John Hull - Pivotal Praying: Connecting with God in Times of Great Need

WORDS OF PRAISE FOR PIVOTAL PRAYING

The last great unconquered frontier for the advancing cause of Christ may very well be the personal prayer life of His followers. My friends John Hull and Tim Elmore provide fresh and compelling insights. Read this book and get ready to tap the true power sourceespecially in times of need.

DR. JOE STOWELL
President of Moody Bible Institute
and author of Perilous Pursuits and Following Christ

Pivotal Praying is a powerful, yet practical, manual for those compelled to see Gods plan released in their livesand the world!

BECKY TIRABASSI
President, Becky Tirabassi Change Your Life, Inc.

Who regards his prayer life as strong and adequate enough? John and Tim have given us a valuable resource to drive us closer to that elusive goal. Pivotal Praying will both instruct the minds and stir the hearts of all who want to pray well.

RANDY POPE,
Pastor, Perimeter Church in Duluth, Georgia

Finally, a book that deals with prayer in the context of where we live! Pivotal Praying is a dirt-under-your-fingernails kind of book that, contrary to a lot of books on prayer, refuses to give you theory or theological surmise. It is a book you will read and use often, and it could change the way you look at prayer.

STEVE BROWN,
Professor of Preaching at Reformed Theological Seminary

Tim Elmore and John Hull have effectively communicated how to pray when you least feel like it. Pivotal Praying reveals practical ways you can connect with God when you face your greatest challenges.

ANDY STANLEY
Senior Pastor, North Point Community Church

With inspirational stories and insightful Bible study, John Hull and Tim Elmore teach us how to pray in the face of crises, unexpected turns in lifes road, and at times of crossroads decision making. Someone has said that life is the accumulation of our choices. Pivotal Praying is a road map to making wise choices, because in those pivotal choice times, it directs our attention toward pursuing the heart of God.

PAUL BORTHWICK
Author of Six Dangerous Questions
to Change Your World View and A Mind for Missions

Copyright 2002 by John Hull and Tim Elmore

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE,. Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission (www.lockman.org).

Scripture quotations marked The Message are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000. Use by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hull, John D., 1958
Pivotal praying : connecting with god in times of great need / John Hull & Tim Elmore.
p. cm.
ISBN: 0-7852-6483-3
1. PrayerChristianity. I. Elmore, Tim. II. Title.
BV210.3 .H85 2002
248.3'2dc21

2002007201

Printed in the United States of America
02 03 04 05 06 PHX 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Dedicated to pastors and their prayer partners who daily
experience the pivotal power of prayer.

CONTENTS

BY JOHN C. MAXWELL

I believe you are going to enjoy this book.

In it are the stories of men and women whove learned to connect with the heart of God. Dozens of them. Youll feel as if youre sitting down over coffee and conversing with biblical personalities such as Solomon, Esther, and Jobs friends. Each of them will shed some light on what he or she learned about pivotal praying. Some of them will share lessons they learned from their failure. Along with biblical characters, youll also hear from contemporary people like you and me, and hear how they experienced Gods supernatural invasion in their lifein response to their prayer. From President Bush dealing with the aftermath of September 11, 2001 to a set of parents who lost their daughter at the hands of a brutal murderer, you will experience the power of pivotal prayer and how it can change the course of our lives.

Along with each story, you will gain a principle you can use today. These chapters are loaded with handles on how to pray, not just 911 panic prayers, but handles on how to pray strategically and wisely in the midst of your worst days. You will learn how to pray when you face a new challenge, when you have failed, when you confront opposition, when your dreams dont come true, when you are in over your head, and when you just want to quit. I believe reading and practicing what youll find in this book will make you a better parent, a better employee, a better daughter or son, a better supervisor, a better friend... a better person. Why? Because you will pray better.

Lets face it. While prayer is simply talking to Godand anyone can do thatsome prayers connect with Gods heart and others dont. Witness the story Jesus told of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:914. Both went out to pray one afternoon, but only one connected with God. The Pharisee prayed a far more eloquent prayer, and demonstrated an accurate handle on Scripture. Unfortunately, thats not what God was looking for. The tax collectorfull of humility and reckless trust in Godgot the ear of his Father in heaven that day. The Pharisee went home empty.

As you set out to make a difference in your church and in your world, I cant think of a better place to start than by learning the power of pivotal praying. I recommend this book as a companion to Partners in Prayer. It contains what you need to experience Gods power no matter what situation you find yourself in. This book will provide for you not only a great study on prayer, but a track to run on as you seek God in your life. The case studies are blueprints for your prayer life, and the principles are tools you can use to build it into something great.

The two men who wrote Pivotal Praying are my friends and colleagues. John Hull and Tim Elmore provide leadership to my EQUIP team in Atlanta. They play key roles as we attempt to equip one million Christian leaders around the world over the next six years. With a huge goal like that, they have to be men of prayer! Both have been on a journey over the years to learn to pray wisely and connect with Gods heart each time they pray. I have seen the results of their prayers. I commend them to you as teachers. Youll find their style warm, easy to read, full of insight, and straight to the heart.

Take this journey with them. Decide now you are going to pray your way through this book, as they provide examples to follow from Scripture. I can only imagine what might happen if everyone who picks up this book would commit to pivotal praying from that day forward. I pray you take the challenge.