Topic: Don’t joke with Prayers
Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 17-18; Luke 21:1-19.
Memory Verse: “And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.” 2 Samuel 15:31 KJV
“And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom” 2 Samuel 16:23 (KJV). David knew this and he understood that if Absalom should heed the counsel of Ahitophel, he will surely win the war against him. He thought of what to do and within the short time he had, he prayed to God in 2 Samuel 15:31 (KJV), “ And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”
And in 2 Samuel 16:21; Ahitophel gave a counsel and Absalom followed it and that sealed his determination to replace his father. But by the time we get to 2 Samuel 17:1 (KJV), Ahitophel gave another counsel that would have sealed the fate of David as a King permanently as he would have been truly defeated by Ahitophel. Then God stepped in and answered the prayer of David in 2 Samuel 15:31 by turning the counsel ofAhitophel into foolishness as prayed by David.
Hushai, David’s friend gave a counter counsel to Ahitophel’s second advice to Absalom and both Absalom himself and his council of elders reacted to this counter counsel in 2 Samuel 17:14 (KJV), “And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.”
What prayer cannot do does not exist. What is the situation you are facing that appears you cannot win the case, please turn to God in prayer in sincerity. If you are committing any sin, please repent and pray to God in humility and total reverence in obedience to His will and wait for His response. Just like David got the answer to his request, you will also be answered in Jesus name.
The Bible says in James 5:16 (KJV), “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” You need to ensure you are in right standing with God if you want your prayers to be answered. Are you in any difficult situation and you are not saved yet, then you need to repent of your sins, accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, study the word of God to know more about him and have faith in the ability and willingness of God to answer your prayers.
Action point: Ensure you are in right standing with God and calll on him concerning your current challenges, believing he will answer and you will see his grace at work.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero