POWERFUL
PRAYER
BREAD
7 What
other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray
to him? 8 And
what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as
this body of laws I am setting before you today? Deuteronomy 4:7-8 (NIV)
2 O you
who hear prayer, to you all men will come. 3 When we were overwhelmed by
sins, you forgave our transgressions. 4 Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in
your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy
temple. Psalms 65:2-4 (NIV)
22 For
the sake of his great name the Lord
will not reject his people, because the Lord
was pleased to make you his own. 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against
the Lord by failing to pray for
you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all
your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:22-24 (NIV)
16 Come
and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. 17 I cried out to him with my
mouth; his praise was on my tongue. 18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not
have listened; 19 but
God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. 20 Praise be to God, who has not
rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! Psalms 66:16-20 (NIV)
9 If
anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable. Proverbs 28:9 (NIV)
16 Therefore
confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be
healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a man just like us.
He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for
three and a half years. 18 Again
he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. James 5:16-18 (NIV)
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they
love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by
men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But
when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who
is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for
they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not
be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:5-8 (NIV)
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For
everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door
will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
(NIV)
21 Jesus
replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and
do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you
can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be
done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in
prayer.” Matthew 21:21-22 (NIV)
17 pray
continually; 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV)
BUTTER
“The kind of prayer that changes hearts and transforms neighborhoods
and rebuilds communities and revives nations is intense, fervent, and all
business. It’s that kind of dedicated ministry though which the real work of
God gets done.” David Jeremiah
“Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which
cannot be refused.”
Charles H. Spurgeon
“We err when we judge our prayers solely by what we can see happening
around us. Prayer is a matter of faith. Prayer is taking God at His word.
Prayer is understanding God's promise that if we pray, He will work. And we
must keep on praying even when we cannot see what He is doing. We do not see
into the world in which God lives, but He definitely sees into ours.”
David Jeremiah
“Pleading the promises
of God is the whole secret of prayer.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“God loves to do astounding things. And most of the time, He does those
things in response to the prayers of His people.” David Jeremiah
“The
Word of God represents all the possibilities of God as at the disposal of true
prayer.” A. T.
Pierson
“And
we do well to remember that this gracious God, who has condescended to place
His almighty power at the command of believing prayer looks not lightly on the
blood guiltiness of those who neglect to avail themselves of it for the benefit
of the perishing….” Hudson Taylor
“We are never more like Christ than in prayers of intercession.” Austin Phelps
“It is by prayer that we couple the powers of heaven to our helplessness … and make the impossible possible.” O. Hallesby
“Pray as if
everything depended upon your prayer.”
William Booth
Prayer is not so
much a formula as it is a friendship – rote as it is relational. Prayer is a 24/7 access to “Abba” (Daddy)
Father Who loves us with an everlasting love as well as rejoices over us with
singing. Further, He “brings out the
starry host one by one and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty
strength not one of them is missing.” He
is all love and all ability – all achieving power – nothing is too hard for
Him. Prayer is coming into His Presence
with singing and into His courts with praise.
It is listening with Faith for His “still, small voice” as well as
pouring out our hearts in Trust resting our heads gently “between His
shoulders”. It is knowing His answer
always has our best interest at heart because He loves us. It is an unspeakably high gift from the
Creator to the created. Prayers moves the
hand and heart of God. BHY
“Prayer is a direct address to God. Prayer
secures blessings and betters people because it reaches the ear of God. Prayer
affects people by affecting God to move them. Prayer moves the hand that moves
the world. The utmost possibilities of prayer have rarely been realized. The
promises of God are so great to those who truly pray, that when He puts Himself
fully into the hands of the praying ones, it almost staggers our faith and
leaves us amazed.” E.M.
Bounds
“The great tragedy of life is
not unanswered prayer but unoffered prayer.” F. B. Meyer
“You know the value of prayer; it is precious beyond all
price. Never, never neglect it.” Thomas Buxton
HEART
SAVOR
- · Prayer is both a gift and a responsibility.
- · Prayer takes our petitions into the very throne room of God. It is communion with the Father Who loves us.
- · Prayer is the believer’s privilege and it is a mighty weapon against the adversary.
