You only need to pray for ONE minute

I wanted to get people's reaction to this email I just received. I emailed her back with a reply, and I will share that a little bit later, but what are your reactions to this:

Dear any and all Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Have you noticed?? This country's in BIG TROUBLE. But what can we do about it???

PRAY.

(Why? Because JESUS did!)

You are cordially invited to join in the Synchronized Prayer Time, as outlined below:

This prayer effort is POTENTIALLY VERY POWERFUL before the Lord...

Consider this: CHRISTIANS IN ALL DENOMINATIONS, IN ALL LOCATIONS, (including those serving in Iraq!!) UNITING IN PRAYER SIMULTANEOUSLY, PRAYING FOR OUR NATION AND THE IRAQ SITUATION.

2 CHRON 7:14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

I believe this to be the will of Christ.

Prayerfully,

(Name witheld for privacy sake)

Subject: Power of prayer

This is not intended to be a ritualistic practice, but heartfelt and personal...

Someone has said that if Christians really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.

In World War II, there was an advisory to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people, and peace.

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America.

If you would like to participate:

Every evening at 6:00 pm Pacific Time (8:00 pm Central, 9:00 pm Eastern), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation.

It's exciting - untold numbers of Christians across this nation will, at the same moment in time and space, be lifting up prayer of intercession for our country - much like Daniel did, for his sinful nation Israel!

If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Together, we CAN make a difference!

Thank you, and GOD BLESS AMERICA.

jimdied2sin wrote:
Way to bait me in Ben...

I think that God does not hear the great majority of professing Christians prayers because they are dead in their sin.

I dont want to be to negative though, we do need true intercessors and warriors in the prayer closet.

In Christ - Jim

:-D Thanks Jim! ;-)

I agree that we need intercessors, but will one minute prayers each day, change the condition of ourselves, this country, or the world? I dare say it wouldn't! In my next post I will have my reply that I sent her, and you can tell me what you think!

This has been our correspondence thus far:

My response to her -

I would beg to differ. There could be hundreds or thousands, or hundreds of thousands of people praying, but praying for ONE minute wouldn't even begin to stir the heavens, nor would it be exciting. If we had the same number of people praying for an hour, or two hours, now there is excitement. An everyday one minute prayer DOES become ritualistic, dull, and boring. Most Christians today would just want to "get it over with." However, an hour, or two hours would cause us to humble ourselves, keep from the distractions of this world (i.e. tv, internet, etc.), and it would be a true intimate, and powerful time with the Lord.

This is a wonderful Scripture: 2 CHRON 7:14 "if My people who are called by My name will [b]humble themselves[/b], and [b]pray and seek My face[/b], and [b]turn from their wicked ways[/b], then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

I hope that we don't think that we could humble ourselves, pray and SEEK His face, and TURN FROM OUR WICKED WAYS in a matter of only ONE minute! This effort would be powerless, ineffective, and certianly NOT the will of Christ!

So, if you want effective and powerful prayer to see yourself, our country, and this world changed, pray for an hour or two, or five - that'll make a difference!

Ben
_____________________
Her response -
I hear you, and I agree! The idea is to encourage Christians to get started...and the Lord will do His work in their hearts toward Him.

For me, prayer is VERY time consuming, as it should be!

I hope you join me (..."where there are 2 or more"...)

The fervent, effectual prayer of the righteous availeth much!!!
__________
My response -
Here is my only concern with that... Are people's hearts going to be open and are their ears going to be attentive to hearing his voice in even just starting out with a one minute prayer? I would venture to say, "no." Now, if our prayer was truly heartfelt, and there were no worldly distractions getting in the way, such as t.v., and the only distraction would be an exam you are preparing for, or you're taken into custody for being a Christian, and those type of situations, where prayer is urgently needed in that moment of time, then sure take a minute or two or three to pray.

Even for beginners a prayer should not be so short, especially when it is a daily prayer. Can someone become good friends with a new acquaintance after only talking with them for a minute - whether it is the first day or the 100th day? I don't believe so. It's the same with God.

So, I hear what you are trying to do, and what you are trying to say, but we as Christians need to be bold and REALISTIC in how we approach another in encouraging them to pray. Reality is, one minute prayer won't work, so let's encourage others to pray much longer then that!

God bless you, sister!
------------

Anyone thoughts?

Ben

"Where God and man are in relationship, this must be the ideal. God must be the communicator, and man must be in the listening, obeying attitude. If men and women are not willing to assume this listening attitude, there will be no meeting with God in living, personal experience...." - A.W. Tozer

LittleGift wrote:

"You are cordially invited to join in the Synchronized Prayer Time, as outlined below:

This prayer effort is POTENTIALLY VERY POWERFUL before the Lord...

Ben, this doesn't "smell" right at all. Which I think you agree!

I've heard of synchronised swimming, but synchronised [i]prayer[/i] time!!!!

Another example of "christian DIY (Do It Yourself) - as if we can pray certain prayers, (all together is supposed to be more powerful?) to twist God's arm so He will answer?

