POWER
IN PRAYER
BREAD
20 They were
helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over
to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their
prayers, because they trusted in him. 1 Chronicles 5:20 (NIV)
19 Pray also
for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will
fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20
for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may
declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:19-20 (NIV)
10 He
has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we
have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then
many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer
to the prayers of many. 2 Corinthians 1:10-11 (NIV)
9 The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer. 10 All my enemies will be ashamed and
dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace. Psalm 6:9-10 (NIV)
1 Praise
awaits you, O God, in Zion; to you our vows will be fulfilled. 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. 5 You
answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of
all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, 6 who formed the mountains by your
power, having armed yourself with strength, 7 who
stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of
the nations. 8 Those living
far away fear your wonders; where morning dawns and evening fades you call
forth songs of joy. 9 You
care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God
are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have
ordained it. 10 You drench
its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its
crops. 11
You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow
with abundance. 12 The
grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. 13 The meadows are covered with flocks and
the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing. Psalm 65:1-13 (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! Psalm
66:16-20 (NIV)
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and
to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and
many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. Acts 2:42-43
(NIV)
23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer. Ezra 8:23 (NIV)
16 Be
joyful always; 17 pray
continually; 18 give thanks
in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1
Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
BUTTER
“Yet the range of prayer
is as great as trouble, as universal as sorrow and as infinite as grief. And
prayer can relieve all these evils that come to God’s people. There is no tear
that prayer cannot wipe away. There is no depression of spirit that it cannot
elevate. There is no despair that it cannot dispel. Prayer always brings God to
our relief to bless and to aid, and it brings marvelous revelations of His
power.” E.M. Bounds
“What does an unused prayer link look like? Anxiety. Instead of
connecting with God our spirits fly around like severed power lines, destroying
everything they touch. Anxiety wants to be God, but lacks God's wisdom, power,
or knowledge. A godlike stance without godlike character and ability is pure
tension. Because anxiety is self on its own, it tries to get control. Anxiety
is unable to relax in the face of chaos; continuous prayer clings to the Father
in the face of chaos.” Paul
Miller
“Prayer is not overcoming God’s
reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness.” Martin Luther
“Prayer is the forerunner of mercy….Prayer is
always the preface to blessing. It goes
before the blessing as the blessing’s shadow.
When the sunlight of God’s mercies rises upon our necessities, it casts
the shadow of prayer far down upon the plain….If we are much in prayer, our
pleadings are the shadows of mercy.” C.
H. Spurgeon
“Pray as if
everything depended upon your prayer.” William
Booth
“Prayer, praise and thanksgiving all go
together. A close relationship exists among them. The Scriptures join these
three things together. Psalms is filled with many songs of praise and hymns of
thanksgiving, all pointing back to the results of prayer. Thanksgiving includes
gratitude. In fact, thanksgiving is the expression of an inward, conscious
gratitude to God for mercies received. Gratitude is an inward emotion of the
soul, involuntarily arising therein, while thanksgiving is the voluntary
expression of gratitude.” E.M. Bounds
“A
Christian, being only a traveler through the world, must expect a traveller’s
fare; bad roads sometimes, bad weather, and bad accommodations; but since his
journey’s end and city are in heaven, all his actions, sufferings, prayers,
trade, and conversation turn that way. O
Lord, grant that mine eyes may always be fixed upon this mark, so as to
regulate all my designs and doings accordingly; asking myself in everything,
whether it be fit for heaven, and agreeable to the mind of the heavenly
Bridegroom, and to the manners of the heavenly citizens.” K. H. Von Bogatzky
“Do not
let us fail one another in interest, care, and practical help; but supremely we
must not fail one another in prayer.”
Michael Boughen
“No
prayer is lost. Praying breath was never
spent in vain. There is no such thing as
prayer unanswered or unnoticed by God, and some things that we count refusals
or denials are simply delays.” H. Bonar
“One of the best ways to discover a Christian's chief anxieties and
ambitions is to study the content of his prayers and the intensity with which
he prays them. We all pray about what
concerns us and are evidently not concerned about matters we do not include in
our prayers. Prayer expresses desire. Prayer is the soul's sincere desire...Paul
pours out his soul to God....The basis of Paul's prayer was the knowledge of
God's purpose.”
John Stott
“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
“Hear the prayers of Your people as we call out to You. Give us
self-control on those occasions when we're tempted to demoralize and put people
down. Make us aware that a godly life preaches an unforgettable message to the
unsaved. Help us remember that we're soldiers away from our home in heaven,
living in a culture that's lost its way and is in desperate need of Jesus
Christ. Keep us easy to live with, strong in faith, unbending in our
convictions yet full of grace toward those who are bound by sin and captured by
habits they cannot break. Enable us to shock this pagan culture with lives that
are authentic, that stay balanced, that are still fun, and that ultimately
glorify You, O God . . . just like Jesus did.” Chuck Swindoll HEART SAVOR
·
Prayers change my focus off inadequate self to
All-Sufficient Father.
·
The Lord hears our cries for mercy and always comes to
our aid.
·
The Lord’s timing is always perfect - always.
