Prayer is...

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.  James 5:16

Prayer is...

an act of faith. Faith even the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, but many of us prefer the less spectacular and safer results that come from operating in our own strength. In a godless universe, the idea of prayer for the evangelization of the world is beyond absurd. Do we really believe that our prayers to an invisible God can and will change the hard hearts of tyrants, break down oppressive social and religious systems, and deliver fullness of life to those who suffer in abject hopelessness? If you believe the answer is yes...you should be praying. 

an act of obedience. Our Lord instructs us to pray: as His servants, this should be the end of the matter! God commands His anointed ones to "Ask of Me and I will surely give the nations as your inheritance" (Ps. 2:8).  Psalm 2 echoes through the life of Jesus, in the book of Acts (4:24-31) and in Revelation (2:26-27). Israel's last great judge, Samuel, tells his people, "Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you" (1 Sam. 12:23). The apostle Paul instructs churches he planted to "pray without ceasing" and to "pray at all times" (1 Thess. 5:17 and Eph. 6:18). Praying for the nations can have significant personal consequences as well - for countless missionaries their first step on the path toward Christian service began with prayer and resulted in their obedient response to God calling them to be answers to their own prayers.

an act of worship. The imitation and adoration of Christ must necessarily include prayer, for His own life exemplified prayer. What is more, when we pray, we are recognizing the sovereignty of God as well as acknowledging our own helplessness. We put Him back on the throne of our own lives and of the world. Psalms 67 and 96 are resounding examples of the intricately bound nature of prayer, worship and mission. 

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah

that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.

May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.

May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah

May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.

Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.

God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him. Psalm 67

Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.

Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts.

Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.

Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it;

let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;

they will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth. Psalm 96

an act of warfare. When we seek to rescue unreached peoples and lost souls from the grip of the evil one, we must expect violent opposition in the heavenlies. The gates of hell will not prevail against the Church, but they must be stormed; they will not open of their own accord. It is no accident that the passage about the armor of God in Ephesians 6 ends with the exhortation to be "praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication," (Eph. 6:18). Warfare has casualties, but we are not mere collateral damage. God is in control, yet at times He allows His people the honor of suffering the consequences of this war. 

an act of sacrifice. As noted above, our choice to stand in the gap can have heavy consequences. But beyond the spiritual price that intercessors often pay, the simple choice to pray usually happens at the exclusion of something else in our lives. Often that something else is frivolous, but at times prayer must come at the expense of important things, such as our own work, our sleep or our time with loved ones. Busyness is an especially modern affliction, yet even 500 years ago Martin Luther understood this principle: "I have so much business, I cannot get on without spending three hours in prayer." Jesus retreated from perfectly legitimate ministry activities to seek intimacy with the Father. How can we do less?

an act of labor. Prayer is hard work! Anyone who has persevered in early morning or late night hours, in all-night vigils, even in seemingly interminable midweek prayer meetings knows the difficulty of sustaining a life of prayer. It does not come naturally to us as creatures of flesh and blood. As stated by Oswald Chambers, "Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work."

an act of love. It is true that our love for unsaved family members, for non-Christian friends, for unreached peoples can drive us to prayer. But ultimately, prayer is the domain of God and it is impossible to be passionate about prayer if you are not already passionate for Him. Our engagement in faithful, overcoming intercession for the salvation of all peoples and the redemption of the world can be sustained only by a deep and unshakeable love for our Lord. After all, it is for His glory that we long to see the world changed through prayer. 

Taken from the book Operation World.