Making Prayer a Priority

by Mike Higgs

As I write this article, the church is in the midst of an explosion of prayer mobilization initiatives. I am a staunch supporter of prayer mobilization – I did it vocationally for two decades – but even I am a bit overwhelmed by the volume and the urgency of it all.

Desperate Times

What is motivating all these efforts to mobilize people to pray? Certainly, the tenuous state of the economy, the unrest in many parts of the world are in the mix, and probably a lot more. Regardless, it’s safe to say that the motivation behind all the prayer mobilization efforts is a very legitimate sense of urgency and/or desperation.

As the old saying goes, “desperate times call for desperate measures,” and we are certainly in a season demanding urgent, if not desperate, prayer.

This is a very good thing! I am reminded of the story of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, who was confronted with opposing armies that were so large in number, and had advanced so close to Jerusalem, that the typical response of a seasoned military commander (which he certainly was) was utterly insufficient – there was no time to blow the shofar, muster the troops, and prepare for battle.

There was only time to call a fast and to cry out to the Lord, “We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” (2 Chronicles 20:12) Urgent and desperate? Absolutely. Effective? No question – read the rest of the story. A great model for us today, in youth ministry or otherwise? Without a doubt.

Harassed and Helpless

My number one go-to sermon on the importance of youth ministry (number two is the 2 Chronicles 20 passage above) is based on Matthew 9:36-38. The passage says that Jesus looked on the multitudes and “had compassion on them” (literally, “His guts were torn up”) “because they were harassed and helpless” (literally, “being torn to pieces and unable to do anything about it”)“like sheep without a shepherd.”

One does not have to be a card-carrying Mensa member to realize that this is a very apt description of young people today – they are being torn up by fatherlessness, family dysfunction, cultural craziness and a myriad of other maladies There is very little they can do to help themselves – other than turn to addictions, cutting or a host of other coping mechanisms. And what was Jesus’ response to what He saw? He told His disciples, “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.” Don’t work harder or smarter (both good things!), but pray – pray for more workers.

A Hopeful Trend

I am greatly encouraged today by the number of youth workers who are embracing prayer personally and deploying it in their ministries in fresh, powerful ways. Sometimes we are motivated by the realization that, like Jehoshaphat, we youth workers really don’t know what to do to disciple the emerging generations. Our youth ministry “bags of tricks” have proved to be helpful but, ultimately, inadequate for the task.

Sometimes our motivation is a compassionate (gut-wrenching) response to the train wreck that is contemporary youth culture, and the deep pain that is increasingly a part of adolescence today. Whatever the motivation, I see youth workers responding prayerfully as never before.

What Sustains You?

I see them gathering students on a regular basis not just for fellowship and instruction, but to pray for their campuses and their peers. I see them helping parents learn how to pray for their kids during the scary teenage years. I see youth worker networking becoming more prayer-driven and less event-driven. This is all really, really good stuff and I rejoice in all that God is doing! But I do not believe it can be sustained in the ways that will be necessary to fulfill the Great Commission among the emerging generations.

In my late 20s I was a passionate, driven youth worker who loved kids and had little interest in a relationship that might compromise my “game.” So when my two best friends called and demanded that I immediately drive two hours north to meet “the perfect match” for me, I was not sufficiently motivated to drop all I was doing and make the trip.

But many months later, when I finally did meet this young lady, everything changed, as evidenced by significant shifts in my schedule, phone bill, gas bill, and bank account. I was in mad pursuit of a relationship with the woman who is now my wife, and was doing everything in my power to develop, enhance, and strengthen that relationship through communication – in person, on the phone, through letters, or whatever means necessary.

Twenty-nine years of marriage later, I am still in a mad pursuit of this woman, but I digress. My point is this: prayer – which is simply communication with the God of the universe who has chosen us, set His seal of love on us and created us for this very purpose – is sustainable when it is based on who God is to usrather than what He does for us.

This was made crystal clear by Jesus when He sent His disciples on their first missionary journey. Luke records the excitement of the disciples when they returned with stories of success. And Jesus shared in their excitement – but He also issued a caveat: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:18-20)

The “Secret Sauce”

Because of the nature of my ministry, I am frequently asked to recommend books and resources on prayer, as if the “Secret Sauce” of prayer can be found in these places. I can make the recommendations, and there is certainly value in many of these tools. But increasingly, I find myself saying, “While I can give you plenty of book and resource recommendations, and suggest some best practices, you won’t find the ‘Secret Sauce’ in any of those places; the ‘Secret Sauce’ is only found in ‘the Secret Place.’”

I am more and more convinced that while books and other resources can be a real help, they can also become a distraction and even a hindrance if they keep us away from the Secret Place. It is there that we cultivate relational intimacy with the Father, and it is there where we learn to pray.

People I know, whom I consider mighty in prayer, did not get that way by reading lots of books on the subject. They got that way by spending consistent, significant time in the Secret Place. And in that place, the Lord gives the hidden manna – the ultimate, real secret sauce – that will sustain and empower them for the life, and the work, to which He has called them.

Prayer motivated by urgency and desperation is a good thing. Prayer motivated by genuine compassion for the plight of the emerging generations is a very good thing. But prayer motivated by the love of, and love for, the Triune God, cultivated in the Secret Place, is the best thing. It will endure – for eternity.

And that motivation for prayer will sustain and empower us for the life, and the work, to which He has called us as youth workers. An army of holy, obedient, praying youth workers will complete the task before us!

To go deeper with the prioritiy of prayer take a look at the interactive exercise below. You can also connect with a network coach who can help you personally.

Prioritizing Prayer

In his article, Mike Higgs wrote, “You won’t find the ‘Secret Sauce’ of integrating prayer into your life and network in any of those places [just books and resources about prayer]; the ‘Secret Sauce’ is only found in ‘the Secret Place.’”

So we asked, “Mike, how can a network leader practice this in her or her personal life, as well as in the life of their network?” He responded with six practical ideas, most related to spending time in “the Secret Place.” He wrote:

• Schedule extended DAILY time in the “Secret Place” (i.e. personal devotions) and guard that time jealously. Do it in the morning if at all possible. 99% of the people I know who say, “I’m not a morning person,” and try to do it later in the day, don’t. And Seven Minutes With Godmight sell in the bookstore, but that’s about the only place where it works. Figure on one hour minimum, and two hours is better. Accountability is a good thing here, but if you can’t do it on your own, you probably don’t think it’s that important. And it is.
• Have a talk with your senior pastor or supervisor (and spouse, if applicable and/or necessary) about protecting your time in the Secret Place. Come to an agreement that your intimacy with Christ, nurtured through time in the Secret Place, is non-negotiable regarding your ministry effectiveness – not to mention your own spiritual health.
• Time in the Secret Place is for growing in intimacy in your relationship with God, not in your knowledge of God. The latter is a good thing; the former is a better thing. Expect God to speak to you and to your spirit through His Word,. And speak back! i.e. Pray!
• There are many “classic” books on prayer, and even some good modern ones. Read them to help you grow in prayer. But the greatest aid to growing in prayer is simply doing it. And the second greatest aid is to be around praying people.
• Guard the prayer time in your network meetings. Networks based on relationships and prayer will endure; those based on planning and events won’t.

Editor’s note: For further study you may want to know that Mike has written two books related to prayer: Youth Ministry From The Inside Out and Youth Ministry On Your Knees. The first has to do with character, and the second with prayer.