Post No. 2 - Reading Time:

We are now into our National Week of Prayer. The weather looks to be very cold, but we are open each night for prayer here at Calvary, Sunday, January 7th through Saturday, January 13th.

It’s kind of predictable who will be here, no matter what the weather. These are the ones who are already coming out for our weekly times of prayer on Saturday night. However, there are a few new ones who have shown a keen interest in prayer early on. I expect they too will be joining us through the week as they can.

The Lord has dealt with me a lot on prayer this time through. Unfortunately it’s like so many New Year’s Resolutions, it fades quickly back into old habits. It’s been the same with me. Although I want each new year to be covered in prayer, I simply don’t follow through for the long haul—365 days of prayer.

This year the Lord has helped me. I returned to the Prayer Tower to not just talk to the Lord in prayer, but to talk to him about prayer. As a result the Lord revealed to me a man in the Bible called Epaphras. I noticed something about him. He “laborured fervently” in prayer. That’s when I realized that I can’t wait for a feeling of prayer to wash over me. I must make prayer a discipline in my life, like everything else.

The Apostle Paul mentions Epaphras to the Colossians in his letter to them. He says this about Epaphras:

“Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, salutes you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him record, that he has a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.” — Colossians 4:12–13 (KJV)

As a result of this statement I have greatly changed by attitude towards my prayer life. It’s a labor of love. I pray about the things I care about. I dedicate myself to them. I keep my prayer within my “circle of concern” and these prayers become a part of my daily life. To date I have spent 82 hours in the tower in prayer. This includes my Ten Minutes of Tongues, which I have done daily for years.

Now when I say daily, these are weekdays I’m talking about—Monday through Friday. My prayers on the weekend are while I prep the message and music and while I pray for and during the service on Sunday.

Yes, I believe in prayer, but I admit I’ve got a long way to go to become a “man of prayer,” as it was said of King David in Psalm 109:4.

I believe it is critical for our entire church to be more prayerful this year. So I must dedicate myself to being an example of this. Although I've not gotten to the fervency of prayer that Epaphras displayed before Paul, I will pray nonetheless.

Until next Monday, may the Lord bless you! Pray for us as I pray for you!

Pastor Brian Jenkins

Calvary Assemblies of God