…
2. Pray for the followers of Christ in Myanmar:

• That they would be still and know that God is God (Psalm 46:10; 100:3).
• That they would be awakened from the illusion that this life is long or sure or the main point of eternal existence (James 4:14).…

3. Pray for the millions of unbelievers near the calamity and far from it:

• That they would see the helplessness of man before the Power that rules the world and fly to Christ who alone delivers from the final cyclone of God’s wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10).…

4. Pray for those of us who live in the seeming security and prosperity of America:

• That we would see what is about to break over us in due time—either collectively as God removes the hand of his providential restraint, or individually as one by one we are whisked to the hospital, then wheeled to the nursing home, and then carried to the funeral home (Hebrews 9:27).
• That millions would be made to see this and repent from the adultery of treasuring anything more than Christ (James 4:4).…

Read the whole post from Piper.

I’m also greatly encouraged that our denomination has been working hard on getting immediate relief into the country, especially when there are so many political obstacles. Some details from our denomination:

Under the direction of the EFCA TouchGlobal Crisis Response team, ReachGlobal staff in Asia and our ministry partners in Myanmar, we are making preparations to assist those most severely affected by this devastating event. The immediate need is funding to begin the process of rebuilding lives in this area of the world. We want to show compassion to those most in need and through the efforts of our ministry partners and the generous support of our churches here in the United States, lives will be transformed.

God has shown favor to ReachGlobal by allowing us to develop an exciting ministry partnership with the Evangelical Free Church of Myanmar. This partnership has positioned us well for responding to this disaster with people in-country who can effectively meet the needs of their fellow citizens.…

We have established the Myanmar Disaster Relief fund and are accepting donations. Please send checks to:
Myanmar Disaster Relief Fund #21709–3989
901 E 78th Street
Minneapolis MN 55420

And finally, if you’re worshiping with us locally, CEFC will also help channel relief help through TouchGlobal to partner churches in Myanmar. I am especially moved that we can help empower local people to meet local needs. May God have mercy on us all.

1. During the week, pray for God to reveal the burden of the text to him.
2. During the week, pray that God would grip the preacher’s heart with His glory revealed in the text.
3. On Sunday morning, pray that God would free him from distractions.
4. On Sunday morning, pray that he would proclaim the truth boldly and clearly.
5. On Sunday morning, pray for God to powerfully speak through him.
6. On Sunday morning, pray that Christ would be treasured by all gathered.

It would be worth considering how to pray for hearers of preaching. That could be an interesting list. Afterall, preaching involves both speaking and listening. I’d probably start that list with a mediation on Mk 4:9.

So the standard practice for both public and private prayer is to speak so as to be heard by the Person with whom you are talking. Prayer is verbal because it is relational.

…I’ve known many people whose relationship with God was significantly transformed as they started to speak up with their Father. Previously, “prayer” fizzled out in the internal buzz of self-talk and distractions, worries and responsibilities. Previously, what they thought of as prayer involved certain religious feelings, or a set of seemingly spiritual thoughts, or a vague sense of comfort, awe, and dependency on a higher power. Prayer meandered, and was virtually indistinguishable from thoughts, sometimes indistinguishable from anxieties and obsessions. But as they began to talk aloud to the God who is there, who is not silent, who listens, and who acts, they began to deal with him person-to-person.

Powlinson surveys Biblical examples of prayer and concludes that contemplative practices like “listening prayer” or “centering prayer” are never taught in the Bible. (“Never” is a bit strong, as he also admits. e.g. Ps. 46:10.)

The main thrust of the article is that “God is profoundly and essentially verbal” because (I would add) God is profoundly and essentially relational. God is not triune to sit in silence with himself. Nor does he speak his Word to us so that we never utter a word to him.

With that being said, silence, reflection and contemplation point us toward prayer. “The true God quiets us so we notice him” (Powlinson, ibid.). Quietness creates a reverent space for us to personally offer to God our heart, building a relationship that he so graciously initiated with us through his first words to us.

“I have witnessed remarkable evangelical advances, not only academic but also pastoral, with churches growing spectacularly through the gospel on both sides of the Atlantic and believers maturing in the life of repentance as well as in the life of joy. Have I seen revival? I think not—but would I know?” [1]

When it comes to “Revival,” some of us expect too little when it comes to God transforming hearts. Perhaps this is due to a lack of faith or the comfort of low expectations. On the other hand, some expect too much drama (for lack of a better word) from God when we speak of revival. Because of such great expectations, we are shy to claim we have experienced revival. Packer continues:

“Touches of reviving, I suspect, surround us, and we are not always aware of them… What is certain, however, is this: God calls us, and wisdom directs us, to seek for ourselves the full reality of religion as [Jonathan] Edwards describes it, and to pray for the further reviving of religion, by God’s grace and for God’s glory, that all our communities have need of at this time.”

To clarify expectations of what is meant by the word “revival,” J.I. Packer summarizes elements of revival as laid out by Jonathan Edwards. I suggest we pray for and aim for these in our ministry:

1. God comes down (Isa 64:1)
2. God’s Word pierces (1 Thes 2:13)
3. Man’s sin is seen (Acts 2:37)
4. Christ’s cross is valued (1 Cor 1:23–24)
5. Change goes deep (Acts 19:18–19)
6. Love breaks out (Acts 2:44–45)
7. Joy fills hearts (1 Pet 1:8)
8. Each church becomes itself (1 Cor 12:4–5; 14:24–25)
9. The lost are found (Acts 2:41, 47; 4:4; 5:14; 6:7)
10. Satan keeps pace (Eph 6:10–20)

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[1] Jonathan Edward’s list of elements of spiritual revival is from J.I. Packer, “The Glory of God and the Reviving of Religion: A Study in the Mind of Jonathan Edwards” in A God-Entranced Vision of All Things, Crossway 2004)