Epaphras Prays Podcast

Epaphras Prays is a newsletter about personal and intercessory praying. We encourage the People of God to pray from the Word of God for other People of God. Sign up here:

Prayer is often described as the lifeblood of a Christian's relationship with God. Yet, amidst the busyness of life, it’s easy to neglect or rush through this vital practice. Jesus’ teaching in Luke 18:1 reminds us of its importance: "We always ought to pray and not lose heart."

His instruction to us is to pray consistently and assures us that prayer anchors our faith in God’s provision and timing.

The Call to Persistent Prayer

The Power of Prayer in Difficult Seasons

Why Prayer Anchors Our Faith

Things to Think About

* What practical steps can you take to cultivate a habit of persistent prayer in your daily life?

* How has God encouraged you in seasons when it felt like your prayers were unanswered?

* What specific promises from Scripture remind you of the importance of persevering in prayer?

Reflection

Jesus’ teaching to “always pray and not lose heart” is as vital today as it was for His disciples. Prayer keeps us anchored in faith, trusting that God hears us and works in ways beyond our understanding. When challenges arise or answers seem delayed, let us continue to approach God with persistence, knowing that He remains faithful to His promises.

Prayer is not only a discipline but also a privilege—a personal invitation to commune with the Creator of the universe. Take a moment today to reflect on your own prayer life. Commit to praying consistently, and trust that God’s timing is perfect, even when the answers feel delayed.

Epaphras Prays is a newsletter about personal and intercessory praying. We encourage the People of God to pray from the Word of God for other People of God. Sign up here:

Some years ago, I sat in a planning meeting for an upcoming church event. The team was eager to brainstorm ideas—venue logistics, promotional strategies, and volunteer schedules dominated the discussion. Everyone brought great energy and enthusiasm to the table.

Yet, as the meeting went on, I noticed something missing: prayer.

We spent an hour mapping out all the practical details but didn’t pause to pray over any of it. Not once did we ask for God’s guidance, wisdom, or blessing on the plans we were making. It felt strange, like trying to build a house without laying a foundation. We had good intentions and plenty of ideas, but we were relying solely on our own strength.

By the time the meeting ended, I couldn’t shake the thought: We spent all this time planning for God’s work, but we didn’t actually involve Him in it.

That experience taught me how easy it is to focus on the “doing” while forgetting to seek the Lord first. Without prayer, even our best efforts can feel rushed, misguided, or disconnected from His purposes. But when we make prayer the foundation of our work, everything changes.

It aligns our plans with His will and reminds us that the success of any ministry doesn’t depend on us—it depends on Him.

What About You?

* Do you approach ministry tasks with prayer first, or as an afterthought?

* How has prayer shaped your mission or ministry in the past?

* Are there areas where you need to surrender control and trust God more fully through prayer?

Reflection

Take a moment today to pause and pray before your next task, decision, or ministry effort. Invite God to guide your steps, align your heart with His will, and prepare the way ahead. Let prayer be the foundation, not just a support, for all that you do.

We cannot hear his voice, but we can pray these printed words along with Charles Spurgeon:

Glorious Liberty

OUR Father, we bless Thy name that we can say from the bottom of our hearts, “Abba, Father.” It is the chief joy of our lives that we have become the children of God by faith which is in Christ Jesus and we can in the deep calm of our spirit say, “Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as in heaven.”

Glory be unto the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.

Introduction

Prayer is often described as the heartbeat of a believer’s relationship with God, but what gives prayer its power? According to E. M. Bounds, the answer lies in a single, profound element: desire.

Desire is more than a fleeting wish; it’s a deep, soul-stirring hunger that propels us into God’s presence with purpose and passion. Without it, prayer risks becoming empty words.

In this podcast, we’ll explore timeless insights from E. M. Bounds on how desire transforms prayer from routine to revival, unlocking deeper intimacy with God and aligning our hearts with His will.

Prayer Insight from E. M. Bounds from The Necessity of Prayer - Chapter 4 – Prayer and Desire

Join us for the Podcast.

Key Takeaways:

* Desire is a wanting of something, a feeling or a wishing that something would happen

* Desire is a crucial element in prayer, preceding and intensifying it.

