Prayer Network
An Invitation To Enlarge Your Territory
Lee Sale ’68, Coordinator of the JBU Prayer Network
Twenty five years ago I began praying earnestly for my life, my family, my church, and a few other interests in which I was involved. I had taken seriously the verse in I Thessalonians to pray without ceasing.
Several years ago, however, I was taken aback by Bruce Wilkinson's best selling book, The Prayer of Jabez. Bruce's thesis was that God was pleased when Jabez, in I Chronicles 4:9 and 10, asked God to enlarge his territory and to be with him. After reading this book I realized that my territory was very limited and was more focused on my business than on God's.
I have been involved with John Brown University since 1964 – as a student, the wife of an alumnus, the parent of a student, and now a trustee. Over the years our family has been significantly impacted in a very positive way by this institution. Recently, I came to understand that if I prayed daily for the students, staff, and alumni of JBU, I could enlarge my territory and pray for God's Kingdom to grow.
This University has almost 12,000 alumni in the US and almost 500 with international addresses, including our Walton Scholars. With over 400 graduates each year, the alumni ranks continue to grow. Come join us and enlarge your territory for God.
Why Pray?
Prayer is a form of serving God (Luke 2:36-38). We pray because God commands us to pray (Philippians 4:6-7).
Prayer is exemplified for us by Christ and the early church (Mark 1:35; Acts 1:14; 2:42; 3:1; 4:23-31; 6:4; 13:1-3). If Jesus thought it was worthwhile to pray, we should also.
God intends for prayer to be the means of obtaining His solutions in a number of situations:
- Preparation for major decisions (Luke 6:12-13)
- Overcoming demonic barriers in lives (Matthew 17:14-21)
- The gathering of workers for the spiritual harvest (Luke 10:2)
- The gaining of strength to overcome temptation (Matthew 26:41)
- The means of strengthening others spiritually (Ephesians 6:18-19)
We have God's promise that our prayers are not in vain, even if we don't receive specifically what we asked for (Matthew 6:6; Romans 8:26-27).
He has promised that when we ask for things that are in accordance with His will, He will give us what we ask for (1 John 5:14-15).