Pray with Specificity
specificity [spes-uh-fis-i-tee] noun 1. the quality or state of being specific
Many years ago, when I was a young man attending a Bible School, I was interested in a certain young lady. It seemed that the feeling was mutual, but somewhat uncertain. Each day we had a chapel service that included an abbreviated sermon. On Wednesday, Oct 15th 1986 , the speaker taught about praying for things very specifically. I don’t remember what his biblical text was, nor do I have any remaining notes, but I’m still very much attached to said young woman. Both of us were in that chapel service; both of us took the message to heart, and both prayed very specifically for clarity on that day in our relationship. The Lord graciously answered that set of prayers. I’m not going to go into more detail, but Lori would be happy to if you asked her about it.
There are a couple of scripture verses that come to mind, neither of which specifically specifies (trying to get that word to stick in your brain) to be praying in this manner. In the Lord’s prayer instance in Matthew 6:9-13, we are instructed to pray “Give us this day our daily bread.”, the “this” being somewhat specific. Similarly in Mark 11:23 speaking of faith, Jesus says “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast in the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.”
This then brings us to the following prayer challenge:
Pray that George will accept the Lord Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior before Bobby has to leave Greece and come back home. The process of salvation is a mystery combining the hearing of the gospel, the working of the Holy Spirit, the election of God, and the decision of man based on not just head knowledge, but heart knowledge. We don’t understand how it all works, but we have an opportunity to intercede with the Father on George’s behalf.
Pray that as Bobby has planted and watered, that he will also be able to reap this harvest to the Lord.