Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer. Psalm 66:20 NLT
If we honestly look back on the character of our prayers, we will be filled with wonder that God has ever answered them. There may be some who think of their prayers as worthy, like the Pharisees did—but true Christians, with an enlightened consideration, weep over their prayers. If we could retrace our steps, we would want to pray more earnestly. Remember, Christian, how cold your prayers have been. When, in your place of prayer, you should have wrestled like Jacob did, but instead, your petitions were faint and few. They have been far removed from that humble, believing, persevering faith that cries, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:26). But it is wonderful to say that God has heard these cold prayers of yours—and not only heard them but answered them! Think too how infrequent your prayers have been, unless you were in trouble—then you’ve often gone to the mercy seat. But after God’s deliverance came, where was your constant praying? Still, even though you stopped praying like you once did, God did not stop blessing. When you neglected the mercy seat, God did not desert it; the bright light of the Shekinah glory has always been visible between the wings of the golden cherubim. It is a wonder that the Lord pays attention to those intermittent spasms of prayer that come and go with our needs. What a God He is to hear the prayers of those who come to Him with their pressing wants, only to neglect Him after they receive mercy! What a God He is to hear those who approach Him only when they are forced to come, but forget to address Him when mercies are plentiful and sorrows are few. May God’s gracious kindness in hearing such prayers touch our hearts, so that going forward we may be found “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:18 ESV). C.H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening
Oh I can relate to this, the ups and downs of intense prayer times.
I often use a odd service whereby you send yourself email into the future. On a preset day you will receive an email.
A very impactful song of MercyMe to me is "Dear Younger Me".
I often escaped reality in science fiction as a child. Before being caught up in Star Trek novels, it was Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Before them was The Hardy Boys.
Things to use to take my mind from reality to somewhere that I could enjoy life without restrictions. If only I could go back and tell myself how to pray better that would have been the better thing to do. But as their song says it's those things that I did go through are what made me who I am today.
Prayer can change the here and now as well as the future of myself and others. It can go to the Throne of God in an instant, unhindered. It can then go from the Throne of God to anyone, where I cannot go, and be effective.
Prayer is our conversation with Jesus. It's how, in this world, a person is turned from a stranger to a friend. From an adversary to something less.
Scripture says that we must believe that He is. Present tense. We must open up our hearts to be honest with yourself and God. Letting go of self to allow more of what the Spirit wants to do with you.
Prayer, in the context of talking to God the Father, through Jesus Christ the Son, in the Holy Spirit is the most powerful force in your life. Elijah prayed and it kept rain from falling for years. He prayed again and the clouds came and opened up the sky. Prayer has brought back people from the dead. Prayer has reshaped lives. But only when in that context. There is no other to whom anyone can pray that can or will do what only God can. To pray to anything or anyone else is to pray to the wind. As soon as the words are said they are meaningless. To pray to anyone else but the God of the Universe is to pray to demons. We pray in Jesus name. The most important name in and out of History.
I am not the most powerful nor perfect pray-er. I stumble through prayers myself. I often end up repeating my pleas. I often don't have the right words to express myself. I try to remind people that the Spirit brings to mind. I cry out often because of the fears that often plague my mind at dealing with the people I have to interact with.
More frequent prayer changes you as well as the people you pray for. Jacob prayed concerning his brother Esau. Both were changed. If you look at Joseph's life, after being sold into slavery, he probably had a supercharged prayer life. It eventually changed his family and himself.
Sometimes prayers don't get answered immediately. All in God's time, not ours. God answers with, Yes, No, not right now, or wait, I have something better in mind.
In Daniel we read of how Satan tries to put up obstacles between a prayer response and the person getting that response.
If indeed there was some way to tell a younger me anything it would be to pray more and worry less. To tell myself of times and places to go left instead of right. Of when to do something or not would have been nothing compared to how that would have changed my life.
The past cannot be changed. Regardless of the books and theories, there's only been 2 time travelers. Jesus and John. Jesus exists in all of time from its creation to its end. Can go anywhere in it if He so chooses. John was taken to the future to see and write of what was to come. The book of Revelation. A very important aspect of that is the beginning of that book. Only in the Spirit was John going to the future. Humans never will on their own. It takes an act of God to make it possible.
But getting back to prayer...we miss out in so much in relationship building with Jesus by not praying. So many millions of people have been given the wrong idea about praying and prayer throughout the centuries. In prayer we get to get to know Jesus. We get to enter the Throne room of God. We get to learn from Him. We learn of things through prayer that we never will apart from it.
Prayer requires honesty. It isn't the unloading of a grocery list of wants and desires. It's confession of sin. It's asking for mercy. To be thankful for the unmerited favor of Jesus. To learn what love really is, not how the world describes it. It is all of this and more. But it all starts with you.
Start having your own conversation with Jesus today. Begin your day on the right foot.
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