Getting Back to the Basics, Part 2
In my last article I discussed the matter of reading, memorizing, and meditating on Scripture. Our spiritual nourishment for a healthy life is feeding daily upon the milk and meat of God’s Word. This is the first basic of the Christian life we must get back to.
Second, we need to get back to the basic of a strong prayer life. Jesus Christ said in Luke 18:1, “Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” We read in Colossians 4:2, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” First Thessalonians 5:17 exhorts believers to “pray without ceasing.” Our lives should be characterized by fervent prayer!
Our Lord Jesus Christ set the example for us in Mark 1:35: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” We all need a solitary place; we all need to get alone with the Lord in prayer. He desires to hear us. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” First Peter 3:12 says “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers.” What more assurance do we need than the wonderful truth that the Lord wants us to call unto Him, and that His ears are open unto our prayers?
Many years ago I met the secretary who had worked for Dr. Pappy Reveal, who operated the Evansville Rescue Mission in Indiana. Dr. Reveal was known for his powerful prayer life, and his secretary related the following story to me. She said he was sitting in his office one day, unaware of her presence. She heard Dr. Reveal pray aloud, “Dear Lord, I need two hundred and fifty dollars for the Rescue Mission today, and I am not moving from this chair until You send it to me.” The secretary thought to herself, “Why, he will rot in that chair! Who does he think he is that God will send him that amount of money?” She said he sat there for some time and then prayed a second prayer: “Lord, You are wasting my time, and You are wasting Your time. Now, Lord, please send me the money.” She said she was shocked to hear a man pray like that.
All of a sudden the office door swung open; a man walked in and said, “Are you Dr. Reveal?” He said, “Yes, I am.” The man said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I’m a Christian businessman traveling through the area, and the Lord has laid on my heart to bring you this check for two hundred and fifty dollars.” The secretary said that Dr. Reveal raised the check toward Heaven and prayed aloud, “Thank You, Lord, thank You, Lord. I knew You were going to do it all the time.” How this ought to stir our hearts in the area of prayer! First John 5:14 states, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.” The Lord stands ready to answer us as well as anybody else—the Lord does not show favoritism. Acts 10:34 says, “God is no respecter of persons.” I am convinced that we need to get back to some basic areas of praying.
We need to develop a prayer priority list. I believe it would be wise for all of us to begin our praying with a focus on the Lord. Worship Him first. Magnify His name, power, wisdom, goodness, protection, and mercy. Second, confess to Him your sin, disobedience, and inconsistencies; ask Him to cleanse and forgive you as you approach His throne. Third, develop a prayer list. Include on that list the names of unsaved loved ones and family members. Pray for the Jews, our country, our political leaders, pastors, missionaries, evangelists, those who are sick, and your own personal needs. You can always expand these lists; I am only giving ideas of developing a prayer list.
My mother was a great prayer warrior. She had a list of people that she faithfully prayed for over a number of years. I know she prayed for me twice a day for many years, and I believe that any effectiveness I may have had in the ministry is due to a godly mother who upheld me before the Lord’s throne. When she passed away in 2009, many people across the country voiced to me that they were grateful for my mother’s prayers for them. A dear friend of mine said, “We lost a great prayer warrior when your mother died.” I trust that we will get back to the basic of a strong prayer life. Philippians 4:6 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Evangelist Jerry Sivnksty may be contacted at PO Box 141, Starr, SC 29684 or via e-mail at
(Originally published in FrontLine • November/December 2013. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.)