Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– E.M. Bounds
Prayer as a Means
God doesn’t need us. He got along just fine before us, and he can get along without us. However, He chose to create us and planned on using us for His purposes. We can’t save anyone on our own; only God can (John 6:44, Acts 4:12). But God does give us the privilege to share the Gospel with the lost, and He may use us as a means to save some. Pray that God would do just that and that someone would come to saving faith by our witness.
Prayer for His Glory
Did you know you can glorify God in your life by the way you live? Since we know God desires to be glorified, we ought to desire that too. But how can we do that? The Apostle Paul said, “You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20). So “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).
Prayer for His Kingdom
Why would Jesus tell His disciples to pray for the kingdom to come? Because it is God’s will that it does. This should be our desire, too, as we make the desire known to God and pray for His kingdom to come but also for His will to be done here on earth (Matthew 6:10). I can’t wait for Jesus to return for His church and to bring us into the kingdom. Therefore, we can help shape the world by praying to God for His kingdom to come. That’s a worthy goal to pray for, isn’t it?
Conclusion
E.M. Bounds was truly a man of prayer. Those who pray a lot see a lot because God shapes the world by prayer and will use our prayers as a means to His end, as a way to seek to glorify God, and as a way to pray for the kingdom to come and to come quickly.
