Moody: A Man of Prayer

Oftentimes Mr. Moody would write me when he was about to undertake some new work, saying: "I am beginning work in such and such a place on such and such a day; I wish you would get the students together for a day of fasting and prayer,"  and often I have taken those letters and read them to the students in the lecture room and said: "Mr. Moody wants us to have a day of fasting and prayer, first for God's blessing on our own souls and work, and then for God's blessing on him and his work."

Dr. R. A. Torrey. Why God Used D.L. Moody. Public Domain

I am convinced that any grace that God has granted me in ministry has been through my prayers or the prayers of someone else.  Whether it was the prayer of a parent of a childhood friend, the prayers of my wife, or the prayers of someone I have never met, these prayers -- including my own -- have been an important part of my life and my ministry.

I learned a lot about prayer at the first place that I served.  It was in a small Kentucky town called Shelbyville and the church was Olive Branch United Methodist Church.  I served there a few years in the early 1990s as their youth director and worship leader.  Rev. Steve Pearson was my senior minister when I first started there.  I worked there with an eye on him teaching me.  One of the lessons that he taught me was the importance of prayer.  Steve carried around a stack (and I mean a stack) of index cards.  On the front of each card was a prayer request.  The back of the card was reserved for the answer.  When the prayers were answered, he filed them away and referred to them often.

Steve didn't take prayer lightly (as I have too often).  When you asked him to pray for someone or something, your request quickly made its way to the front of one of his index cards.  His method was to take prayer walks.  Armed with the cards, he would go for a walk and pray through each card and each request.

It's been over 20 years since I had the privilege of serving with Steve, and I still remember this as if it were yesterday.  What a message!  What an impact!  What an example!

D.L. Moody took his prayer life seriously.  He prayed for others and he engaged others to pray for him.  He did this because he knew the importance and the power associated with an active prayer life.

God only knows the people that received an outpouring of God's grace because of the prayers of Steve.  God only know the people that received an outpouring of God's grace because of Moody's prayers.  What does God know about your prayers?

My name was written in her book!

Friends, keep up your prayers for us.

(1 Thessalonians 5:25, The Message)

I've been to the doctor over the last year and a half for a particular issue.  During that time, many fine men and women have expressed their concern, and they have told me that they are praying for me.  I believe them.  One particular woman saw me several months ago before the 11AM service and pulled me aside.  She said to me that she, too, was praying for me.  She then held up her left arm and with her right hand, she grabbed a hold of a bracelet on her wrist.  "I am praying for you, John," she affirmed.  "Every time I see this bracelet, I whisper a prayer for you."  I loved hearing that, and I was (and I still am) encouraged by her words.

Over the next several months, she would catch my attention and point to her bracelet.  No words needed to be exchanged, but she was most certainly communicating to me something that went beyond words.  She was praying for me.

To be honest, I recently had not been thinking about her prayers or other's prayers -- until recently.  I went to visit this same woman in the hospital the other day.  I walked into her room and after exchanging pleasantries, I noticed two books on her bedside.  One of the books was Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest.  The other one was Jesus Is Calling.  As I flipped through the pages of the latter book, I was honored and amazed about what I saw.  As I flipped through the book, I saw my name written at the top of many of the pages.  My name was written in her book!  She was praying for me.

This is not the first time I had noticed my name scribbled in someone's prayer notebook.  After my Dad had passed away several years ago, we started the process of going through his personal books and Bible.  Dad was a godly man who spent a lot of time studying God's Word and praying for others.  Like my prayer partner here in Columbus, he believed in the power of prayer.  Tucked in the side compartment of his Bible cover were three little notebooks.  As I flipped through the pages, I was amazed to see the names and prayers that were written.  Dad truly prayed for those that he said he would pray for!  The names that popped up frequently were the names of his wife and their children.  Our names were written in his book!  Even as Dad sits in the presence of God today, his prayers are still making a difference here on Earth.

I am convinced that prayer changes things.  There is power to be tapped into as the Christian bends their knee in humility before the throne of God.  It may not necessarily be your prayers; it may be the prayers of other.  But make no mistake, there is power in prayer.

Why should we pray?  I can't speak for others, but I pray because I trust in the character of God.  God has proven Himself as faithful; God has proven Himself as loving; God has proven Himself as caring.  Because of these characteristics and others, I pray.  And what is more is that God continues to prove Himself today, at this very moment.

The Kneeling Christian

I came across a great book that is offered online for no cost. I read it one afternoon and was blessed. The title is The Kneeling Christian and it is written by an unknown Christian. You can read it online or download it as a PDF by clicking on the title.

Blessings-

John