By Joel Comiskey, An Appointment with the King
I don’t believe a church can ever have enough prayer. Prayer is the oxygen of the cell church—and of the church in general. We must continually return to this theme. I see at least four key prayer themes in Scripture:
1. The Power of Prayer — Why We Need to Pray
God is sovereign. Yet in His sovereignty, He has chosen to work through the prayers of His people to accomplish His will. Prayer is not optional; it is central to how God advances His purposes.
2. We Are in a Spiritual Battle
We face a real enemy. Satan seeks to deceive, divide, and drag people down—and we’re seeing this more and more in today’s Christian world. People are spiritually blinded. Pastors are under attack. Churches are under pressure. We must take the reality of spiritual warfare seriously and respond in prayer.
3. Praying for God to Move — Revival
We desperately need revival. J. Edwin Orr, one of the most respected historians of Christian revival in the twentieth century, devoted his life to tracing how God renewed His people throughout history. He traveled widely, interviewed eyewitnesses, examined original documents, and studied awakenings across Europe, North America, and beyond.
His conclusion was remarkably consistent: authentic revival never began with gifted personalities or clever strategies, but with ordinary believers humbling themselves before God in earnest, united prayer. Orr summarized his lifelong research with this simple observation: “Whenever God is about to do a new thing, He always sets His people praying.”
Let’s call our churches to pray for fresh revival—locally and globally.
We often talk about multiplication in the cell church and the need for more leaders. But remember what Jesus told us to pray: “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:38, NIV). Before recruiting, strategizing, or training, we pray. God raises up laborers in response to prayer.
We have four weeks in March. Let’s explore the power of prayer together. Click here if you’d like to receive these blogs directly in your email inbox.
- Week 1 (March 06–12). The Power of Prayer — We’ll address the general theme of prayer and its central role in the cell church.
- Week 2 (March 13–19) Spiritual Warfare — We are in a battle. Satan seeks to deceive and destroy. How does prayer protect and advance the church?
- Week 3 (March 20–26). Revival — Let’s write about praying for revival in our churches and throughout the world.
- Week 4 (March 27–April 02). Prayer for Laborers — Jesus told us to pray for workers. Let’s ask God to raise up new leaders and multiply His harvest.
My prayer is that God will help us to pray fervently, knowing he is the only one who can bring about the desired changes in our members, leaders, and those who don’t know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.