Why Pray Through the End-Time Chapters?

Maybe we need to start with, “Why pray?”  On the one hand, Jesus told us that the Father knows everything we need (Mt. 6:8). On the other hand, Jesus Himself spent long hours in prayer and taught His disciples to pray. In fact, they modeled praying from scripture in Acts 4:24-30, “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,  who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, and the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.’ For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

Here, not only did the apostles ask God for something  He already knew they needed, but they even quoted to Him scripture that He inspired! What does this tell us about the nature of prayer? For some reason, God has implemented the activity of prayer as the way in which He co-labors with us in the world. When He wants to do something, to bring something forth, to provide, or to intervene in local and national events, He waits for His people to listen to His heart, discern His will, then agree with His will by requesting that He do the very thing He wanted to do. Consider this from Isaiah, “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you… 19 … You shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; When He hears it, He will answer you” (Isa. 30:18-19). 

Or examine this exhortation from the prophet Joel: …For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?  “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; He relents from doing harm. Who knows? Perhaps He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him? (Joel 2:11-14) Here Joel warns the people of a devastating judgment to come and tells them that the Lord invites them to prayer, to turn to Him in repentance and prayer. Then Joel exhorts them to repent and pray that the Lord will intervene concerning the coming army and keep that army from destroying them utterly. Here we see the potential of God moving in response to our prayers.

So, why pray through the end-time-focused chapter of the Bible? One day I was in a daily prayer meeting at my church where we prayed for revival and for salvation for the lost. A man stood up and began to pray from a passage that I knew referred to what would happen in the Millennium, yet this man was asking God to do this now, in our very day. I thought, “Doesn’t that guy realize he can’t ask God to do it today if it something that God will do in the Millennium?” I felt the Spirit speak to me, “How will it happen in the Millennium if no one asks Me for it now?”

Jesus came the first time in answer to prayers—the prayers of Anna and Simeon and all who were longing for the Messiah to come (Luke 2:25-28). Even so shall it be at His second coming. He will return in answer to the cry of the saints:  And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say: “Come!” (Rev. 22:17). In the prophetic scriptures, God has revealed to us His plan, not only so that we can prepare for what is coming and rejoice in our future hope, but also that we might agree with Him in this plan and ask Him to implement it. Indeed, the end-time prophecies are a prayer book, if you will, instructing us in what requests to make.

The Lord waits for us to ask.