Prayer

"Christ hath put the power of prayer into the hands of men, and the prayers of men have saved citys and kingdoms from ruin; Prayer hath raised dead men to life, hath stopped the violence of fire, shut the mouths of wild beasts, altered the course of nature, caused rain in Egypt and drought in the sea. Prayer rules over all gods; it arrests the sun in its course and stays the chariot wheels of the moon; it reconciles our suffering and weak faculties with the violence of torment and the violence of persecution; It pleases God and supplies all our need."

~Jeremy Taylor



I do believe Jeremy Taylor says it well. But for me, the best thing about this quote is not just that I like it or that it just sounds good, but, that it's true. All through the Bible prayer is encouraged, and used by all who truly seek God.



Although, before you start praying, let's ask ourselves a question:



To whom are we praying?



"Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up." ~Psalm 5:2-3



The Living God of heaven is to whom I pray....but, if you're an unbeliever..(or someone who has lost faith through heavy winds and the trying trials of your faith:)..you might be asking the question, "Is He worth praying to?"



Well, King David, who was a man after God's own heart, and who wrote the book of Psalms seemed to think so...



"Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping. The LORD hath heard my supplication; The LORD will receive my prayer." Psalm 6:8-9



And I too would say those words with all belief in my heart...1.) Because the Bible says so....""For the word of the LORD is right.." Psalm 33:4...And 2.) Because God has answered some of my own prayers throughout my short 17 years of life, more specifically the past 10 years of my life, for, this summer marked the tenth year of my salvation!



Now, I really wasn't planning on doing this, but I've decided to share with you a dear memory of mine...and that memory is the 1st memory I have of God answering my prayer.



I was nine years old, and had been saved for two years. I can't quite remember what was going on in our lives at that time, but I do remember that for a month or so at this point, I was very discouraged and kept thinking things like, 'God doesn't hear me'..and, 'He doesn't really care what His children might be going through'..and, 'He certainly isn't gonna worry about answering my prayers...even if He does hear them!" I think it was just a point in my salvation (like all other people who get saved and truly want to serve God:) where the Devil was working hard to get this toddler in the Lord to doubt my salvation, and God's goodness.



But one day that all changed. You'll probably (undoubtedly:) get a laugh outta this story, and I hope you do! But even more so, even though it could (And might very well be:) be rated a silly story, I hope it encourages you.



Have any of you ever eaten one of those wonderfully delicious, hard caramel/toffee candies called "Werthers"? Well, if you haven't then you should! Anyway, they were my very, very favoritest candies of all..(and still are on my favorite list:). Well, one Sunday my Dad and my 2 older brothers went street-preaching, and when they got back in the evening daddy told me he had something for me and he handed me....guess what he handed me?!....YES! A bag of Werthers! I was delighted, of course. So, through the course of the evening and the next couple of days I'd pop one into my mouth...and probably more often than I should have...but they were so good, I simply couldn't resist! All this time, though I'm luvin' the candy, my spiritual well being is not doing too good. But, in the afternoon of Tuesday I remember nearly galloping (wink:) into my room and grabbing a piece of candy every half hour or so. Well, we all know that a bag of candy only lasts so long, right? I knew that too..but I was dreading it. But, it came.



My memory is very clear at this point...I walked into my room, and over to my dresser I went to put my hand in the werther's candy bag and grab yet another cavity encourager (Though I didn't have a cavity until I was 17...Grin:)...but, it was empty. I was so upset. I placed my elbows on my dresser and cupped my chin with my hands, looking into the mirror, yet not seeing my reflection because of deep thought, I simply, but really meaning it, said, "Lord, it sure would be nice to have one more..just ONE more werthers!" The moment I said that I was quite inspired with great enthusiasm, and got a crazy impression to look under my dresser. I immediatly plopped down on the floor and looked searchingly under the opening of my dresser. Tell me...what do you think I found? Yes, low and behold, I found 'ONE more werthers!' I was so happy! I cryed and laughed at the same time; No, not because I had a piece of candy, but because God had answered my prayer. I thanked Him over and over, and from then on referred to Werthers as my Prayer candy.



See, I was a little nine year old girl, and, my Lord knowing that, had sent me a simple yet 'get to the point' answer to all my past discouragement. He was good. He did answer prayer. He did hear. He did care. To this day God still reminds me of that 'Prayer candy.'



