Abba, I belong to You. Those are words of trust that I repeat often in my prayers. I place my hand in Yours, and I’m holding on no matter what comes. I was praying that way this morning. I was expressing my faith, my love, my belief that my Father-God is near and He hears me.
Then I opened Streams in the Desert, and lo and behold, the topic of today’s entry is prayer. I’m bolding the paragraphs that particularly spoke to me and underlining a couple of things, but it’s all good.
Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. (Acts 12:5)
Prayer is the link that connects us with God. It is the bridge that spans every gulf and carries us safely over every chasm of danger or need.
Think of the significance of this story of the first-century church: Everything seemed to be coming against it, for Peter was in prison, the Jews appeared triumphant, Herod still reigned supreme, and the arena of martyrdom was eagerly awaiting the next morning so it could drink the apostle’s blood. “But the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” So what was the outcome? The prison was miraculously opened, the apostle freed, the Jews bewildered, and as a display of God’s punishment, wicked King Herod “was eaten by worms and died.” And rolling on to even greater victory, “the word of God continued to increase and spread” (Acts 12:23-24).
Do we truly know the power of our supernatural weapon of prayer? Do we dare to use it with the authority of a faith that not only asks but also commands? God baptizes us with holy boldness and divine confidence, for He is looking not for great people but for people who will dare to prove the greatness of their God! “But the church was earnestly praying.” A. B. Simpson
In your prayers, above everything else, beware of limiting God, not only through unbelief but also by thinking you know exactly what He can do. Learn to expect the unexpected, beyond all that you ask or think.
So each time you intercede through prayer, first be quiet and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, how He delights in Christ His Son, and of your place in Him —then expect great things. Andrew Murray
Our prayers are God’s opportunities.
Are you experiencing sorrow? Prayer can make your time of affliction one of strength and sweetness. Are you experiencing happiness? Prayer can add a heavenly fragrance to your time of joy. Are you in grave danger from some outward or inward enemy? Prayer can place an angel by your side whose very touch could shatter a millstone into smaller grains of dust than the flour it grinds, and whose glance could destroy an entire army.
What will prayer do for you? My answer is this: Everything that God can do for you. “Ask for whatever you want me to give you” (2 Chronicles 1:7). Frederick William Farrar
Oh, wow! I want to understand, deep inside my soul, the power of prayer because of who God is and who I am because of my relationship with Him.
In the grip of His grace,
Robin
I found that entry in “Streams” awesome as well!!!
Oh Robin, how I needed to hear this today. I have such a hard time with prayer for some reason, and have determined to make that an area of growth in the coming year. I am always blessed by your posts from Streams in the Desert; I need to get a copy of that for myself perhaps.
oh man that was too freaking cool. I love that. Thanks for this, I needed to hear it today.
That was very powerful and something I so needed to hear! The part that jumped out at me was: “in your prayers above everything else, beware of limiting God”. Wow!
Ditto Susanne’s post! Amen!