Revelations IV

by Proverbs 31 Woman!

THE VITAL KEY: PRAYER

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

Phil. 4:4-6

Real Life:
How amazing it is to be aligned with God in spirit. For the last three Sundays now, Pastor Joe’s sermons talked about what the Lord revealed to me last year. As I was going through my journal, it was evident to me that He was talking about the same things. I was telling my husband yesterday at church that this was not a coincidence. It is indeed a confirmation of His word of instruction to His people. I remember someone said to me before, “If you hear the same message over twice, God is telling you something. Take heed.”

During my desert experience, it was the very time when everything seemed to go downhill. Aside from my failing the examinations, my family was faced with financial difficulties and challenges as well. In my desolate state, my mind was bombarded with questions: “Why couldn’t the Lord show himself powerful in our situation? Why are you far from me, Lord? Why are we merely treading on water and trying to survive? Why?… Why?…. Why?” My heart ached as I pondered upon these hard-hitting questions.

I knelt down and wept in prayer. Gradually, as I sought the Lord, a number of promises from his Word came alive. In my heart, as I began to rely upon them in prayer, God dispelled my sense of being overwhelmed. The Holy Spirit was helping me to understand the truths of Scripture, which in turn gave me the faith to trust the Lord.

One of the best gifts God gave at that time was teaching me to come to Him in sincere prayer. The Bible says: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30. Upon reading this, I wept again.

More and more I realized that prayer was the key. Why did God emphasize prayer?

*Prayer is a form of serving God (Luke 2:36-38).

*We pray because God commands us to pray (Philippians 4:6-7).

*Prayer is exemplified for us by Christ and the early church (Mark 1:35; Acts 1:14; 2:42; 3:1; 4:23-31; 6:4; 13:1-3). If Jesus thought it was worthwhile to pray, we should also.

*God intends for prayer to be the means of obtaining His solutions in a number of situations:
a) Preparation for major decisions (Luke 6:12-13).
b) Overcoming demonic barriers in our lives (Matthew 17:14-21).
c) The gathering of workers for the spiritual harvest (Luke 10:2).
d) The gaining of strength to overcome temptation (Matthew 26:41).
e) The means of strengthening others spiritually (Ephesians 6:18-19).
f) The means for physical healing (Genesis 20:17).

We have God's promise that our prayers are not in vain, even if we don't receive specifically what we asked for (Matthew 6:6; Romans 8:26-27). He has promised that when we ask for things that are in accordance with His will, He will give us what we ask for (1 John 5:14-15).

A lack of prayer demonstrates the lack of faith and a lack of trust in God’s Word. We pray to demonstrate our faith in God, that He will do as He has promised in His Word, and will bless our lives abundantly more than we could ask or hope for (Ephesians 3:20). Prayer is our primary means of seeing God work in others' lives. Because it is our means of "plugging into" God's power, it is our means of defeating a foe and his army (Satan and his army) that we are powerless to overcome by ourselves. Therefore, may God find us often before His throne, for we have a High Priest in heaven who can identify with all that we go through (Hebrews 4:15-16). We have His promise that the fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much (James 5:16-18).

MY SILENT PRAYER

(written during my desert experience)

I come to you, O Lord in prayer,
Knowing and believing, you're always there;
With folded hands and bended knees,
Prayer, I know, is the ultimate key.

I wept, my heart in despair,
I asked if You ever care,
"Trust and Obey", was all I could hear,
In my heart, t'was ever so clear.

"Come and taste my goodness," You mused,
All the while I wandered, so confused.
In the desert, I was dry and alone-
Bewildered, I pondered until dawn.

Finally, I released of myself and stripped off,
Suddenly, fresh anointing of Your Spirit, I felt.
So gentle, so loving, so fragile, so soft,
Before His throne, with humility, my heart melts.

In prayer, relentlessly, unknown,
My God, in His favor, He has shown-
True love, my burdens He has carried,
For me on the cross until He was buried.

You gave me Hope, You gave me life!
Through resurrection power, You are my light.
My heavy yoke, the battle is not my fight,
But by Your Spirit, not mine power nor might.

Precious dear Lord, I thank you, I pray-
I will hear of you, in Your arms I stay.
In my silent prayer, You teach me to do,
In my life's journey, you leadeth I go.

May God glorify His name in our lives as we believe in Him enough to come to Him often in prayer.

Prayer:
“Dear Jesus, thank you for teaching us to pray. Thank you that in your name, our battles within are silenced in prayer. Thank you that when we call upon your name, You come and hear our cry. Thank you that when we pray, You answer what’s best for us, in your perfect time. Amen.”

Prayer.... Make it a lifestyle. I have written more about it in my website: Proverbs 31 Journal's Prayer Tray. Click here for the link:
http://jensnursingchronicles.blogspot.com/2008/01/prayer-tray.html

Coming soon…Revelations V. “Give and it will come back to you”