greatest evangelist presented the gospel of the kingdom with clarity and power. Oh, yes, I know that there is still much evangelism ahead of us. But it is a mopping up operation after the gospel has gone around the world.

If this is the case, and I strongly believe that it is, then we are living in amazing times that require much of us. Prayer must move to the forefront of every initiative of the Church as we work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. Living toward the end of the end of days means we must draw closer than ever to the Lord in intimate prayer and receive our clear marching orders from him. We should expect to see a Spirit initiated revival in the Church.

The death of an astonishingly effective evangelist like Billy Graham often brings the question of who will take his place. We are often drawn to the Old Testament story of the mantle of Elijah being passed to Elisha and we ask who will receive the mantle of Billy Graham. The answer is, “No Man!” It is a mantle for the Church to wear as we prepare the way for the coming of Jesus. Prayer and evangelism are to become a lifestyle for the whole Church as we move out of our comfort zones and into the war zones of front line Christian living!

There is a wave of prayer that is moving across the face of the earth right now. It is prayer that is focused, not on receiving what we want from God, but on the advance of His Kingdom. In Billy Graham’s latter years he gave himself more and more to prayer. That is a picture of what needs to happen in the Church right now. We must give ourselves more and more to prayer as we cooperate with God in His work on earth.

As God prepared the earth for the first coming of Jesus two thousand years ago, he placed in Jerusalem two older saints, Anna and Simeon. They gave themselves to prayer in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah. God is doing the same thing today in preparation for the return of Jesus to planet earth. He is raising up his saints who will give themselves to prayer that paves the way for the coming of Jesus.

I don’t know about you, but I want in on that prayerful mission that will see the triumphal return of Jesus in His timing and in His way!

–Dave Butts is the president of Harvest Prayer Ministries and the author of 11 books on prayer and revival, including Prayer and the End of Days. We suggest that book to you to further stir your hearts to pray for the Second Coming of Christ.