Is prayer the most neglected part of ministry? In this episode, Peter Adam challenges our prayerlessness as a form of worldliness and warns that pastors must lead in prayer—not just in godliness or preaching. We explore why our prayers are often shallow, how pre-written prayers can train us to pray with greater depth, and why ignoring prayer in meetings and leadership is a missed opportunity. Peter also digs into what unanswered prayer reveals about our self-centred assumptions.

Peter Adam is a retired theologian who was previously principal at Ridley College and is now Vicar Emeritus of St Jude’s Carlton in Melbourne

  • Prayerlessness is a form of worldliness
  • Pastors must lead in prayer, not just godliness or preaching.
  • We need more varied and theologically rich prayers
  • Pre-written prayers (like those in the Prayer Book) train us to pray well
  • Prayerlessness in meetings and leadership is a missed opportunity
  • Unanswered prayer reveals our self-centred assumptions

TOOLBOX:

CREDITS:

This episode was brought to you by Lending Hands

The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠

To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠

For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠Support Reach Australia’s online library

TRANSCRIPT:
The following is an uncorrected transcript generated by a transcription service. Before quoting in print, please check the corresponding audio for accuracy.

00:00:00:00 – 00:00:11:02
Unknown
Team.

00:00:11:02 – 00:00:27:20
Pete H
Get on page, Hughes, and welcome to The One Thing. It’s a podcast designed to give you one solid practical tip for gospel centered ministry every week. So once it’s brought to you by Reach Australia, and we would love to see thousands of healthy evangelistic and multiplying churches. Pray for us. It’s one of the things we can easily let go of.

00:00:27:22 – 00:00:32:14
Pete H
Peter Adam has a new book out on prayer, and we’re talking to him today. Peter, welcome.

00:00:32:16 – 00:00:35:01
Peter Adam
Thank you. Delighted to be with you.

00:00:35:14 – 00:00:42:03
Pete H
Before we get into the podcast, can I ask you what what’s something that’s bringing you joy at the moment?

00:00:42:05 – 00:01:15:09
Peter Adam
Well, I’m at an age where I think every day is a gift of God. I suppose that’s true at any age, but when you get older, you realize that. So every day I thank God for another day. And, I find ministry an immense privilege. I’m more aware of that than ever. So I thank God for the great privilege of being able to pray or talk to someone, or read the scriptures with someone, or preach or whatever it is, even do an interview.

00:01:15:11 – 00:01:16:22
Pete H
So.

00:01:16:24 – 00:01:19:19
Peter Adam
Life is full of joy.

00:01:19:21 – 00:01:45:02
Pete H
I think that’s probably an attitude we should all have, no matter what our ages. Although I’m talking to my parents, that’s. They sort of. They’re at that age as well, where every day is a gift, and it’s something to be thankful for. So. Yeah, but we, we’re here to talk about your new book on playfulness. And I just want to remind you, you’ve pressed to play on another episode of the one thing playfulness and how Australian gospel workers could be better at it.

00:01:45:02 – 00:02:03:22
Speaker 1
Today’s podcast is brought to you by Lending Hand’s mortgage brokers. Are you tired of explaining ministry income to banks? Or maybe you just want someone who understands ministry life to help plan your finances. Lending hands. Mortgage brokers have helped over 30 ministers and gospel workers secure homes and save money on their mortgages. And we’d love to do the same for you.

00:02:03:24 – 00:02:18:19
Speaker 1
Whether you’re looking to buy a home or just want advice tailored to your ministry plans, they’re here to help. Is it lending Handscomb to you to organize a chat on how they can support you in stewarding your finances, so you can focus on ministering to your people? And now back to the podcast.

00:02:20:03 – 00:02:29:24
Pete H
Now, Peter, you have a whole chapter in the in your book on prayer. Lessness. Why do you think Australians especially are not great prizes?

00:02:30:08 – 00:03:00:00
Peter Adam
Yes, I think, it’s a form of worldliness, actually. We think of worldliness as being, you know, all sorts of exotic activities, but it’s, a worldly point of view to think that if things need to be done, humans need to do them. I think that, Genesis one gives us a very subtle picture of how God wants humans to act.

