Powerful Prayers - Part 2

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “ Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”

God wants His people to be powerful prayers praying powerful prayers to Him and desires to hear those prayers. The Bible teaches that the Lord is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Our omnipresent God never loses His power or sovereign reign over His creation and will always hear our prayers. Do not forget that fact or lose sight of Him. Sometimes, it may seem that our prayers are void of power, but that is generally our problem and not His.

The miracle-working God in the Bible works supernaturally in this natural world that He created today. James 4:3 tells us, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures.” We need to expect that when we pray, that God is going to hear and answer that prayer. Maybe, we need to trust God more. God can work miracles in our lives and in the world; we need to trust Him and in the power of our prays. Trust and obey. Our prayers do not seem feeble to Him because He sees our heart and knows what we are trying to accomplish.

Every single one of us has the potential in faith to pray a powerful prayer. Faith in God’s promises and power to accomplish anything and everything we pray for with the right and godly motive; powerful prayers to a powerful God. There are times when God tests us to see if we are sincere in our prayers and faith. We are more than flesh and blood (which you can see), we have a soul and spirit (which you cannot see, but experience). Our prayers are in the presence of our ever-present living God, though we do not see Him face-to-face in this side of Heaven as He is spirit (yet created and maintains the physical world). Nothing is impossible for God. Through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross for our sins in god’s plan of Salvation, we who repent and believe have been reconciled and restored to our heavenly Father God on that soulful spiritual level. We can trust Almighty God and His promises.

Being a child of God, we need to be persistent in our righteous prayers. Our heavenly Father wants to see that we are serious in our prayers. Persistent praying help develop and strengthen our faith. The patriarchs of the Bible sought God in prayer and so should we. We should come to God humbly, but boldly approach the throne of Heaven with our prayers. We know that God loves us, cares for us, and listens to us. Perhaps, we need to be more reverent in humble adoration of Him when we pray.

 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

We need to be humble before God, pray fervently, diligently seek His face and His will for our lives, then turn away from anything and everything that is wrong in the eyes of God. Arrogance and pride have no place in our lives. We all have things that we think, say and do that are wrong; we all know that fact. We need to see their wickedness, repent of them, then ask God to forgive us, to help us to turn away from those things and walk in the Spirit. For Galatians 5:25 says, “If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well.” God is holy and just; perfectly pure, immaculate and complete in moral character. Mankind is sinful by nature through original sin; God is sinless. God’s will is perfect, all-knowing and flawlessly wise. In Joshua 5:14, Joshua said, “I am at your command, what do you want your servant to do?” and we should prayerfully ask that too each day. 

Let's conclude Pastor Herk's message on prayer in the nest post.

In Christ, Brian