Reminds me something the New Agers did (maybe still do), a synchronised event on a certain date to try and cause a "paradigm shift" or some such thing (forget the details).

A principle of magic is that if you say the right words and do the right actions in a certain way all at a certain time then something can be made to happen...

...No, it stinks!

Jeannette

Exactly LittleGift (Jeannette). It does stink. There is no power in it. I can think of a few denominations that do sychronized prayer every Sunday (I've been to some), and there is absolutely not an ounce of power behind it.

sermonindex wrote:
I think we need to take heed to this message and warning by Keith Daniels on this subject:

[b]The Power of Prayer (video)[/b]
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=4224

[b]Description:[/b] This is a powerful video preached at Maranatha Baptist Church. This is part of Keith Daniel's 13th visit to America and he gives a solemn warning to the Church of Jesus Christ we must pray before its too late. Keith Daniel shows clearly that the church should not use wordly methods to win the world it will not work! The main thrust of the sermon is preached from ephesians 6 and the emphasis is that the church needs to get into warfare on their knees.

Yeah, this is a great one! I need to provide this link for her... thank you! :-D

sermonindex wrote:

[b]The Power of Prayer (video)[/b]
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=4224

For some reason the link isn't working...

Hey BenBrockway,

Dear any and all Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Have you noticed?? This country's in BIG TROUBLE. But what can we do about it???

PRAY.

Didn't she mailed you why your country is in big trouble and what her prayerrequest would be?

Perhaps what stinks most of all is all of our collective opinions.

I happened across this passage this morning and it stood out...

"Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few." -Ecclesiastes 5:2

Chris

Hi Jeannette.

"It isn't pointing the finger at anyone, just an observation - something stinks about this "one minute prayer". That is a fact!"

I hope though that we are not becomming at SI what Mars Hill was to Athens

[i]For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.[/i]

This came to mind also

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

I wish you, and all, grace and peace.

The world is watching.

Chris

EDIT: Please know that I did not intend to qoute the passage from Ecclesiastes in regards to anyone of you or any comments that have been made in particular. I qouted it because it stood out to me in devotions this morning and it seemed appropriate as a reminder.

Perhaps what stinks most of all is all of our collective opinions.

The world is watching.

Amen

[i]When we are told to pray without ceasing, it seems to many tastes to-day to be somewhat extravagant language. And no doubt that is true. Why should we be concerned to deny it? Measured language and the elegant mean is not the note of the New Testament at least. Mhoen zyan, said the Greek--too much of nothing. But can we love or trust God too much? Christian faith is one that overcomes and commands the world in a passion rather than balances it. It triumphs in a conclusive bliss, it does not play off one part against another. The grace of Christ is not but graciousness of nature, and He does not rule His Church by social act. The peace of God is not the calm of culture, it is not the charm of breeding. Every great forward movement in
Christianity is associated with much that seems academically extravagant.

Erasmus is always shocked with Luther. It is only an outlet of that essential extravagance which makes the paradox of the Cross, and keeps it as the irritant, no less than the life of the world--perhaps because it is the life of the world. There is nothing so abnormal, so unworldly, so supernatural, in human life as prayer, nothing that is more of an instinct, it is true, but also nothing that is less rational among all the things that keep above the level of the silly. The whole Christian life in so far as it is lived from the Cross and by the Cross is rationally an extravagance. For the Cross is the paradox of all things; and the action of the Spirit is the greatest miracle in the world; and yet it is the principle of the world. Paradox is but the expression of that dualism which is the moral foundation of a Christian world. I live who die daily. I live another's life.

To pray without ceasing is not, of course, to engage in prayer without
break. That is an impossible literalism. True, "They rest not day and night,
saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who wert, and art, and art to
come." But it is mere poverty of soul to think of this as the iteration of a
doxology. It is deep calling unto deep, eternity greeting eternity. The only
answer to God's eternity is an eternal attitude of prayer.

Nor does the phrase mean that the Church shall use careful means that
the stream and sound of prayer shall never cease to flow at some spots of
the earth, as the altar lamp goes not out. It does not mean the continuous
murmur of the mass following the sun round the world, incessant relays of
adoring priests, and functions going on day and night.

But it means the constant bent and drift of the soul--as the Word which
was from the beginning (John i. 1) was hroe ton Qesn. All the current of its
being set towards Him. It means being "in Christ," being in such a moving,
returning Christ--reposing in this godward, and not merely godlike life. The
note of prayer becomes the habit of the heart, the tone and tension of its
new nature; in such a way that when we are released from the grasp of our
occupations the soul rebounds to its true bent, quest, and even pressure
upon God. It is the soul's habitual appetite and habitual food. A growing
child of God is always hungry. Prayer is not identical with the occasional
act of praying. Like the act of faith, it is a whole life thought of as
action. It is the life of faith in its purity, in its vital action. Eating
and speaking are necessary to life, but they are not living. And how hidden
prayer may be--beneath even gaiety! If you look down on Portland Race you
see but a shining sea; only the pilot knows the tremendous current that
pervades the smiling calm.[/i]

P.T. Forsyth