00:03:00:02 – 00:03:33:11
Peter Adam
We do have responsibility, but we’re also perpetually dependent on God. And that’s a constant theme throughout scriptures. If God is not working, then nothing will happen. We we breathe because God gives us breath. We think because God made makes our minds work. God’s sustaining the whole universe all the time. And if God or if Christ lost attention for a moment, the whole universe would disappear.

00:03:33:11 – 00:04:06:01
Peter Adam
All things hold together in Christ, whereas we think we have a kind of ongoing power to run our own lives. And that is just not true. We’re completely dependent not only on salvation, on God, but we’re completely dependent for creation and existence on God. And that realization, we need that realization, I think, to be truly, prayerful people.

00:04:06:03 – 00:04:34:01
Peter Adam
And, bizarrely enough, we’re so confident that God has spoken to us in the scriptures and praise God for that. You think that our natural response would be to respond to God? If someone speaks to you, the the right thing to do is to respond to them. So every Bible reading should lead us to prayer because if God has spoken to us, we should speak to him.

00:04:34:10 – 00:04:49:13
Pete H
Is there something particular about Australians that would lead us to that understanding of, of being self-sufficient, or is it just a general thing of the Western world that we, we think we can rely on ourselves?

00:04:49:15 – 00:05:13:08
Peter Adam
Oh, I think I think it’s probably that we’re practical people. So. You think you think when you’re preparing a sermon, for example. Now, what should people do in response to this sermon? By implication, we mean what are they got to do? They should. Well, to our default is you should read the Bible more because this is really good stuff.

00:05:13:10 – 00:05:40:24
Peter Adam
Or you should evangelize or you should change the way you live. But actually, the first thing to do when you read the Bible is to respond to what God has said to you. And it might not be anything you should do. It might be that God is our gracious Heavenly Father and what we should do is talk to him.

00:05:41:01 – 00:05:52:16
Pete H
Yeah. Yeah. I think that’s one of the great things I’ve loved about your book, is it’s put prayer in such relational terms. Right. And in our relationship with God. That’s what I’m talking about, right? Yeah.

00:05:52:16 – 00:05:54:06
Peter Adam
That’s right. Yeah.

00:05:54:08 – 00:06:22:08
Pete H
I know your book is addressed to Christians just generally, who are in church, but is that do you think there’s, something particular about the pastor’s prayer life? I guess one of the questions I particularly have wrestled with is, is there a difference between my life in but me praying for myself and my life as a Christian and my prayer life as a shepherd and, someone who cares for God’s people?

00:06:22:10 – 00:06:29:22
Pete H
Are they two different prayer lives? How do they interact? What what what’s your view of the pastor’s prayer life? Yeah.

00:06:29:24 – 00:06:58:13
Peter Adam
I think one of the most misquoted verses in our circles is, the verse from acts six. We often, we often quoted as they devoted themselves. We’ll devote ourselves to preaching and to prayer, but actually, the apostles say, will devote ourselves to prayer and the preaching of the word. So I think ministers should be devoted to prayer.

00:06:58:15 – 00:07:22:23
Peter Adam
And here’s a radical theory on Paul. It’s a, a new, a yes, a new, a perspective on Paul. And that is that Paul was fundamentally a prayer because that’s exactly how he describes himself. I’m always praying for you. I constantly pray for you. I always remember you in my prayers. A common theme in his letters.

00:07:23:00 – 00:07:33:10
Peter Adam
So from Paul’s perspective, he’s always praying. And I’m putting this habit radically and occasionally writes a letter or does some evangelism or preaches a sermon.

00:07:33:12 – 00:07:35:22
Pete H
Sure.

00:07:35:24 – 00:08:05:19
Peter Adam
I think that we should have our own prayer life, if I can put it that way, and up prayers with our family, of course. But we’re also called to be leaders in praying, not just leaders in evangelism or leaders in ministry, not just leaders in godliness, but also leaders in praying. And we need, one of our jobs is to pray, for our people.

00:08:05:21 – 00:08:29:14
Peter Adam
I, I was at Moore College a few years ago now, and, I was in for a week, and I was invited to attend the faculty prayer meeting at which they prayed for another 17 students. I think it was, or something like that. That is, the faculty was going through systematically going through the list of students to pray for each one individually.

