Have you ever called out to God and received an answer like ‘I’m away from the throne right now can you try later or leave a message and ill get back to you.’?
Jeremiah 3:33 tells us,
Call unto me and I will answer you and show us great and mighty things which we do not know.
Isn’t it great that we can approach our Father in heaven at any time and we just know that He is always there always listening and just loves hearing from us. He is there to guide, teach, defend, vindicate or even just listen to us its so, so, good in fact.
The bible helps us to understand that prayer is our way of talking to God and when we pray, we can also use Jesus’s name to pray in. Jesus taught His disciples how to pray in His name and so do we, isn’t it amazing how thousands of years later we are still using the bible learning from it and the word is so alive today.
John 16:23 -24
Jesus is giving his disciples information on how to pray saying: ‘Verily, verily I say unto you whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name He will give it to you’.
He even adds that ‘Until now you have asked nothing in My Name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full’.
So, He, is now instructing us to pray in His name. and also letting us know that we can ask in prayer for those situations that concern us.
The name of Jesus.
Because Jesus came to give His life for each of us so that we have freedom, and it is in His authority that we are to pray.
Mark 11:24
Therefore, I say unto you, what things soever you desire when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.
We also should be aware that our hearts are in the right place as the next verse teaches us.
v25
And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any: that your Father which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
But if you do not forgive neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
On forgiveness he is asking us to forgive if you have had words with someone, spoken or gossiped about someone including politicians/leaders /pastors etc,
Many Christians start by saying I am just sharing with you but at the end of the day it is really gossip and sometimes we just need to rest the urge to do that and just cry out as David done in the psalms and ask God to create in me a clean heart O’ God Amen Psalm 51:10
Also if we can try not to get angry or jealous with Gods help.
James 5: 13
Is any among you afflicted (or in trouble) let him pray.
Its good to have and know people who can pray with you and I certainly ask for prayer occasionally however it’s a believers own prayers that are the most important.
This scripture is saying if we have trouble we should pray because when we pray ourselves (and we have been given that authority) you are talking to Jesus direct and you are fellowshipping with Him. It will strengthen your faith it will bring you closer to Him it will strengthen your belief more so when you have an ongoing dialogue with Him throughout the day and you know that He is listening to you it really gives you comfort. And best of all our intimacy with Him increases.
He becomes the person we most need to confide in and share our concerns with.
Let’s think about the woman with the issue of blood she was not prayed for she prayed for herself saying if I could just touch the hem of His robe and believed in faith she would be healed so, she prayed, and she also took action and she got her miracle. Sometimes we need to do both to receive what Father has for us. This will build up our faith and our confidence in Him.
So how do we receive, well Mark 11 is a great place to start and if you are praying for say healing / financial / family restoration etc, Find the scriptures that relate to your request and use them to pray.
Depend on the Holy Spirit to help you. You cannot do it yourself,
When trouble comes so does doubt.
It takes the word to combat word that’s why Jesus was in the wilderness and satan was unworried because he was throwing the word at Jesus, and if we do what Jesus did and answer him back using the word it will yet again build our confidence. when we read our bibles this helps to keep us prepared so satan does not steal our health, our peace wealth or anything else.
There will be voices in your head trying to stop us but if we keep on agreeing with God and what His word says, we will start to know in our spirit that our answers are coming and the voices will go silent the more we and speak and thank God for the answer. The enemy always has some tool or a memory he will try to use to get you off track, try and stay focused.
John 14:26
But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father shall send in my name, He shall teach you all things. And bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said to you.
Romans 8:26
Likewise, the Spirit also helps our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
God will open your eyes of understanding let’s look at Some passages about David from
1 Sam 30
In the previous chapter we read that David had been out with his army of men and on returning to camp discovered that it had been raided and plundered and their wives and family taken, and they wept, and David was greatly distressed, and his men wanted to stone him and kill him.
We go into V:6 and we read that David encouraged himself in the Lord.
It is your move when life is unfair get the word and encourage yourself rule over your feelings and stir up your faith don’t let explanations become your excuses.
V: 18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away.
Father, I do not see a way through, but you have a way, Amen.
Ephesians 1:18
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened: that you may know what the hope of his calling, and what riches of the glory of His inheritance of the saints is.
Ephesians 3 :18
Now unto Him that can do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works within us.
What are you believing for according to this scripture God can only work according to the power within us?
Change is not easy and when we stop telling ourselves that we can’t and change it so that we are speaking out what God can do and that we depend on Him. Then we can rest in Him and wait for the answers. We spoke about rest last week and how working from that place gives us the peace we need.
Voices will tell you that you can’t you are not worth it that healing is for someone else not me this is when you do what Jesus did in the wilderness answer them back with the word of God saying it is written get behind me satan
We tend to live in our feelings instead of Faith and end up limiting God and ourselves Rest in Him and believe that it is not I but God who brings it to pass and all we do is believe and stir ourselves like David and go for it in faith Amen.
Eph. 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.