Pivotal Praying: Connecting with God in Times of Great Need [Paperback]

Chapter 6

Pivotal Praying When You Need Direction
(John Hull)

Several years ago I heard this story shared in a sermon. Lloyd Olgilvie, chaplain of the United States Senate, was hiking through the deep woods of northern Ontario. As the sun was setting, Olgilvie, who had been exploring these woods for most of the day, realized that he was lost. Growing concerned as the minutes passed, he tried to make his way back to some kind of civilization. After a while he came upon what looked like an overgrown path. Thinking this might be the way, he followed it for several minutes. Then in the distance he saw an old, worn-out sign. On it was an arrow and these faded words: "This is the only way out!" Olgilvie took the sign's advice and soon found the main road.

If only life's decisions were that easy! If someone would just give us a sign and point in a direction, any direction, how good it would be. But life's woods and weeds aren't always as kind to us as they were to Lloyd Olgilvie. Sometimes it's very difficult to know what to do and what choices to make-especially when the sun is setting on a situation in our lives.

Many in our society spend a lot of time and resources just trying to get some direction about where to go and what to do in life. Millions turn to their daily newspapers-not for sports scores or the status of the stock market, but for their horoscopes. Others turn to fortune-telling or magic. Still others dial up psychic hot lines! All of these fragile options-simply to get some kind of glimpse into the future.

The very first national "television preacher" in America was Bishop Fulton Sheen. The bishop was heard weekly, coast to coast, on the old Mutual Television Broadcasting network. Over time he became a sought-after speaker, especially among business and civic leaders.

Contemporary legend has it that Bishop Sheen was scheduled to speak in a city where he had never traveled before. Leaving the hotel and walking to his speaking engagement, he got distracted, a bit turned around, and then found himself completely lost. Seeing some boys playing on the sidewalk, he asked them how to get to his destination. The boys immediately knew where he was supposed to go and gave him directions. One of them said, "You just go down this street for two blocks, take a left, go down one more block, take a right, and the place is just across the street." The bishop thanked the boys and turned to walk away.

As he was leaving, one of the boys said, "What are you going to do there?"

The bishop said "I'm going to give a speech."

The boy said, "What are you going to speak about?"

The bishop said, "I'm going to tell people how to go to heaven. Would you like to come with me?"

The boy said, "No thanks. You don't even know how to get to City Hall!"

Sometimes we can't get our directions straight even to life's most obvious destinations. "Should I get married? And if I should, whom should I marry?" Or "What should I do with my life?" Or "Should I take that job and relocate to another city?" Or "Should I buy a car or lease it? And if I buy a car, should it be a new car or a used car?" On and on we go in life. Decisions and choices. Choices and decisions. We make thousands of them every day. Clearly, we are a people in great need of direction. Maybe we need a sign. Maybe we need someone to tell us what to do and where we should go.

And then there's prayer.

Pursuing God's Direction

Ministers are constantly asked by their parishioners, "Pastor, how can I know God's will for my life?" And ministers are constantly asking, "Lord, what is Your will for this church?" The search for God's direction in our lives never ends. The good news is that the resource of prayer is unending too.

A United Methodist pastor was starting a new project outside of Kansas City. The night before the new church was launched, he gathered together a small group of believers who would form the core families of the church. Here's what he prayed: "Lord, this church belongs to You. It's not ours. Our desire is to do what You want us to do and to be who You want us to be. You know the people You long to reach through this church. We place ourselves in Your hands and we long to be used by You."

This is a good example of a pivotal prayer for direction. This simple prayer contains an intentional yieldedness: "Our desire is to do what You want us to do and to be who You want us to be." You can't go wrong praying this way. Such prayer acknowledges God's sovereign lordship in our lives. It expresses a heart that seeks to bring glory to God: "We place ourselves in Your hands and we long to be used by You." Think about it: There is no better place to be than in the caring hands of God.

As that fledgling church grows, the pastor has observed that frequent prayer is helping to shape the church's future. He says that frequency in prayer "keeps us aware of our subjection to God and our need for his direction."