00:08:29:16 – 00:08:58:24
Peter Adam
And the chaplain would, you know, point out the prayer needs and so on. And I thought, well, I didn’t do that when I was principal at Bradley, and I didn’t do that when I was vicar of Saint Jude’s. I never prayed through the congregational list, and I’m deeply embarrassed about that. And, we should soak, staff meetings and committee meetings and council meetings in prayer as well.

00:08:59:01 – 00:09:21:00
Peter Adam
And, here’s another confession. When I’ve been sharing a council meeting of any kind, I or a committee, I’ve often we’ve often prayed for the meeting to go. Well, we haven’t always prayed for the ministry. And I think why that is so obvious. How could I have missed it?

00:09:21:02 – 00:09:26:09
Pete H
So I, I am guilty of that. So thank you for rebuking me.

00:09:26:11 – 00:09:41:08
Peter Adam
And I try to make sure every conversation I have after church, ends with a prayer. That is, I think we should be naturally and easily praying with people who we should be leading in prayer. Yeah.

00:09:41:10 – 00:10:02:15
Pete H
Yep. Let let me let me move on. Actually, I know one of the chapters in your book, which I loved, was, How to Lead the Church in Prayer. I thought that was a really great chapter that is well needed. But I wanted to to see if there are other practical tips you had in terms of us praying as a as a church.

00:10:02:17 – 00:10:17:07
Pete H
I, I’m thinking also of I noticed there’s a, there’s a lack of prayer meetings. In the current church. Any any practical tips or any anything you would love to see in terms of how our churches should be praying?

00:10:17:07 – 00:10:23:15
Peter Adam
I would love to know that every married couple was praying together.

00:10:23:15 – 00:10:29:15
Peter Adam
I would love to know that all parents were praying with their children.

00:10:29:15 – 00:10:59:22
Peter Adam
And I also think that our prayers need to be more varied. The word prayer actually means to ask. But we also use the word prayer more broadly to include always say to God. And, we need to do, less list, less shopping list prayers and more, thinking God prayers praising God.

00:11:00:03 – 00:11:32:22
Peter Adam
Prayers confessing our sins. Prayers. More. Lament. Prayers. And and more. And then we can lead to intercession. I love, I made up a story about, Christmas and Grandma and grandpa’s. Come for Christmas was presents for Susie. And Sam and Susie and Sam are so excited with the presents. So they rip the presents open.

00:11:32:22 – 00:11:34:20
Peter Adam
They’re focused on the presents.

00:11:34:20 – 00:11:49:07
Peter Adam
Ripped them out, ripped the cover off, and, the the paper often get devoted to their presence. And mother says, don’t forget to say thank you to grandma, dear. So they look up and say, thank you, granny.

00:11:49:09 – 00:12:29:19
Peter Adam
And then back to the present. Was actually, what’s really valuable is grandma’s love and care, not the present. And, we, I think sometimes just take the gifts of God for granted. And other times we we’re thankful for the gifts, but not grateful to the giver. And actually, Paul, has a harsh word to say in Romans one about the Gentiles who don’t acknowledge God or thank him.

00:12:29:21 – 00:12:56:17
Peter Adam
And I notice, by the way, that Paul, often thinks God for people before he prays for them. And I found that really helpful if I think thanked God for someone my prayers, bigger and more adventurous and more hopeful. So it’s also the kind of prayers we pray. I think.

00:12:56:19 – 00:13:14:12
Pete H
I’ve it’s funny, I think I’ve noticed that more now as a parent. And when my kids were particularly younger, the lack of thankfulness from them. I think I felt that hurt. And then I realized how much more am I guilty of that towards God? Yeah. And I should know better.

00:13:14:12 – 00:13:16:20
Peter Adam
So Darius.

00:13:16:22 – 00:13:32:03
Pete H
In your book, you had a you’ve you’ve included a lot of pre-written prayers. And include and, and a number of them from the Anglican prayer book. Why is why is pre-written prayer is such an important thing. Why is the prayer book such a great resource?

00:13:32:05 – 00:13:56:09
Peter Adam
Yes. Well, the great question to ask is what you pray for Christians. We know what to pray for non-Christians that they’ll become Christians. What do you pray for? Christians? We pray that God will bless them. Well, there’s no harm in praying that and I’m sure God will hear the prayer. But actually there are there are more expensive prayers, such as the prayers that Paul prays.

