Displaying items by tag: Ben Jennings

‘In honor of our elder brother, Ben’

Ben A. Jennings, Th.B., D.D., our elder brother in Christ and a father to many of us in the international prayer movement has graduated from this life and gone into the presence of his Lord on Saturday, August 3rd. Ben was just short of his 96th birthday, having lived a full and fruitful life of varied ministry as a Youth for Christ minister, a pastor of several churches, and finally as a Campus Crusade for Christ staff person. His obituary states that “Ben's focus at Campus Crusade was on prayer and ministering to people around the world through prayer, conferences, published books, and seminars. His passion was that people would understand God's love, and His power to change people's lives through prayer.” That quote describes Ben’s heart for the Lord, for people, and for ministry so well. We in the IPC appreciated him so much and will never forget his loving, kind, wise and prayerful character.

Ben was the primary instigator who brought together a number of international and American prayer leaders to New York City in early December 2001 just weeks after 9/11. He invited us to discuss and pray about the formation of an international network that would coordinate prayer for global issues like terrorism, wars, HIV AIDS as well as the completion of the Great Commission. That meeting’s deliberation as well as our praying together at Ground Zero resulted in the formation of the International Prayer Council that was launched the following year.

Ben continued to serve on our Board of Reference and to take part in IPC events and initiatives. Even at age 90, Ben travelled all the way to Jakarta, Indonesia to join us for the World Prayer Assembly in 2012. There he was a hit with the youth during a Q and A session, who asked him and other admirable elders any questions that they might have about life in Christ, prayer, or any other topic they were interested in. You can hear Ben’s rich baritone voice share some encouraging tidbits about the power of united prayer during this video from the WPA. https://youtu.be/qmDeuokTQ7I

Below is an article that he wrote in 1999 entitled 'God's Wonderful Plan for Prayer'.

John Robb

Chairman, International Prayer Council/Connect

'God's Wonderful Plan for Prayer'

Prayer leaps beyond our finite world. Shaped by God’s very nature, it deals with the Creator, and launches people into the vast arena of God Himself.

Romans 8:26, 27 describes the action: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray (for) as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which are not spoken. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to (the will of) God. (NKJV, adjusted to reflect original Greek)

Prayer can be pictured as a cosmic circle engaging four major participants. At the zenith is God the Father, to whom prayer is rightly directed. Three intercessors engage in the action.

The first intercessor, at a “three o’clock position,” is God, the Holy Spirit, who does not articulate His passionate longings, but uses human intercessors to do it. (See verse 27.)

The second intercessor, at a lowly “six o’clock position,” is the praying Christian who needs to improve in prayer.

The third intercessor, at “nine o’clock,” is Christ Jesus, identified in Revelation 2:18, 23 as the Person in the Godhead who searches human minds and hearts. He prays for prayers He receives from His people.

A dramatic scenario unfolds here: God the Holy Spirit continually receives the Father’s purposes and craves their fulfillment. He expresses these groanings within praying Christians as cares, burdens, and even anxieties.

God, the heart-searching Son, receives those yearnings through His praying disciples. He perfects and empowers them; presents them back to the Father; gets them answered (John 14:13); and thus completes the circuit of God’s action in the world!

Four conclusions stand out in this panorama:

1. When you pray, you step into the arena of God’s plan for mankind.
2. Your praying connects the passion of the Spirit with the power of Jesus.
3. Praying does not change God’s will; it effects His will. (Matthew 6:10)
4. Praying is God at work through you!

Article is adapted from The Arena of Prayer, Dr. Ben Jennings, © 1999, New Life Publisher, re-published with thanks to Campus Crusade for Christ International