The Power of Prayer VIII

Dr. Richard Swenson was giving a talk on the subject of God as related to space and time at Focus on the Family for the Christian Leadership Alliance meeting and he said these words, “Is it possible to pray today for something that affected yesterday? Space and time are no limits to God. If He knew you before He made you, He heard you before the words left your lips.” Now he did go on to say that we do not pray for God to change the past. But rather, he was simply trying to get the audience to break out of their mental boxes and understand that the living God can pause and listen to your every word. He can think about your words and determine when and if He should act upon your request and He is able to do this for millions of people at the same time. He could even spend a million years thinking about your prayer and not even one second would go by for humanity. Is that not a mind buster! Listen to the words of David. “When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:14-16). Then the Lord told Jeremiah, “before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). I won’t go into the issues of predestination here as I don’t want to get into a theological stumbling block. Rather, I just want you to see that when you pray, your conversation with God has no bounds and breaks even space and time.

In the words of E.M. Bounds, “prayer is the greatest of all forces because it honors God and brings Him into active aid. Prayer is the easiest and hardest of all things. It is the simplest and the most sublime, the weakest and the most powerful. Its results lie outside the range of human possibilities; they are limited only by the omnipotence of God.” Prayer is an act of submission.

Remember, in praying, it is not about us, it is about what we do for Him – who first loved us. You may never see some of your prayers answered in your lifetime. But we must tarry with our Father. We will discuss this in more detail on the subject of Intercessory Prayer.

Let us acknowledge the Lord; Let us press on to know the Lord. (Hosea 6:3)

Prayer is simply the expression of faith. Prayer and holy life are one. They mutually act and react. Neither can survive alone, for the absence of one is the absence of the other. The deep things of God are learned only in prayer. Our whole being must be in our praying; like John Knox, "Give me Scotland, or may I die." What passion he had for a piece of land. Why don't you have this passion in prayer? Guilt perhaps? Are you holding on to sin that you don't want to release or confess? “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” Hebrews 12:1b. You and the Father know what is holding you back from experiencing the fullness of a relationship with God. If you are clutching on to sin, your interface with the Father will be weak (I John 1:9). “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:16-18).

We must pray with all perseverance – Ephesians 6:18.

One person can change the world through powerful prayer:
• Elijah (prayed for the rain to stop and it did not rain for 3 ½ years)
• Moses (saved Israel from destruction – pleading with God)
• Samuel, Daniel, Paul…

"The best way to fight against sin is to fight it on our knees." – Philip Henry

God hears the prayers of men. That is truly amazing. He will hear your prayers. You have incredible power in your prayer. Far more than you can imagine. Again, we will address this as we discuss intercessory prayer later on.

You should begin the day in prayer as to avoid the foolishness of not having the spirit of wisdom with you while you make decisions.

"Work, work, from early until late. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer." – Martin Luther

What a paradigm shift. Even now, as you read these words, you may be thinking about all the things that you need to accomplish. The tasks of the day can be overwhelming for many. It was no different for Martin Luther. But he understood that he couldn’t face the obstacles and challenges of the day without God’s hand guiding him. Just being in the presence of the Lord for a moment of solitude will ease your burdens. At first, I found it difficult to pray for 10 minutes and now, I have often found myself in prayer for hours. Dr. Henry Blackaby and I were discussing this very concept. We both agreed that our days were more productive and our minds better prepared when we committed our mornings to prayer. King David also understood this critical point:

• "Early will I seek thee" (Psalm 63:1)
• "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning (Psalm 5:3)
• "From the womb of the day, your men will come to you." (Psalm 110:3)
• "When I awake, I am still with thee." (Psalm 139:18)

"Of all things, guard against neglecting God in the prayer closet. There is nothing more fatal to the life and power of religion. More solitude and earlier hours – pray three times a day, at least. How much better might I serve if I cultivated a closer communion with God!" - William Wilberforce