00:13:56:11 – 00:14:25:01
Peter Adam
And you notice in the Old Testament. I was looking recently at Nehemiah’s prayer in Nehemiah chapter one. It’s soaked in Scripture. It’s informed by Scripture. It’s enriched by Scripture. The same thing with, Jonah, when he’s when he’s his prayer of thanksgiving after he’s been vomited out by official, about to be vomited out by a fish. It’s full of Scripture, as Jesus prayers were as well.

00:14:25:03 – 00:14:52:19
Peter Adam
So I think God gives us not only the ability to pray through the death of Jesus, our access to him, but he also in Scripture gives us the words to pray. So when I’m writing a prayer, unconsciously using the words of the Bible back to God, which is exactly what the prayer book does. It’s soaked in Scripture.

00:14:52:21 – 00:15:02:13
Peter Adam
We we learn to speak by listening to our parents. We learn the vocabulary our parents teach us. We learn to pray.

00:15:02:13 – 00:15:15:24
Peter Adam
we we learned to speak. With the words our parents speak to us. That’s how we learn language. We should learn to speak with the words that God has spoken to us in the scriptures.

00:15:15:24 – 00:15:32:14
Peter Adam
I don’t mean by that, that we should only ever pray words from the Bible. God is so gracious, but we can enrich, speaking to God by our study of Scripture and by turning, the Bible into prayer.

00:15:32:14 – 00:15:47:23
Peter Adam
So if every time we read the Bible, we should pray those words back to God to train us in speaking God’s words back to God.

00:15:48:00 – 00:16:15:05
Pete H
Can I ask a controversial question? There’s a there’s a clip. John Piper was speaking at the Gospel Coalition conference earlier this year. He he critiqued, a prayer that was written by artificial intelligence using ChatGPT. And he said, this is this is not from the heart. This is from the computer. Is this really praise to God?

00:16:15:07 – 00:16:22:03
Pete H
Do you have any thoughts about that? Using technology to shape our praise?

00:16:22:05 – 00:16:44:22
Peter Adam
Yes. I was amazed recently, I was running a prayer workshop, and somebody asked me if I had ever written a prayer on a particular topic. I forget what it was. I said, no, I hadn’t. So while the workshop was going on, he consulted his friend ChatGPT, whatever it is, and instructed to write a prayer in the style of Peter Adam of Australia.

00:16:45:01 – 00:17:08:06
Peter Adam
And it did it really well. And I thought if I had been writing a prayer, I probably would have written something quite like that. Now, that doesn’t worry me at all. If if computers want to do things like that, will. It makes them happy. That’s okay. And I’d be happy to pray that prayer. That is.

00:17:08:06 – 00:17:40:03
Peter Adam
I don’t mind where the prayer comes from. I think John Piper’s point to that was that machines can do words, but not emotions. And I need to feel that prayer. And that is true. So I think some prayers are worth praying, even if I don’t feel particularly strongly about them. So I pray every day that God will make me a more loving person.

00:17:40:05 – 00:18:04:14
Peter Adam
I don’t always feel I want that to happen, but I know God wants me to pray it. So I pray it. And God in his mercy will answer that prayer, because God is so gracious that he doesn’t depend on the quality of our prayer or the quality of our emotion in asking it. I’m not saying wish we should pray prayers.

00:18:04:14 – 00:18:26:19
Peter Adam
Hypocrites, but I am saying that God is very gracious and will take the words we use, and will answer them because his son died so that we could pray. He died so we could grant access to our Heavenly Father.

00:18:26:21 – 00:18:34:07
Pete H
You have a whole chapter on unanswered prayers. Why do you think we struggle with this?

00:18:34:09 – 00:18:43:16
Peter Adam
But it’s so it shows how miserably self-centered we are that we think if we ask for something, we ought to get it.

00:18:45:00 – 00:19:24:01
Peter Adam
But, the answer no is still an answer. The five year old wanting an ice cream, persistently asked for an ice cream. Nagged. Nagging, nagging asks for an ice cream and does not accept that the answer might be no. And that, I think, indicates for me anyway, how how self-centered I am and how untrusting I am that God actually rules the world for his glory and also for our good.

