Swing The Bat Of Prayer

January 14, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Swing the batMy son Harrison plays high school baseball. Let’s just imagine that I’m his hitting coach. In order for this relationship to benefit him, a couple of things have to occur:

  1. He has to want to improve, and
  2. He has to want to receive instruction from me.

If he thinks he knows it all already, or if he wants to just hang out with the other guys on the team to try to pick up some tips by being around them, then my role of a coach isn’t going to benefit him much.

Let’s say that Harrison knows he needs to improve, and he’s willing to listen to my instruction. We head out for some batting practice, and he lets pitch after pitch sail by him without ever swinging at the ball. If he never swings the bat, there’s only one piece of advice I can give him: Swing the bat!

The same things hold true for us if we want to improve as pray-ers. We have to want to improve, and we have have to be willing to receive instruction from the Coach (in this case, the Holy Spirit). But we also have to give Him something to work with. If we let opportunity after opportunity sail by without praying about it, there’s only one piece of advice the Spirit can give us: Pray!

Jesus said the Holy Spirit would help lead us into oneness with Him—

The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26)

If we want to become better pray-ers, here’s how the Holy Spirit can help:

  • You have to admit that you need help in your prayer life.
  • You need to read your Bible (the everything that God says to you), and use God’s Word to help form your prayers.
  • Then, pray… swing the bat of prayer! 
  • As you pray, listen to the voice of the the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, helping you to refine your prayers.

Your prayer time can become more meaningful, if you will tune into the Holy Spirit, and give Him something to work with.

To check out the others messages in this series on prayer called Praying Circles, please click here.

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Don’t Get Pulled Back Down

January 30, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

We wrapped up our series on The Danger Of Prayerlessness by looking at a very innocent thing: just doing what seems the natural thing to do.

In Luke 18, Jesus told a story about a persistent widow who would not stop approaching a judge to get justice. She had been wronged, but she didn’t take matters into her own hands, nor did she get tired of asking the judge for help. Either of these responses would have been very natural responses. But that’s the point: they would be natural, and not spiritual; they would depend on us, and not on God.

Luke introduces this story like this: Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1).

The word for give up is one that means to slide back to the natural way of doing, feeling or acting. In other words, to handle things like we always have before. But Jesus said there was a better way: keep taking your request to our Heavenly Father.

Prayer overcomes the “gravitational pull” of my natural tendencies to do things on my own. Prayer is the rocket fuel to help me break free!

Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in EVERY circumstance and in EVERYthing, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. (Philippians 4:6 AMP)

Don’t get pulled back down. Instead always pray and never, ever give up! Let your prayers take you higher and higher!

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Praying Through

January 22, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

I love this quote from Mark Batterson’s book The Circle Maker.

“Our generation desperately needs to rediscover the difference between praying for and praying through.  Praying through is grabbing hold of the horns of the altar and refusing to let go until God answers.” 

I grew up hearing that phrase praying through, but how quickly we pray one-and-done prayers! There is such a power in praying through. May I learn to do this better!

(By the way, Draw The Circle is a great companion book to The Circle Maker.)

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The Circle Maker (book review)

January 16, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

I’m a huge fan of Mark Batterson’s books! So I’ll admit that when I received my copy of The Circle Maker, I went into it with high expectations. And this book didn’t disappoint!

I grew up with a phrase repeated often around our church and my home: The Church (and Christians) move forward on its knees. I believe that because I have tested it in my life. I know firsthand that my life is more centered and in-tune with God when I make prayer a regular habit. And on the flip side, I know how hectic and disjointed my life seems when my prayer time is abbreviated.

I’m an action-oriented guy. I like to do things quick, and I like quick responses. This frequently carries over into my prayer life, where I pray for something, and quickly check it off my list if the answer doesn’t come quickly enough. But that’s not how Honi The Circle Maker prayed.

This is the man Mark uses to teach us to pray with more intensity and more perseverance. Honi would—literally—draw a circle and kneel in prayer in that circle until God answered his prayer. Wow! From this man’s example, Mark teaches us three key concepts about becoming circle-maker pray-ers.

  1. Dream Big
  2. Pray Hard
  3. Think Long

In every section I was convicted on how short-sighted and puny my prayers seemed. But at the same time, I was also encouraged and energized to make the changes to become a circle maker in my prayer life. I’m excited to see how my life will change because my prayers are changing. I’m going to be a circle maker!

If you would like to revolutionize your prayer life, I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

I am a Zondervan book reviewer.

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