That's my own personal experience, but here's some verses to back it up:



"Casting all your care (hey--'ALL your care' includes asking for just one more piece of candy...to the biggest things in your life:) upon Him; for He careth for you." 1st Peter 5:7



"And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." 1st John 5:14-15



"Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it." 1st Thessalonians 5:24



"But the LORD is faithful, who will stablish you and keep you from evil." 2nd Thessalonians 3:3



As Jeremy Taylor said, "Prayer pleases God"...it not only pleases Him, but it is something He has given to us so as to be our daily comfort and communion with Him. I'm so thankful I can pray to my God anytime, but it sure is mighty encouraging to be able to pray to Him and talk to Him when my heart is down and the rain is just pouring.....David the Psalmist says the same thing, but I like how he puts it better:



"When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until..(note: Remember that word...it's important:)...I went into the sanctuary of God.." Psalm 73:16-17



You know what these verses are saying? They're talking about all those hurtful things in your life that you just don't understand, and you think on them and it is 'too painful' for you. This is indeed a sad thought and I'll bet that whoever you are reading this can think of atleast one, if not many many more, things that you can think on that send you great pain and many tears. But you know, no matter how gloomy those thoughts are, let's remember that David felt the same way...but, the question is, what did he do about it?



It says it was too painful for him....Until....Until....Until he went where? Until he went into the sanctuary of God! My friend...Go. Go and speak to God in the sanctuary of your heart. You may not come back any clearer on God's direction, or what in tarnation is going on, but I believe you'll came out of that sanctuary knowing that God is there; Is able; Is your comfort; Is good; And will be there to help carry your burden. I love those verses..even now I'm encouraged myself by just posting this.



If you're not encouraged or believing in the power of prayer yet, then I ask you to keep reading..there's still a ways to go! The Lord has given me several more verses and thoughts, so I intend to bring all of it out...Keep ridin' cowpoke's...



I'd like to give you another example of a man of God that took prayer quite seriously...and therefore God took him quite seriously. Who? Nobody but Daniel himself.



This is what he says..."And I set my face unto the LORD God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession..." Daniel 9:3-4



Does God leave this man in the cold? Does Daniel ask and not receive? Does God forget His tender mercies and compassions that fail not?



Daniel speaks of God's answer in this next verse: "Then said He unto me, Fear not, Daniel: For from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words." Daniel 10:12



God is good. I'm sure Brother Daniel was deeply thankful, humbled, and full of praise to his God.


And here's yet another one...this one has always been a blessing to me because the Bible points out that he was a man just like us, and God still hearkened unto him...



"Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit." James 5:17-18



If you haven't noticed it yet, the Bible encourages prayer time and time again. And, here are a few more verses to prove just that:



"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." James 5:16



"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." Colossians 4:2



Even the apostle Paul said he prayed..."I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers." Philemon verse 4



The Bible even encourages you asking for prayer..here's a short one that gits right to the point:



"Brethren, pray for us." 1st Thessalonians 5:25



Now if I wanted to force someone to pray (which of course I certainly wouldn't do...it's what's from the heart in faith and sincerity that counts:), I'd scare the devil outta them by giving them these next two verses which show you what happens when you don't come to God....and honestly, these verses remind me of America...



"...All this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand Thy truth. Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: For the LORD our God is righteous in all His works which He doeth: For we obeyed not His voice." Daniel 9:13-14



I know this has been a long post, but I have one or two more things I'd like to write out. The next thing I'm going to give you is something God gave me as an encouragement this past year. I call it, "God's triple 'P' solution."



He's given us, through Him, a solution to our problems....and here's a bit-o one that I hope is a blessing:



1.) Prayer 2.) Patience 3.) Perseverance



Each of these words are Biblical, and starting with prayer in the first place, Patience & Perseverance play a definant role in your journey of Praying.



1.) Prayer "Pray without ceasing." 1st Thessalonians 5:17



2.) Patience "I waited Patiently for the LORD; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry." Psalm 40:1



3.) Perseverance "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all Perseverance and supplication for all saints." Ephesians 6:18



What is to Persevere?....To Persevere:



To persist in an undertaking in spite of counter influences, opposition, or discouragement.



Definition of Perseverance: The action of persevering: Stedfastness



God has blessed me with this and I like to remember it in my own personal prayers, and prayers for my family...for me it goes along with this quote:



"If we desire to retain our zeal for those for whom we are praying, and if their needs and distress are to move us to intercede for them daily, we will find that this does not take place without striving and wrestling on our part." ~Not sure where I found that'n



I do have loved ones that I pray for, and for me, praying for them is where patience and perseverance sets in.



"To live in prayer together is to walk in love together." Margaret Moore Jacobs



I'm gonna let yall sit in yer saddles and think on that for awhile, and simply leave off ridin' into the sunset with one final verse:



"And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God." Mark 11:22