Phil Wickham - On Our Knees: 40 Days to Living Boldly in Prayer

K-LOVE Books

5700 West Oaks Blvd

Rocklin, CA 95765

Copyright 2022 Phil Wickham

All rights reserved. Except as permitted by the US Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted without prior written permission from the publisher. For information, please contact .

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

First edition: 2022

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN: 978-1-954201-28-6 (hardcover)

ISBN: 978-1-954201-29-3 (eBook)

ISBN: 978-1-954201-30-9 (audiobook)

Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication data

Names: Wickham, Phil (Musician), author. | Litton, Matt, author.

Title: On our knees : 40 days to living boldly in prayer / by Phil Wickham ; with Matt Litton.

Description: Nashville, TN: K Love Books, 2022.

Identifiers: ISBN: 978-1-954201-28-6 (hardcover) | 978-1-954201-29-3 (ebook) | 978-1-954201-30-9 (audio)

Subjects: LCSH Devotional calendars. | PrayerChristianityMeditations. | Christian lifePrayers and devotions. | FaithPrayers and devotions. | BISAC RELIGION / Christian Living / Devotional

Classification: LCC BV220 .W53 2022 | DDC 242dc23

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

A S ONG OF P RAYER

On Our Knees is a devotional about prayer that began with a song I wrote called Battle Belongs, and that song ended up changing my life. More specifically, it changed my prayer life. I grew up in the church like many of you, so Ive always been around prayer. My parents were in the ministry, so it was part of my routine. We habitually prayed before meals. We prayed before bedtime. Of course, we prayed at church. And my parents taught my siblings and me that we were always supposed to pray for the needs in our community. The idea of talking to God was presented to me as something as natural as talking to a friend. It was so natural, in fact, that I began writing my own worship songs by simply writing prayers and putting them to music. Im thankful for that spiritual foundation I received growing up, but I didnt realize I still had so much more to learn about prayer. Then I wrote a song that became a prayer anthem, and it changed everything.

My friend Brian Johnson and I cowrote Battle Belongs, and I had no idea how God would use it to cultivate my walk with Him in a deeper way than ever before. So many people have asked what sparked the idea, and I wish I had an epic story about some huge moment in my life when God came through in miraculous fashion. The routine truth of the matter is that the words to the song began from a simple phrase that caught our attention about prayer: fighting on our knees. Those lines seemed to capture the mix of commitment and surrender that goes into praying. The first time I played Battle Belongs in worship, I can still remember how shocked I was to see every hand in the room lifted and people singing along with all their hearts. But the real story of Battle Belongs hadnt yet started in my life.

I dont think any of us could forget how 2020 began. As the world shut down around us and anxiety and hopelessness took hold, I was surprised by how much the words of Battle Belongs kept coming to mind. It became my fight song of encouragement when I felt disheartened. I found myself singing it while I did chores around the house, while I walked the dogs, and even as I put my kids to bed at night. It honestly carried me through the frustration, fear, and disappointment of that season. A few months later, the song was released to the public and the feedback was humbling. So many people reached out to share very personal stories like my own about how the song had lifted them up during that difficult season. The very words that helped me keep faith in the storm, stay courageous in the fight, and stay on my knees in prayer resonated with so many other people. I was humbled to see how God was using the song as one that the church could rise and sing as a prayer anthem.

It also ignited a fresh spark in my prayer life that began to slowly grow.

As the world reopened and we all began gathering in rooms again at church, singing Battle Belongs quickly became my favorite moment of every service. And as I played the song evening after evening, God started to challenge me to grow deeper in prayer. I began to wrestle with the truth of my spiritual walk: Did I really believe in the power of prayer? Did I really believe God was always listening? Did I really trust Him to move when we ask for something in faith? Did I really believe He still performed miracles? In the face of lifes battles, was my first instinct to get on my knees? If I really believed that the God who wields infinite power knows all things, has all wisdom, and loves me extravagantly is listening to me, then why didnt I pray as if I believed it? I wanted prayer to be my lifeline to God. I wanted to be reawakened to new areas of growth and intimacy with God. I wanted to embrace the truth that all the battles of my soul belong to God when I am on my knees in prayer. While prayer had always been important, I was experiencing a revival of spirit and embracing it in a new way. I opened my heart and allowed God to teach me more about how to talk to Him.

The spark of desire that God had ignited in my soul for a deeper understanding of prayer was burning brighter and brighter. I couldnt let it go.

So, it was this song that sent me on this journey through the Bible to learn more about prayer. As I wrote this book with my friend Matt Litton, we simply opened to the beginning of the Bible and couldnt stop turning the pages. We found our faith reinvigorated through the many lessons on prayer in the pages of Gods Great Love Story. We felt led to practice different ways of praying each day. And we wanted to explore questions about how prayer can impact our daily life.

I wanted to know more about trusting God with my requests. I wanted to learn from the prayers of the heroes of our faith like Moses, King David, Joshua, Nehemiah, and the apostle Paul. I wanted to look closer at what Jesus taught His disciples about prayer. I wanted to learn to pray with the foundation-shaking, sin-crushing, freedom-giving boldness of the early church. And what happened was amazing the journey of writing On Our Knees became a gift to me. God began using this book to teach me that prayer is so much more than a religious routine; it is a pathway to true intimacy with Him that will go as deep as you and I are willing to go. My heart has been awakened and my soul is on fire with the power of prayer as never before. God has truly moved my prayer life to the next level, and I cant wait to see what He does next.

Through my writing of this book, God has given me a new confidence and hope when I come before Him on my knees. Im learning to pray with the expectation that He will answer according to His perfect love. I have a new trust that He will do well beyond all that we could ask or imagine, and I invite you to join me on this journey to rediscoveror maybe even discover for the first timetruths about prayer. Whether you grew up in the church or have never even whispered a single prayer before, it is my hope that through the next forty days youll allow God to open your heart to prayer in ways that will invigorate your soul. I hope that you will learn to talk to Him as a friend, to fight on your knees, to be bold about asking God to move mountains, but also simply to sit in His loving presence. I pray that this devotional will encourage you to have the kind of conversations with God that will transform your life, your family, and your community.