Who are these men?
These men will come from every corner of the earth, with diverse backgrounds, some of them well educated and others not. They may have families or they may live alone. Some of them will be old, others young. Their occupations will be equally varied: farmers, businessmen, ministry leaders, professional services, politicians and government employees, baristas, teachers, woodworkers, etc.
We will not be able to distinguish this new breed of men by any demographic criteria.
Instead, when I pray for this new breed of men, I ask that they would be known by these characteristics:
Lord, will you raise up and establish men of prayer, of the Word, and of conviction. Men who have been alone with You and have been changed because of it.
Even as Moses’ face shone when he came down from the mountain, so much so that the people were afraid to come near him; and even as Peter and John spoke with such boldness that the people marveled as they realized these men had been with Jesus, likewise change this new breed of men so dramatically, Lord.
Make it evident that these men have been alone with You.
Give them the priority of Jesus Christ. May He be preeminent in all areas of their lives. Make everything else (family, occupation, self-actualization, hobbies, personal time, exercise, personality traits) secondary.
Refine them in purity. Purify their thoughts, motives, desires, and actions. Let nothing remain untouched by the holiness of Your presence.
Place a drive inside of their hearts for excellence in the area of prayer (both private and public) before any excellence in appearance, performance, decorations, lighting, music quality, kids programs, etc.
Grant them the ability to worship you in both Spirit and Truth. Give them a fascination for knowing You that leads to burning affection, undignified devotion and sacrificial love.
Help them to speak the truth in love rather than to speak love in tolerance. This is only possible when You show us the revelation of Your holiness, for only then can we call sin as sin and hate sin as You do. Show us Your holiness then Lord. Give us even a glimpse, for we know just a glimpse will forever change us. May we grow to take our delight in the law of the Lord, rejoicing in the keeping of Your commands.
Help this new breed of men see the urgency of time, to live every moment of every day in light of eternity, as they eagerly wait for and expect Your return in great confidence and prevailing endurance.
And in light of the passing away of all things temporary, I pray for these men to be content as strangers, pilgrims, and wanderers on this earth. Raise up men who are able to forsake the riches of Egypt, because they persevere, ‘as one who sees Him who is invisible.’
Lord, make them able to ‘bow the knee to the Father,’ knowing that those who bow to the Father, will, “never bow the knee to anyone else.” (Leonard Ravenhill)
Remove their pride as well, oh Lord. For we know that You oppose the proud but give grace to the humble. Break their pride by whatever means necessary. Help them to see the cross clearly, and may the cross become their chief message, their source of rejoicing, and their only boast.
Grant them the grace to be able to say as Paul, “I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Galatians 6:14
And be kind to them as you lead them to repentance, allowing them to proclaim boldly, “The word has been crucified to me through the cross, and I to the world.” v. 14
Help them to stand firm in the face of those who call this glorious cross offensive. Even as this new breed of men face mockery, persecution, torture and mistreatment for refusing to compromise on the purity of this cross-centered Gospel, help them to hold fast.
May they see these momentary afflictions as light compared to the weight of glory which awaits. Give them heavenly understanding and open the eyes of their heart to see this testing as refinement, suffering as joy, and trials as the path maturity.
Your word prepares us for such a time as this, so help us to study Your word in diligence, consuming it as our daily bread, and submitting to it in all areas of our lives. Help our lives to bear witness to a conformity to the Scriptures. Your Word, not ours. Your will, not ours. Your standard, not ours.
Help us to reach the conclusion of all your faithful saints who have gone before,
“The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Psalm 118:6
“So we may boldly say: ‘The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” Hebrews 13:6
“In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Psalm 56:11
Likewise, let us echo the words of Paul, “From now on let no man trouble me; for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Galatians 6:17
Yet I know that this kind of overcoming faith does not come through human understanding or mere intellect, it comes only through your Spirit. So I pray even now that you would lead and guide these men into all truth.
Help them to know You as You truly are. No imitations, no shadows, no creations made in our own image, no words spoken without knowledge - but a true knowledge of God which begins in a fear of the Lord and continues, ‘being rooted and grounded in love,’ so that we ‘may be filled with all the fullness of God.’ Ephesians 3:17,19
Raise up this new breed of men Lord. From every corner of the earth, establish them exactly where you would have them. We may never know their names, but You will, and your glory will be seen through their lives, as they are “strong and carry out great exploits.” Daniel 11:32
All for Your name. All for Your glory. All for Your kingdom. Come quickly.
We ask these things in the name of Your Son. Amen.
Will you join me in this prayer?
In love,
Derek