* Prayer is the verbal expression of desire, while desire remains unheard.

* Lack of spiritual desire should prompt us to seek its bestowal and lament its absence.

* Holy desire is fostered by meditation on spiritual need and God's promise to correct it.

* Weak desires for God and Christ may be the cause of our insufficient praying.

* Intense desire is a sign of God's presence in our hearts, while insincerity and lukewarmness are intolerable to Him.

Thank You for reading Epaphras Prays. When you subscribe, you join a small prayer group. You are daily in our prayers. And it helps more people learn to pray more.

Send this to another intercessor?

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

I love Christmas hymns, the ones we sing in church or hear on our radio. Songs like O Little Town of Bethlehem, The First Noel, Away in a Manger, Joy to the World, and Silent Night are some of my favorites.

Their melodies are beautiful, and I enjoy singing them even all year round.

These songs become part of our traditions and help us celebrate the season. However, sometimes when we sing them, we overlook the deeper meanings they hold.

I remember an experience from over 20 years ago when I was in radio broadcasting. At a conference, I was part of a panel where we listened to a familiar non-Christmas song while reading its lyrics on a screen. I soon realized the song's words were actually dark and didn't match the music's upbeat style.

It’s like I didn’t really know the song at all!

The narrator part of me says: This shows how music and songs so wonderfully touch us, and just how impacting the spoken word can be.

You see, our brains have two sides: the left side handles reason and facts, while the right side deals with emotions and imagination. Music often goes straight to our feelings, bypassing logic.

But when we read lyrics or hear them spoken, it engages our logical side.

So, when we sing hymns, we feel good but might miss their deeper truths. When we read them, we can be impacted in a new a different way by what the words convey.

The intercessor part of me says: While we love Christmas hymns and the deeper meanings they can share, sometimes they don't match what the Bible says exactly.

It's okay to enjoy them, but we should be careful not to base our beliefs on them if they stray from the truth. Most hymns bring warm feelings and were written in the Victorian era. There's nothing wrong with feeling sentimental, but we should be cautious about believing things that aren't true.

If you're unsure about something in a hymn, compare it with Scripture. Not everything has to match perfectly—like how Jesus wasn't born in winter or that there weren't exactly three kings.

Let's appreciate hymns for what they are and enjoy both reading and singing them.

I invite you to listen along to a reading of 15 favorite traditional hymns in the PrayerCast

* Angels We Have Heard On High

* O Little Town Of Bethlehem

* Angels From The Realms of Glory

* God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

* The First Noel

* Away In A Manger

* What Child Is This

* It Came Upon The Midnight Clear

* In The Bleak Midwinter

* O Come All Ye Faithful

* Hark The Herald Angels Sing

* Silent Night Holy Night

* Joy To The World

* Good Christian Men Rejoice

* Go Tell It On The Mountain

Thank you for listening.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Epaphras Praise. God bless you.

Until next time, grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The “good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” were first told by an angel of the Lord to some shepherds tending flocks in the fields. He told them of a baby born in nearby Bethlehem who is Christ the Lord.

As Luke shares the story, then “suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” - Luke 2:13-14 KJV

So what did these sheep-herders do? After the angels left, they said to one another “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” (verse 15, emphasis added)

The Lord opened a doorway from heaven to these simple men, and the angel who came told them the good news (evangelizing). This doorway gave them access, and it is God who will open access to share with others this same good news.

Paul referred to this numerous times. An example is 2 Corinthians 2:12, Furthermore, when I came to Troas to [preach] Christ's gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord…

Here, Paul is speaking of divine help for chances to spread the gospel of Christ.

Our Lord opens doors for us, and we can ask Him to do it: Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, Colossians 4:2-3.

We pray today for the Gospel to spread, leading to more conversions to the kingdom of Christ

May God open His door to us again so this Word can be shared, for we are dependent on Him to prepare hearts and also circumstances for others to first hear, then be receptive to the proclamation of Christ as Savior and Lord.

Thank You for reading Epaphras Prays. When you subscribe, you join a small prayer group. You are daily in our prayers. And it helps more people learn to pray more.

