Weak Men, Mighty Prayers: The Secret Strength Of Ministry

“There are no great men of God. Never have been, never will be. There are just weak, tiny, impotent, unwise men of a great and merciful God. Weakness has never been the
enemy of a man of God. The strength of the flesh, the strength of the intellect, the strength of the strategist… weakness is our friend. The awareness of our weakness is
what drives us to Christ.” (Paul Washer)

As a street evangelist, the Lord has taught me two pivotal truths, Zechariah 4:6b “Not by might not by power, but by My Spirit” and Washer’s wisdom that “good theology
without prayer just leads to powerless pride.”

From the pulpit, Washer has previously shared details of a staff meeting he held as the Director of HeartCry Missionary Society where he desired to share this praise with his team, “God has accomplished much this year. I want you to realize with me that everything here may be the result of some 85-year-old woman praying every
morning for us.” 

I resonated with this fact because I would not go out to the streets to evangelize without people praying. I have been blessed with several prayer partners.

One older woman, Carolyn, who has served on the mission field, continues to faithfully serve Christ by praying for me, for the evangelists on the team and for the people
who have heard the gospel. 

She knows God has called her now to the ministry of prayer for those on the frontlines and she is joyfully obedient to His will. (Colossians 4:1-3)

Power Of Prayer In Ministry
E.M. Bounds has written volumes on prayer and often observes ministry in relation to man’s dependence on God. He urgently pleads with preachers that they “must
first be a graduate in the school of prayer, starting first in the prayer closet and then study and activities second.”

Stephen Charnock, a Puritan pastor, in his writings popularized the term “practical atheists” as those who “pour out prayers in distress but scarce drop a prayer when they are delivered. We naturally cast off our duty to God if He does not speedily give us the blessing we expect.” Instead, “we trust ourselves and our own wisdom more than inquiring of God.” A beautiful truth we need to be reminded of is that “God is the loveliest object to be studied, honored and followed. Prayer is the greatest act of acknowledging God.”

Parched For Prayer
Soon after I was reborn at the age of 30, I was given a book called “A Call To Die” by David Nasser that challenged me to examine my life, especially my prayer life. Nasser pointed out that “there are two specific times people pray: on Sunday morning and when we are really in trouble. Far too often, prayer is tremendously self-focused. We bring whole truckloads of wants to God.” Yep, that is me. He added, “Prayer is not magic. It is a holy conversation between the Creator of the Universe and His beloved child and friend.”

There are many reasons why prayer is neglected, first and foremost, busyness and the business of ministry. All men want to be useful, however, Washer’s pastoral wisdom
pinpoints “the real test of your usefulness is your hidden life” and a key question for a person desiring to serve in ministry is, “Can you be alone? 

In John 6:12, Jesus’ communion trumped every other need in His life. This is the pattern of a powerful ministry, and we must not get tired of praying.” R. Kent Hughes, in his book “Disciplines Of A Godly Man” plainly states, “Prayer is work, not a sport. Prayer is the proper work of the soul which loves Christ.” 

John Piper adds, “Prayer is a way of calling God alongside us to do what Jesus came to do, namely, love others at the cost of His life. (1 John 3:16) Even the disciples (Mark 9:29) were perplexed by why they were unable to cast out unclean spirits in an afflicted boy. Jesus’ response was that it was because of their prayerlessness.” A key point regarding Mark 9:29 that Piper asserts is that “it was not that the disciples did not pray in that moment,but that they had not lived in prayer.”

Prayer Is Spiritual Warfare

After my rebirth, I ignorantly believed what the false prosperity preachers peddled that life would be perfect, without trials or temptations. Thankfully, as I read the Bible, I realized I was believing a lie, and the truth was right there in Acts 14:22 “through many afflictions we must enter the kingdom of God.” Robert Murray M’cheyne, a Scottish minister who lived in the 1800s, confidently knew that “trials make the promise sweet; trials give new life to prayer. 

Being afflicted, we pray.” “But why so many trials?” is a question I have heard from people on the streets. John MacArthur answers that question, “One of the main reasons God challenges us with adversity is so we will learn to trust more fully in Him and a key facet of relying on the Lord’s strength rather than our own is being devoted to prayer.” And perhaps M’cheyne will encourage you “God hears and answers prayer. Christ never loses one believing prayer.” The next question I often hear is, “But how do I pray?” 

R.C. Sproul responds to that very question in his book, “Now, That’s A Good Question!”
he suggests “reading the inspired prayers in the book of Psalms to see the elements of prayer.” For me personally, reading what Paul prayed for showed me how to petition
and praise God in prayer and demonstrated to me how prayer transformed him. You may be tempted to say “I am afraid to pray with others” let M’cheyne’s instructions
help you, “Pray that you may pray to God and not for the ears of man. Feel His presence more than mans.”

Followed by “But what should I bring to God?” Sproul answers this question, “If we know the Scriptures clearly, there are certain things we won’t ask for. We are to bring our requests before God in humility and then let God be God. Let the Father decide.” This written answer is easier to read but in application it can be hard, e.g., I know and
love the scriptures, but the Lord has not opened my womb. I have learned that His will is perfect, and I will praise Him.

Ministry Without Power
Many churches have designated a room or time slot for prayer, often using the name “Boiler Room” to mirror Charles Spurgeon’s basement prayer group where hundreds gathered to pray. He believed prayer was the source of power for all the ministry that happened at his church. I believe the name “Boiler Room” is appropriate because prayer is spiritual work and worship. Other churches have used the name “Fresh Encounter” or
something similar. I am not in favor of this type of name because I believe it propagates the idea of the need for an experience or emotion which modern man craves. We do
not have to use methods or “just mix things up” to draw men to pray. And sadly, some churches have very little prayer at all. 

Spurgeon was a pastor during the Victorian era when significant religious shifts took place during the industrial revolution, yet he was faithful to Christ by boldly stating “the reason we do not have more true Christianity among us now is because we do not have more secret prayer.” M’cheyne adds to this critique, “No person can be a child of God without living in secret prayer; and no community of Christians can be in a lively condition without unity in prayer.” 

May we not wait until we have times of trouble or face a similar situation to Daniel, Chapter 6, where the government, by the hand of King Darius, signed into law a 30-day prayer ban. Daniel obediently and openly continued a posture of worship regardless of the cost. Spurgeon’s exhorts leaders to, “Urge the people to more prayer. Have prayer meetings, even if you have it all to yourself; and if you are asked how many were present, you can say ‘four,’ I was there, and so were God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit- and we had deep and real communion together.” 

I would also add if you are serving on a ministry team such as evangelism, encourage the team to regularly pray. If your call to prayer is met with resistance or silence, instead of texting a friend, try phoning a friend to pray together.

Two Weak, Faithful Men Of Prayer
Two life-changing books given to me introduced me to two men of God with two very different temperaments and life spans: David Brainerd “The Life And Diary Of David Brainerd” and George Muller “Autobiography of George Muller: A Million And A Half In Answer To Prayer.” Brainerd was a young Puritan missionary during the 18th century; he and his language interpreters made many forest journeys on horseback. Bible in hand, Brainerd shared the gospel with Native American communities. At age 7, he became very concerned about his soul and yet did not understand the necessity of a new birth. By the age of 13, both his parents died. By age 19, he was laborious in religious activity but realized none of it produced love to God. Brainerd attended Yale and was later expelled for spiritual pride, as noted in his diary. He lived during the time of the Great Awakening and was blessed by hearing George Whitefield preach the Word of God on the streets. What caught Brainerd’s attention was Whitefield’s emphasis on the necessity of regeneration.

Brainerd was often labeled as melancholy and was afflicted by tuberculosis, yet he remained steadfast in ministry, and in 1742 he was licensed to preach. The focus of his preaching was the holiness of God, the guilt of sin, the coming judgment, the sufficiency of Christ and the necessity of a renewed heart. The power and perseverance he displayed in ministry was attributed to prayer. Brainerd regularly withdrew into the forest to pray and encouraged others to pray for the spread of the gospel. These words from his diary capture the heart of this man “The love of lost souls is not abstract. It prays. It travels. It teaches. It listens. It endures.” He lived only 29 years but abounded with much spiritual fruit.

Muller’s book is rather hefty, but what a treasure it is. Muller and his wife served in orphan care ministry together and they relied on God solely for financial support. I was
amazed to read in his autobiography, the ministry logbook that documented every need and how God fulfilled each one. He lived 93 years and was a faithful servant to the
least. His book is proof that he was a man of prayer, as Washer has shared “the most remarkable thing about Muller was there were two ruts in the wooden floor by his
bed where his knees were when he prayed.” This truth needs to be at the forefront of any ministry work and is testimony to Muller’s life in Christ, “The more a person in ministry trusts in the arm of the flesh, the less they will see the arm of God. Only in secret prayer will a person in ministry see the mighty arm of God.”

Prayer And Evangelism
The biggest temptation in evangelism is to quit or simply to avoid leaving your home. J.C. Ryle states a hard truth “True Christianity is a fight with the world, the flesh, and
the devil.” Paul experienced many trials in life and in ministry and he persevered through prayer. J.I. Packer and John Owen both have taught about prayer and have
specifically focused on evangelism. Owen tells us how to pray, “We need to pray for those whom we seek to win, that the Holy Spirit will open their hearts, and that they would look to Christ whom they have pierced and mourned.”

Lastly, another book I believe every evangelist should read is “Even If None: Reclaiming Biblical Evangelism” by Ryan Denton. Today, the enemy is actively trying to stop
God’s people from evangelizing and praying for lost souls together and individually. Denton’s book has shown the raw reality of the state of evangelism and prayer today. Let
Denton’s instructive words regarding prayer be a call to examine your life in Christ, to repent from prayerlessness and to serve as a catalyst for evangelism, “Prayer must
not be overlooked when it comes to evangelism. We must pray for souls in the prayer meetings. Pray for souls at the supper table. Pray for souls in the closet. Wrestle with God
for souls to be saved and that God would give the gift of faith to the lost. Preach and pray. Preach and pray. This is biblical evangelism.”