Sometimes, truth hits me like a punch to the gut. The
culprit this time? A quote from the first chapter in EM Bounds book Power
Through Prayer (I can just imagine what punches are sure to come since this
is just chapter 1!). “Every preacher who
does not make prayer a mighty factor in his own life and ministry is weak as a
factor in God’s work and is powerless to project God’s cause in this world.” Umph!
As someone who muddles through learning about Jesus and
trying to follow Him, I’d like to think that prayer is one of the things that
comes to mind first if I were to share about my spiritual disciplines. “OF
COURSE I pray.” But to be completely honest with myself, it’s not something I’m
really that consistent with. Sure, I pray for my friends who have things
happening in their lives, and I pray out loud (awkwardly) at group functions
sometimes, but I know there’s so much more that God has for me and my
relationship with Him that comes through praying and talking with Him.
Especially in the times that I hear God’s gentle voice calling, “Come close,
let’s talk about you now.” Often I shy away or distract myself from that kind
of deeper prayer life. It’s that guarded and hidden part of my heart that the
Lord is after, and it’s really hard to let Him at it, even though I know in my
head that He’s such a good, loving Father and a gentle King. If I don’t allow
Him access to those places in my heart, and don’t allow Him to move and change
me; if I don’t listen closely to what He shares with me; if I busy myself with
all the THINGS that need to be done; then I am destined to become a rusty tool
on the shelf – one that is of no use and one that does no GOOD work.
This first chapter, “Men of Prayer Needed” (I just add in
WOMEN of Prayer Needed Too),
strongly reaffirmed my realization that without prayer, our lives, our work and
our words will mean nothing. Like in 1 Corinthians 13:1, without love (and I
think Bounds would say prayer too-and I’d agree), I am a resounding gong or a
clanging cymbal. Prayer is talking with and hearing from God. Prayer is the
basis for hearing what God would say, to me personally or through me for
someone else. Like a game of “Telephone” – If I don’t hear well from the person
giving me the message, or I don’t even attempt to listen to them at all, I’m
left with a very changed message or possibly one that I felt I needed to make
up all together. Just like in ministry, whether you’re a Pastor (as a job
title) or someone ministering like Jesus has called all His disciples to, if
I’m not connected to Him and hearing from Him, then I’m simply sharing my own
thoughts and not truly sharing His infallible message.
I recently attended a day-long workshop at our church where
we opened by hearing and sharing about what it meant to be a branch that is
truly connected to The Vine (John 15:1-8).
This picture of the vine and branches parallels what Bounds says: “He [the preacher] makes or mars the message
from God to man. The preacher is the golden pipe through which the divine oil
flows.” If we aren’t connected, there will be no fruit; if we aren’t “open
and flawless” vessels that can be used to transport God’s true words to others,
then we are tarnishing and possibly even completely misrepresenting what God
would want to say to people.
Misrepresentation can happen through the way we, as
ministering people, live out our lives. I think this is especially true as we
work to represent Christ to people who don’t know Him yet, but also to other Christ-followers
who are listening and watching. As the saying goes “Actions speak louder than
words.” As Bounds puts it, “The preaching
is but a voice. The voice in silence dies, the text is forgotten, the sermon
fades from memory; the preacher lives.” I want to be the kind of “pastor”
that truly lives it out, the kind of person that people truly see Jesus
through. “His [the preacher’s] most
difficult, delicate, laborious and thorough work must be with himself.” I
want to be the kind of minister (as in a person who ministers to others) that
works on myself first, works on my own self in the most difficult ways, and
shapes myself to be more and more a likeness of Christ. But I can only do that
through prayer. I can only do that as I open my heart and let the Holy Spirit
move in me, change me and THEN work through me. Prayer cannot just be a quick
phrase to use on social media in response to someone’s troubles or a passing
remark to replace “See you later.” It has to be the most intimate place where I
bring myself and the troubles of this life to the Lord and a place where I hear
from HIM. It should be a place where I work out what He is sharing with me as I
allow His message to flow through my words and my life.
