Saturday- Pray is Powerful

Talking to God

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. From this passage we see that the main key to the effectiveness of prayer is the spiritual condition of the one offering the prayer. Effective prayer is prayer that we know God hears."I believe that truly powerful, effective prayer can only be  prayed by a child of God..  one who has  tried to come to grip with their sin and as they are able to  be practicing righteous living.  Another very important  element to powerful, effective prayer is  how we pray..  not for  that red Mustang or a trip to Honolulu.. I am not sure that is  what God and in mind.  I believe that a righteous person abides  in Christ (God)  to the point that they truly know HIm.Although I  doubt one can know everything thing about god. as He is infinite and we are  most assuredly finite in ur thinking.  but when we abide in His presences  , in His Word, we   begin to know His character.. What He loves and What He wants for us and everyone.   To pray a powerful prayer is not topiary selfishly, but to pray something that we know God would be pleased to agree with us..  like  safety on our streets,  or righteous teaching in our schools.  But it can also be personal..  I know   of a young ministry student who walked to do his ministry work   and he really needed wheels.  He prayed for wheel  and  the next day someone gave him  a new bicycle. .. not a ratty, worn out on,  but a brand spanking new one.  God is the giver of good gifts!

 I love the tale  that  renown Bible teacher Kay Arthur  gives about the poor   widowed mother of several small children who was having a particularly difficult time   and  actually had  run completely out of toilet paper  and money..  She wouldn't be paid until the end of the week. She prayed for toilet paper and that afternoon driving home from  somewhere  there in the street corner  was a 10 pack of toilet paper..   just sitting on the street corner.   Thank you , Lord.  You can answer  our prayers in myriad  ways!

Some truths regarding power prayers  are as follows

• Prayer changes things.  First of all we need to ask...Because he is all-wise and all-powerful, knowing “the end from the beginning” (Isa. 46:10), he’s able to weave our requests into his eternally good purposes.  YOU might say, well if God know s everything why didn't He jsut go ahead and  do  His best of the    person anyway..  But He doesn't work taht way.   He  beseeches us in His Word to   ask    and when we earnestly ask,  He will provide.  He likes to work with his children  not just  benevolently give them everything.. He  wants to co labor with us  in all things..  He  wants us to  come to Him and  commune with Him.  Because He loves us so much!
• Ok, I know,  what about those things we have asked for over and over again.  Like  God, please lead my sister to  come to you and be saved.  YOU can ask  and ask  and it never seems to reach the ears of  God..  God knows everything  about everything.  He knows  when and if  sister will  yield her heart to HIm.  He probably adds set things up to  make  that yielding easy, yet,  her heart is  so hardened  it just doesn't get through ...   Well, we are told to keep praying   and  even though  it seems like  years and nothing is happening.  How to do  really know what is happening within another's heart.   Only God knows  and perhaps  sister needs to experience some  difficult stuff in her life in order to  soften her heart towards God.   God knows that  and  He is  at work  when we  dont realize it.  We do not know God's timing or His processes,, so  it is our job to keep praying.  I have family members for whom I have prayed for  decades,  and as  we are all getting older..  I just keep praying ...   even if it is death bed confession. ... I will praise God for His goodness  for not giving up on them!!
• 1Chronicles 16:Seek out the LORD and His strength; seek His face always. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him.
• Psalm 73:28But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.
• Psalm 5:In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.  And IN the morning    is  very key  ..  before the  worries of the day takes our minds and strength

Art Lindsley has written   on  “Power of Prayer: The Intense Intimacy of Connection,” a new article for the Washington Times as part of their Power of Prayer: to Enhance Your Life and Restore America special report.  Please read  the  great article here.

I  felt  this article would really touch many hearts and    incline    us to  seek G od in prayer  for  every aspect of our lives!!