Having a consistent, intimate prayer life is a challenge for many of us. We might pray readily enough for our most immediate concerns, such as help for our children, provision with our jobs, or assistance with our finances. We often have difficulty, though, relying entirely on God to answer our prayers in accordance with our truest needs. How do we pray rightly, understanding that we’re praying to a God who can do infinitely more than we ask or imagine?
In a just-released book, Alistair Begg looks to the apostle Paul, a great pray-er, as a model and guide. Pray Big: Learn to Pray like an Apostle examines Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus to explore how the apostle prayed, observe what he prayed for, and seek out what understanding the apostle had that helped him pray as he did.
As Alistair Begg shares, it’s vital that individuals and churches alike learn to pray God-honoring prayers:
When a church is gripped by God’s grace—when its members focus their heart-eyes on Jesus and on eternity; when the buffeting of circumstances don’t shake their hope, and they live for the riches of knowing God rather than the fleeting treasures of this world; when they look to and live out of a power greater than themselves—then the glory of God is revealed in the Bride, just as it is in the Bridegroom. When that grace takes hold of a church community, then the world looks on and says, “That is at least worth investigating.” And then we’re able to tell them that this Lord Jesus Christ is a king who will reign forever and forever.
And then God’s name is praised.
It’s striking to consider that although much of Paul’s writing took place while he was chained to a wall in a Roman prison, his prayers were not for his release or for his physical welfare. Instead, he prayed for much greater concerns of eternal consequence: the spiritual welfare of others first, and then for himself.
The Bible assures us that as believers, we have an inheritance that is guaranteed. It is ours. It can never be taken from us—and the riches that accompany it are far greater that anything we can imagine. Pray Big: Learn to Pray Like an Apostle will inspire, encourage, instruct, and inform your prayers. Order your copy of this foundational brand-new book by Alistair Begg today.