00:19:24:03 – 00:19:51:07
Peter Adam
So I’ve prayed many prayers, some with tears, which God had, to which the answer has been no. Looking back 20 or 40 years later, I think what’s got your way was right. I’m so glad you didn’t give me what I wanted. Now, this is a really painful issue. I know for some people, but ultimately we have to trust God.

00:19:51:09 – 00:20:01:12
Peter Adam
That’s the good and gracious ruler of this world. And his will doesn’t always correspond with our wants and desires.

00:20:01:22 – 00:20:21:03
Pete H
And, if I can add to that as well. What is good for us? I know there’s been areas in my prayer life I’ve struggled with where the answer has been no. And I thought it was in line with what God wants from his word. And I think it was, but I don’t think it was good for me.

00:20:21:05 – 00:20:33:09
Pete H
Again, looking back in the wisdom of hindsight, it was because God is a loving father to me. Not just because he was, he was a machine, and I was pressing all the right buttons to make that happen.

00:20:33:11 – 00:20:36:05
Peter Adam
That’s exactly right there. That’s my experience as well. Yeah.

00:20:37:10 – 00:20:44:12
Pete H
Peter, what’s what’s the one thing you would love pastors particularly to know about the importance of praise.

00:20:44:21 – 00:21:20:11
Peter Adam
Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. You cannot do any good work, any good ministry without God at work, in you and through you and by you. And it’s only polite to thank God that he continues to work in in you, with you, and by you, and just keep saying to him, I’m dependent on you working within me, and I’m completely dependent on you working in other people’s lives.

00:21:20:11 – 00:21:49:12
Peter Adam
If God isn’t calling people to faith, and my evangelistic effort will get nowhere at all. If God’s not at work, the church won’t grow. If God’s not at work, no one will be conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus. We have real responsibility, but we are absolutely dependent on our Heavenly Father for everything. Even gospel ministry.

00:21:49:14 – 00:22:15:09
Pete H
Very wise and gospel soaked, which is what I really, really do love. Yeah. In the toolbox, we will have a link to, Peter’s book, gratefulness, which is, published by Matthias Media. Also some access to his, website, which has some terrific resources on the prayer. I’ve also got an article from the Gospel Coalition in there about, leading intercessions in church.

00:22:15:09 – 00:22:30:14
Pete H
If you’re not, if you’re interested in Luke having a taster of the book that is a great one to, to have a look at. Peter, I’ve never asked anyone on our podcast to do this, but I was wondering, would you mind praying, for those who are listening right now, would that be okay?

00:22:30:16 – 00:23:00:15
Peter Adam
Oh, it’s a wonderful idea. I’d be delighted. Dear, gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you that in your mercy and kindness you sent your son so that we could call you our father. Thank you for the forgiveness of our sins and for the gift of eternal life. And thank you that you summon us into your presence through Christ, our great High Priest.

00:23:00:17 – 00:23:28:15
Peter Adam
Thank you that as we pray our prayers through him, you hear our prayers as it were, from the lips of your Son, Lord Jesus, and we praise him. Thank you that your Holy Spirit is at work within us, prompting us to pray to you, our Heavenly Father, and also, improving and correcting and filling out the prayers that we often pray in in our ignorance.

00:23:28:17 – 00:24:00:03
Peter Adam
So please give us great delight in turning to you and returning to you again and again. Please help us to praise you and thank you. Please help us, to confess our sins to you and receive your assurance of forgiveness through the scriptures. Please help us to lament the really sad things in our lives and in our churches and in our world.

00:24:00:05 – 00:24:16:22
Peter Adam
And please, drive us to intercessory prayer. For our churches, for people who don’t know you, for your great gospel plan, for this world and for the welfare of all nations.

00:24:16:24 – 00:24:29:21
Peter Adam
Thank you that you call us to pray. Summon us to pray, and enable us to pray. Please hear and answer our prayers in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

00:24:29:23 – 00:24:38:00
Pete H
Man. Peter, thank you so much for joining us. And I thank you for writing the book and thank you for your praise.

00:24:38:02 – 00:24:41:07
Peter Adam
Thank you. Thanks, Peter. Great to be with you.

00:24:41:09 – 00:24:43:11
Pete H
I’m Peter’s chat, chatting.

00:24:43:11 – 00:24:46:11
Unknown
you?