In doing Chaplain Orientation for new employees, I let them know that I have been praying for them, and their families, and then I give them an opportunity to allow me to pray for them in a specific way. I will ask, if there is some way in which I can pray for them, to please send me a note or catch up with me in the hallway or give me a call. I want to partner up with them and go to God, in prayer, on their behalf.
I have discovered that the more specific a prayer request can be, the more dynamic the prayers will be! I’ll illustrate it this way: All of us pray “general” prayers like, “God bless me!” And we think in doing so we can cover a lot of areas in one giant swoop! OK, that’s not a bad prayer, but there is no real dynamic in that prayer – it has no “specific” place to go or answer to give. All of us are continuously blessed by God – you just took a breath of fresh air; you just blinked; you are alive reading this; you had at least one meal today, etc. You are blessed!
But how do you really want God to bless you? Be specific! “God, bless me with safety today as I travel.” “God, bless me with the plan and ability to finish my project on time.” So be specific.
Some people will pray another general prayer by saying, “God forgive me of my sins.” Again, that is not a bad prayer to pray, however God wants to know specifically “which sins” you want forgiven! Name them one by one! “God, forgive me for showing that guy in the sports car that cut me off that he was number one!” (You got that one, didn’t you?) “God, forgive me for that stupid thing I said to my spouse.” “God forgive me for…” (Name your sin here!).
I relate general prayers to florescent lighting – with one flip of the switch, they light up an entire room, but no specific area. It covers it all. However, I relate specific prayers to a laser on the scope of your gun – it gives you pin-point accuracy to hit your target! That’s the dynamic we want to see as we pray – pin-point accuracy!
Check out this story of a specific prayer: “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again, he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”
A person “like us” prayed for no rain (specific) and it didn’t rain. Then he prayed and “the heavens gave rain” (specific).
The more specific a prayer request can be, the more dynamic the prayers will be!
I can’t wait to see how God is going to answer you as you bring your specific prayer request to Him. And if you want me to join in with you, I am ready!