Until next time, grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” —Matt. 9:37-38

I have several evangelism strategy books on hand, you might also, and one thing I find strange isn’t what is in them. It’s what isn’t.

While most of the ideas are good, helpful, and encouraging, what is lacking is an emphasis on prayer.

Recently I wrote about praying for unbelievers to be born again, suggesting seven prayers to pray. And another about our prayers being a tool Jesus uses to build His church. There have been articles about praying the word of God spread rapidly and be glorified. This is the preaching of the Word, the proclaiming of the Gospel, and asking for open hearts to receive it and be saved.

It’s apparent that God’s strategy to reach the disbelieving all around us involves—to no small degree, our praying. We are ask for the workers (those who labor) to gather in the harvest. In the Bible, these are people devoted to sharing Christ's message and disciple the spiritual growth of others.

The harvest is Gods. Saying"His harvest" highlights His role in gathering souls and His control over the process. This implies a collaboration between His divine sovereignty and our personal responsibility in evangelism.

Here are some prayer insights from Andrew Murray:

Evangelism, with all it’s strategies, plans, classes and material, is often missing the key element of prayer.

We need to be praying for the gospel to spread, for open hearts and doors for the good news, for preaching and teaching, for ears to hear and eyes to see, hearts to soften—and for laborer of the harvest.

This is part of the divine partnership Jesus has with us to do the work—first in prayers, then in the field. Our asking indicates our dependence on God and acknowledges that this mission is beyond our own ability.

If there are few souls being saved by Christ in our day, it is because we are not praying for laborers to harvest them!

The building of the church isn’t about the building itself. Jesus is the builder and designer of His church, using people as laborers who do the work through prayer. Prayer is a primary tool for building the church, and it should be kept sharp and consistently used. The early church was birthed from a prayer meeting, and the apostles continually gave themselves to prayer. Effective prayer of the righteous has a greater impact than plans, ideas, or programs. Personal commitment to prayer should not be discouraged by others but rather fuel zeal and encourage dedication. Initiate regular prayer meetings in your community, and be a leader in prayer for building God's church.

"Men are God’s method. The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men who the Holy Spirit can use – men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not come on machinery but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men – men of prayer." —E. M. Bounds

Be the laborer in God’s hands and be the tool of prayer He uses to build His church— right where you live, work, fellowship, and be one mighty in prayer.

There is first of all, a lack of praying (to our Lord)--of spending time personally, privately, in our own closets in quiet devotion, or intercession. We do not watch and pray as we have been instructed, and so fall asleep.

What hindrances might keep us from praying?

There are secondly, hindrances to our praying rightly.

Jesus tells us ask, so, let us ask! But when we do ask, when we do pray, let us watch out that these things would not keep us from praying and asking rightly.

More Hindrances to Prayer

Pray For Prayer Help

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans 8:26

Also: Start with Bible reading before prayer, and you will often find your spirit and soul awakened by it and enter in to praying accordingly.

Excerpt taken from ReDiscovering Prayer, Chapter 5, available now. See information below.

Image by Elisa from Pixabay

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! – Psalm 107:1

PrayerCast Notes:

Goodness and Mercy—from Spurgeon’s Prayers

Count Your Blessings—A Prayer Hymn

Thanksgiving and Prayer for Pardon—Liturgy of St. Mark

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. --Colossians 4:2

Start with TAG

When we are stressed, angry, sad, or busy—even the idea of praying for just a minute or two is hard.

If it’s hard to just begin, I suggest you start with TAG:

* Thankfulness

* Appreciation

* Gratitude

You will be amazed at the mood change and decrease in frustration when you give thanks to the Lord God for the many blessings He has given you. And be thankful, too, for even more things He has not given you. What Jesus has kept you from having or doing is also to your benefit.

What you do have is grace, what you don’t deserve. What you don’t have is mercy, not having what you do deserve.

God bless you and your family, and until next time, grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank You for reading Epaphras Prays. When you subscribe, you join a small prayer group. You are daily in our prayers. And it helps more people learn to pray more.