THE POWER OF PRAYER.....

 

Today I’m wondering about the power of prayer and how important it is.  Giving our deepest concerns to Father puts our needs into His Big Hand and out of ours. As we trust Him in His Sovereignty to work things out in our lives and others, WE ARE NOT MOVED as I wrote about in the last post. 

Lately there seems to be so many people hurting, as friends and family share prayer request.  Listening to the hurt and pain in their lives, I hurt with them.  If not careful, it can make you feel so burdened until you remember He is there/here and wants to carry it for us and for those we are praying them through.

The simple person that I am as I have mentioned needed a way to remind me to give "Things" to God.  So I have use a good exercise I practiced over the years it really does remind me to give things that come my way to God.  I call it my "GOD BAG", I keep it in my closet to see it everyday......

Here's what you do.  Find you a bag, I got mind at The Dollar Store, write on the outside..."MY GOD BAG". Inside place a pen or pencil with a note pad.  When you have a need, give it to God by writing it out on a note and place it in the bag....DONE!  He has it now it is not yours.  You are only asked to Trust Him now with the things that are on your heart....   

Look with me at some of my notes I have inside for encouragement. Some are comments I heard or verses Holy Spirit put before me....
 

• Romans 8:34 “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”

• Prayer is communicating with God, He wants you to pray about what matters to you.

• Pray with gut level honesty. God wants that level of conversation with us.

Exodus 5:23-27 "The Message says.... Moses led Israel from the Red Sea on to the Wilderness of Shur. They traveled for three days through the wilderness without finding any water. They got to Marah, but they couldn't drink the water at Marah; it was bitter. That's why they called the place Marah (Bitter). And the people complained to Moses, "So what are we supposed to drink?"
So Moses cried out in prayer to God. God pointed him to a stick of wood. Moses threw it into the water and the water turned sweet. That's the place where God set up rules and procedures; that's where he started testing them. God said, 'If you listen, listen obediently to how God tells you to live in his presence, obeying his commandments and keeping all his laws, then I won't strike you with all the diseases that I inflicted on the Egyptians; I am God your healer.' They came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They set up camp there by the water."

• Be authentic in prayer, be honest with God.

Matt 6:5-7  “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

• God wants to be  part of your everyday life...

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - "Rejoice always,  pray continually,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
 

• Someone said one time, “I never pray longer than 20 min. And I never go longer than 20 min without praying.”

•  Pray and allow God to answer. Good to learn how to sit quietly and listen for Him.
• The hardest Discipline to practice is to "Wait"...

• Our motives matter...

James 4:3 “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

Proverbs 16:2 - “All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD."

• Here are more verses that bring encouragement concerning prayer....

Psalm 107:28-30 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven


Matthew 7:7  ”Ask, and it will be given to you seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.


Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”


Mark 9:29  And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”


Mark 11:24  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.


John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it


Acts 9:40 But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.


Ephesians 6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,


Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


James 5:14-16 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another,that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 

• Call Out To Him and Listen to what He says...

Prayer is our way to communicate to Father.  He wants to hear us Call out to Him.  When we are in a spot with no where to go Call out to Him He will answer.  I like the Devotional book “Jesus Calling” Sara Young wrote it with the thought of Calling out the name of Jesus.  Since I have read it for a year, I have begun to practice “Jesus Calling”.  There have been many times when I felt helpless and thinking I would not make it I called out the name “Jesus” and I felt His presence what a wonderful feeling to know we will never be alone He is There!!!