Nothing creates a better environment for growth in a love relationship than prayer. To experience the power of God in women’s ministry, prayer is vital—both in your life and in the lives of others. How do you motivate women to seek God in prayer?
We are often told that to build an effective prayer ministry we must simply pray, but four other ingredients are necessary for the prayer leader.
1. Build relationships. Whenever God or Bible saints led others, they first built relationships: spending time with Peter, James, John, and Andrew preceded Jesus’ call at the Jordan River; Paul and Barnabas prayed and planned together before their first missionary journey. Leading others to build a love relationship with God cannot be separated from the quality of relationship you build. Invest one-on-one with those you help lead. Jesus purposefully spent time alone with His disciples.
2. Motivate. Because of sin, people do not seek God on their own (see Rom. 3:9-11). Even after experiencing salvation, Christians must renew themselves daily, or love and passion will grow cold. God set apart as Bible leaders those skilled in challenging the people to seek Him continually. Prayer can become perfunctory without inspiration. Ask God to lead you as you lead others to a deeper prayer relationship with Him.
3. Model and create opportunities. Model prayer’s importance by praying as you begin all meetings, over decisions, pressing needs, and as the Holy Spirit leads. Allow individuals to hear and observe you and other prayer warriors. Mobilize women to pray. Schedule prayer around church-wide events, particular crises, or the national day of prayer. Public prayer modeling will impact private prayer lives as people imitate what they see.
4. Teach women to recognize when God is speaking. To experience a dynamic love relationship with God, prayer must be a dialogue. The art of listening is a learned skill. Unless a Christian is taught to recognize how God speaks, she will never enjoy an abundant relationship with Him. Teach formally and informally ways to know when God speaks. When an individual is connected to God, the motivation to pray becomes internalized.
This article is adapted from a chapter written by John Franklin and found in Transformed Lives.