You may need God's direction for some major events or changes taking place in your life. Take a look in the Word of God and visit with a man who, early in his walk with Jesus, offered a pivotal prayer to discover God's direction for his life.

Paul's Pivotal Prayer

Acts 21 tells the story of the apostle Paul's arrest in Jerusalem for teaching the gospel. This former persecutor of Christians was now in hot pursuit of God's will for his life. Paul would travel from synagogue to synagogue, challenging thousands of years of Jewish tradition and preaching that the Messiah had come in the person of Jesus. While making his point at a religious gathering in Jerusalem, Paul caused such an enormous stir among the traditional Jews that there was a near riot. Paul was arrested-which probably saved him from being beaten to death.

While behind bars, Paul shared his conversion experience with the government and prison authorities. He told them how, while traveling on the Damascus Road in pursuit of Christians-whom he had made a career of terrorizing-he had encountered the risen Lord. In dramatic fashion, Paul told them about the dialogue between Christ and himself that day. When Jesus identified himself, Paul had re-sponded, "What shall I do, Lord?" Then Jesus instructed him to go into Damascus, saying, "There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do" (Acts 22:10).

The Lord has an "assignment" for all of us. Our challenge is to discover exactly what that assignment is. The very question, "What shall I do, Lord?" reveals a number of presuppositions that Paul had about God and his own future. Author Bill Thrasher offers the following suggestions as we seek to discern God's will for our lives:

1. Believe that god has a will for you

Paul believed that God had a will for his life. He simply asked the Lord, "What shall I do?" This is not complicated or hard to ask. But asking this question reveals that we indeed believe in God and in God's personal concern for our welfare and future. Thrasher says, "God will work with us where we are, and He can even weave the failures of a person with a repentant heart into something beautiful."

Paul's previous life as the persecuting Saul of Tarsus didn't earn him the best of reputations. Maybe your reputation has been shaky too. Instead of living in fear that you have really blown it-that you have completely missed the will of God for your life-be encouraged that right now, no matter where you are on the journey, God has a will for you. He can take you right where you are and bring you back to His very best. Believe, just as Paul did, that God has a plan for you.

2. Continually listen to god

A young professor beginning his first teaching assignment had joined a campus faculty. While settling into his office he was greeted by one of the tenured professors. As they talked, the younger professor asked the veteran scholar if he had any advice for him as he began his new life of teaching the next day. The older prof said, "In every class, you'll have at least one person who will always want to argue with you. Sometimes it will get annoying. But here's what I've learned: The person who's arguing is probably the only one listening!"

God speaks to us every day. But are we listening? For thousands of years God has been speaking through the Bible. The Scriptures clearly tell us that there are certain things that are right and certain things that are wrong. There's a right way and wrong way to treat people. There's a right way and wrong way to live in society. There's a way to God and there are ways that lead to destruction. The Bible is clear concerning God's view of such things, and we would be wise to listen.

God also speaks through the Holy Spirit. When an individual receives Christ into his or her life, that person receives the precious gift of the Holy Spirit, who comes and dwells within that person. Many times in the everyday relationships and responsibilities of life we do not have the Word of God handy. So God gives us the Holy Spirit to help us recall the Scriptures we do know and to guide our decision making. The Holy Spirit at times will prompt a Christian to give a particular gift or to share the gospel with another. Sometimes the Holy Spirit convicts us that we shouldn't be thinking or doing what we actually desire to think and do. At times, the Holy Spirit serves as a comforter, to be with us when difficulty-even devastating news-invades our lives. The Holy Spirit provides us power, if we utilize it, to make the right decisions. The Holy Spirit can become something of a godlike conscience living within our lives.

God also speaks through people, events, and circumstances. Sometimes when we're praying for direction, God will lead us to seek the counsel of someone who has been at that same pivotal point in his or her own life. Or God may send a person along to lovingly confront us concerning a particular sin and challenge us to deal with it before God.

God can also lead us to l...