Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 1-3; Luke 18:1-17.
Memory Verse: “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;” Luke 18:1 (KJV).
There are times that I had thought a situation was hopeless but nonetheless prayed and suddenly what appeared impossible turned around and everything fell in place. That is the power of prayer. On the other hand, you may expect that God will intervene so speedily and the thing takes so long such that you have almost lost hope! That is the sovereignty of God. It is important that we recognize that our timing is not God’s timing and so God may not answer our request at the time we expect because it is not the best timing for us. This is also another reason why you should pray and wait on the Lord for his answer. It is key that you should have faith in God that He can answer all prayers and that if He delays in giving you answers, it is in your interest because God loves you.
Praying to God over a situation is a form of humility; it implies telling God that you cannot resolve the issue yourself and needed God to help you. It shifts focus from you unto God. It shows you know your limitation and goes to God who is not limited in any way. And this is also what God expects of us. He says in Luke 11:9 (KJV), “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” God expects you to keep him as your ally seeking his face at all times.
It is important to note that you need to pray continuously for fulfillment of prophecies as well. When a prophecy is given to you, it is not automatic that it must be fulfilled. You need to keep calling on God to fulfill that prophecy until it is done. A church General Overseer was promised of an unusual expansion of the church by God but this did not happen for over twenty years. But it happened after! It is important to note that God’s promises may not be fulfilled as early as you expect but will certainly be done. This is why your prayers should be in faith.
What does prayer entails. It involves thanksgiving, praise and worship, confession and or request for mercy, petitioning God, Interceding for others and listening to God for direction. Psalm 100: 4 tells us how to get close to God so that he will hear you. It says, thanksgiving gets you into His gates and then praises will move you to his court where you can meet him directly. Thereafter, you are expected to confess any known sin to him and ask for mercy to cover both known and unknown sins. Why? Because God is holy and He does not behold iniquity. Hebrews 12:14 (KJV) says “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” When you have cleansed yourself, then you can offer a prayer of petition by making requests to God on what you need him to do for you. Thereafter, you pray for others presenting their needs and asking God to intervene. It is important to note that sometimes, you may not have your own request but rather come to God to intercede for others. After all these, you need to cultivate the habit of listening attentively to God to hear him speak back to you on what you have requested or any other issue.
Over time, you need to cultivate the habit of being sensitive to the Holy Ghost as God may speak to you at any time in the course of the prayer. It may even be at the time of your thanksgiving! Finally, it is better to always close the prayer with thanksgiving to God for the priviledge to speak with him.
Action point
Pray to God using the steps highlighted above.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero