Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Learning to Pray from John Piper

Ever wonder how a pastor prays? One of the pastors whose writings have impacted me is John Piper. So today I thought we'd find out how John prays. He says this is how he prays for himself, his family, his staff, and his church. In fact, he calls this the "meat and potatoes of my prayer life." I really like what he has to say, so here it is in his own words:

"The first thing my soul needs is an inclination to God and his word. Without that, nothing else will happen of any value in my life. I must want to know God and read his word and draw near to him. Where does that “want to” come from? It comes from God. So Psalm 119:36 teaches us to pray, “Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to gain.”

Next I need to have the eyes of my heart opened, so that when my inclination leads me to the word I see what is really there and not just my own ideas. Who opens the eyes of the heart? God does. So Psalm 119:18 teaches us to pray, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law.”

Then I need for my heart to be enlightened with these “wonders.” I need to perceive glory in them and not just interesting facts. Who enlightens the heart? God does. So Ephesians 1:18 teaches us to pray “That the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.”

Then I am concerned that my heart is fragmented and that parts of it might remain in the dark while other parts are enlightened. So I long for my heart to be united for God. Where does that wholeness and unity come from? From God. So Psalm 86:11 teaches us to pray, “O Lord, I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.”

What I really want from all this engagement with the Word of God and the work of his Spirit in answer to my prayers is that my heart will be satisfied with God and not with the world. Where does that satisfaction come from? It comes from God. So Psalm 90:14 teaches us to pray, “O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”

But I don’t just want to be happy in my own little private world with God. I want my happiness to be as full as possible for spreading and expanding for others. I want to be strong in joy. This will make me durable in the face of threats or adversity. Where does that strength and durability come from? It comes from God. So Ephesians 3:16 teaches us to pray, “That God would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.”

Finally, I want my strength in Christ to produce good deeds for others so that the glory of God will be seen in my life. Who produces these good deeds? God does. So Colossians 1:10 teaches us to pray, “That [we] will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord . . . bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

All this I pray “in Jesus’ name,” because God gives these things to my soul only because Jesus died for me and removed the wrath of God so that the Father might “freely give me all things” (Romans 8:32).

To remember some of these prayers, I use an acronym—IOUS—almost every day in praying for those I love, asking God to give us an inclination to his Word and not to money or fame or power (Psalm 119:36), and to open our eyes to see wonderful things when we read his Word (Psalm 119:18), and to have hearts united in the fear of God rather than fragmented over a dozen concerns (Psalm 86:11), and to be satisfied in his steadfast love (Psalm 90:14)."

So there it is in one short paragraph directly above - how to pray for yourself and others in accordance with the Bible as explained by John Piper. This could take mere seconds per person, or you could expand on it. I'll be praying John's IOUS prayer for John and everyone else who stops by this post, and I ask that you'd pause and pray the same for me. Blessings ~ Rachel

12 comments:

  1. Ooh...Rachel! This was great! I so needed to hear this today! Thank you! I have 2 John Piper books--they are great! I love the acronym that you shared. I'll be learning that one!!

    Hugs,
    Susan

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  2. This is good. I will be praying for you.
    AliceE.

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  3. Rachel,

    Thank you for this! John Piper is one of my favorite writers. He presents such challenging ideas with such simplicity and conviction! You are right; this should take seconds, but it will have a lot of power to focus our hearts and minds and then our prayers will be able to bear much fruit.

    Thanks again,

    Karen

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  4. I read your post this morning and printed it out. I read each Bible verse and I'm keeping this one handy. I had to come back to add my comment and thank you for posting this Rachel.

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  5. Thank you so much Rachel. I am at work and reading and praying this way just Blessed me so much. thanks again

    In His Love and Joy
    Jo

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  6. AWESOME!
    Many Blessings to all!
    Ingyr
    Columbus, OH

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  7. Totally awesome!

    I already paused and prayed for you :)

    I love this - it gives me a whole new perspective on prayer. Good stuff! Thanks for sharing!

    Have a lovely day,
    Kate :)

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  8. I could definitely use the IOUS prayer in my life. I'll be praying for you.

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  9. Rachel, I am so totally blown away by John Piper's most articulate and wonnderful advice on how to pray. I must confess that lately I have been feeling abit convicted because even though I have made a pledge to myself and God to read The Word each day sometimes I find myself drifting off and thinking about "things" that have nothing to do with the particular scripture I am reading. Rachel, I ask God to give me the wisdom to comprehend what i am reading nd give me discernment on what God is showing me. I really need help here. I am going through some things and try my best to stay faithful when it comes to praying and reading my Bible, however why does my mind drift? I figured it might be Satan trying to dissuade me from getting closer to my Jesus. Is anyone able to enlighteme on this. Nothing will keep me from reading The Word or saying my prayers. I have awesome FAITH and know God is watching over me. One more question..if I may. I sometimes feel some guilt if I don't read God's Word first thing when I get up. Rachel and my Sisters...do you believe God cares when you read His Word or does it matter just as long as you read it sometime during that given day? *I so enjoy all the comments and rachel I am completely blown away by all your messages. You have enlightened me in so many ways. Have a Blessed weekend and I send prayers and love to you and all my Sisters In Christ.

    Jo-Ann/Denver

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  10. Rachel, I am so totally blown away by John Piper's most articulate and wonnderful advice on how to pray. I must confess that lately I have been feeling abit convicted because even though I have made a pledge to myself and God to read The Word each day sometimes I find myself drifting off and thinking about "things" that have nothing to do with the particular scripture I am reading. Rachel, I ask God to give me the wisdom to comprehend what i am reading nd give me discernment on what God is showing me. I really need help here. I am going through some things and try my best to stay faithful when it comes to praying and reading my Bible, however why does my mind drift? I figured it might be Satan trying to dissuade me from getting closer to my Jesus. Is anyone able to enlighteme on this. Nothing will keep me from reading The Word or saying my prayers. I have awesome FAITH and know God is watching over me. One more question..if I may. I sometimes feel some guilt if I don't read God's Word first thing when I get up. Rachel and my Sisters...do you believe God cares when you read His Word or does it matter just as long as you read it sometime during that given day? *I so enjoy all the comments and rachel I am completely blown away by all your messages. You have enlightened me in so many ways. Have a Blessed weekend and I send prayers and love to you and all my Sisters In Christ.

    Jo-Ann/Denver

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  11. Oops,,the lasr comment was from me.....

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  12. I love this!! And I, too, enjoy the writings of Mr. Piper.

    While we're on the subject of prayer, please keep my family in prayer, if you will. We have had a family emergency which requires me to leave my family here in VA and head to the west coast for a few weeks. As you can imagine, this will not be easy for any of us.

    Thanks Rachel!

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