BIBLE TRUTH
The
power of prayer is often misunderstood among those that are lost and without
Christ. Quite often, prayer is neglected
by many Christians, as well, because they don’t fully understand the
significance of what their prayers can accomplish through faith. From a human’s point of view, it seems that
because God is all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present, and all-wise, prayer is
futile. After all, what difference could
our prayers ever make in swaying the God of all creation’s decision on how to
govern our everyday lives?
While
this is a valid question that everyone has held in their heart at some point,
God’s word assures us that we are very important participants in how His Kingdom operates on earth. The power of prayer, as it is mixed with
faith, can completely change the course of history in an individual, a family, an
organization or a nation.
Are
you in the habit of praying to God on a daily basis?
1 Kings 8
45Then hear thou in heaven
their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.46If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;
47Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;
48And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:
49Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,
50And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:
A DEEPER LOOK
Easton’s
Bible dictionary describes prayer as intercourse of the soul with God. Effective prayer that touches the heart of
God should be intimate, sincere and humble.
Furthermore, in order for our prayers to move the hand of God, we must believe that He is a God who wants to answer our petitions with favor (Hebrews 11:6).
The
word supplication means to humbly plead
our case before a holy God. Additionally,
prayer and supplication (as described in the Bible) should always include repentance of known sins. When our repentance is combined with a deep
crying-out to the Lord for His mercy and grace upon our situation, His loving-kindness
reaches into the human atmosphere of time to bring about miracles of change in
our lives. God promises to be near to, and
to save those, with a broken and contrite spirit (Psalm 34:18).
Verses
45 and 49 (1 Kings 8) uses two words to describe how we get God to hear us.
What are these two words? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What
do you think Solomon meant when He asked God to “maintain their cause” as stated
in verses 45 and 49 of 1 Kings 8?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
List
the stipulations for attaining God’s favor through prayer that Solomon describes
in 1 Kings 8:47-48?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
James 5:16
16 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.
WORKING IN YOUR
LIFE
According
to the dictionary, the word effectual means that something is capable of - or
successful in - producing an intended result.
The meaning of the word effectual also encompasses the enforcing of a
legal or binding document.
With
this being said, James (the half brother of Jesus) is telling us that as we
confess our faults one to another and pray for one another, we position
ourselves to be healed by God. James
goes on to teach us the importance of approaching God’s throne with a clean
heart when asking something of Him. He
tells us to be passionate and enthusiastic in our belief system knowing that our
Heavenly Father will act according to His word for bringing about blessings in
our lives. In other words, according to
James 5:16, there are conditions to getting our prayers answered favorably.
What
are the five conditions that James 5:16 describes for praying prayers
that availeth (profit) much?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
REAL LIFE
EXAMPLES
In
Matthew 6:5-13 and again in Luke 11:1-13, Jesus gives us an example of how we
should pray. He begins by warning us
against impure motives and thoughts of wishing to be seen and heard by others
who will then think we are super spiritual.
Jesus tells us that the only reward that can be expected by someone who
prays a pious, religious prayer is that of earthly recognition. God will in no way act upon a hypocritical
concern or insincere petition uttered from the lips of any well meaning human
being who has impure motives.
The
prayer that Jesus models for us is not meant to be recited with a cold heart of
memorization. Instead, the Lord’s model
prayer should be viewed through the eyes of the Holy Spirit for understanding the
pattern for which Jesus explains how we should arrange our thoughts when
talking with Adoni (The Lord Who is God / Master / Ruler).
1)
First,
Jesus tells us to address God by His Holy Names (Hallowed be Thy Name) which
define His character. (Matthew 6:9)
2)
Then,
Jesus goes on to tell us to pray for heaven to manifest on earth because that
is God’s will. (Matthew 6:10)
3)
Next,
we should ask our petition of God.
(Matthew 6:11)
4)
As
we petition God for our needs, we should confess our sins to Him. We must also be willing to forgive everyone that we have held a grudge
against – no matter how just our bitterness may seem to be in our own eyes. (Matthew 6:12)
5)
We
should pray that God will always make a way of escape for us so that we will
not fall into the devils traps of temptation.
Pray that God will remind us to repent daily from all wrong doing and
pray that we will be empowered to avoid doing wrong in the first place. (Matthew 6:13)
6)
Lastly,
acknowledge that God is able and willing to answer our prayer and totally
change the natural laws of our bodies, our land or our circumstances in order
to bring about a miracle on our behalf and for His glory. This is according to the many promises found
in God’s word that should be hidden in the heart of every child of the
King. (Matthew 6:13)
Why
do you think it is important for us to call out the names of God at the beginning
of our prayer time?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In
light of the Lord’s Model Prayer, how do you view God’s will for us on earth?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MAKING IT
HAPPEN!
According
to 2 Chronicles 16:9, the Lord is seeking someone to bless! Our part in the matter is to remain humble,
righteous and holy in all of our ways.
There are no specific rules to follow for accomplishing a favored stance
before the Lord during prayer. His only
requirements are that of sincerity, repentance, faith, and humility. The Lord desperately wants to commune with us
in prayer. He wants us to worship Him
with childlike faith that is not ashamed of outward praise and adoration. Whether kneeling, standing, laying prostrate,
hands lifted high, head bowed low, crying, singing or shouting, God wants us to
be real with Him in all of our
ways. In return, He promises to show
Himself strong on our behalf (2 Chronicles 16:9).
Memorizing
God’s word, learning about His character, and renewing our minds will boost our
confidence in our prayer time. As we
acknowledge and agree with His thoughts
toward us – instead of our own evil thoughts about ourselves - we position ourselves for faith to believe
that He truly loves us and wants to do us good and not harm (Jeremiah 29:11).
Can
you recall a time of which you cried out to the Lord with a broken and contrite
spirit and asked Him for something specific of which He answered your prayer
with great favor?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
According
to today’s lesson, what can you do to practice having an effectual, fervent
prayer life that has the power to touch God’s heart and move His hand?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 Chronicles
7:14
14 If my
people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray,
and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from
heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
9 For
the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout
the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is
perfect toward him…
Mark 11:22-26:
22And
Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23For
verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou
removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but
shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall
have whatsoever he saith.
24Therefore
I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that
ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25And
when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father
also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26But
if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your
trespasses.
HOMEWORK
Study
Matthew 17:14-21 and Mark 9:14-29. Ask
God to teach you about the importance of believing His word. Ask Him to teach you the principles of
fasting for certain issues that cause you great concern.
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This Bible Study is one of many lessons created by Deborah Ross and associates. It is currently being used by Safer Communities Ministry and by Deborah Ross Ministries, Inc. A complete 27 week course will be available through printed book and via Internet soon.
By: Deborah Ross
Copyright@ Deborah Ross Ministries & Safer Communities Ministries 2012
www.DeborahRossMinistries.org / www.mysafercommunities.org
