POTENT PRAYING

The fastest way to the throne of grace is to pray in such a way as to throw your whole heart and soul into it. You should be straining every muscle—just like Jacob did when he wrestled with the angel. This type of praying is usually generated when we find that our relationships have come against us with hatred. Prayer is the surest and safest method in response to words of hatred.

King David had this experience in praying this way when lying tongues were making accusations against his reputation. He chose not to defend himself but rather take his issue to “The Supreme Court” and plead his case before his KING. “Be not silent, O God of my praise! For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, and fought against me without cause. In return for my love they are my accusers, but I give myself to prayer. Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.” (Psalm 109:1-5)
The Psalmist didn’t pray with hatred or in a cold-hearted manner, but honestly and fervently. This is the kind of prayer that makes the gates of heaven fly open (see James 5:16). If you pray from your flesh and not from the earnest agony that resides in the deepest recesses of your soul it will be utterly ineffectual. Take for instance a shadow. It has no power because there is no substance to it. If you pray in the flesh it’s like a shadow, it lacks the substance which would give it potency.
The common mistake with most of us in our prayer life is the inclination to yield to distractions. Our thoughts go roaming around to-and-fro, and we make very little progress towards our desired end of having our prayers make a difference. Like butter against heat our mind will not hold together, but melts away going here-and-there. This is a tool of evil that Satan uses against us. This mindlessness meandering prayer is an evil that injures us and then, to make matters worse, it insults our heavenly Father. No one likes to be speaking to someone while that person is playing around on their cell phone.
The implied intention in Psalm 109 is of persistence and determination. David didn’t cry out to God just once and then become silent. No! David continued his holy outcry until it moved heaven. Dear Christ-follower, prayer is not intended to be part-time work. It is a full-time business. It is to be your routine and vocation. Just as, doctors give themselves to the human anatomy, and engineers to their calculations, so you must devote yourself to prayer. You must immerse yourself in prayer for it is your wheelhouse and do so without ceasing. Dear Lord, teach me to pray in a way that I may be more and more established in my pleas to you.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 80-20 Rule

In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth. The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.   Although this rule was first applied in Italy when Pareto was looking at the dispersal of wealth, it has since become a rule of thumb for many businesses.   It has been said that 20% of your workforce does 80% of the work, or 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients.   I think this law comes into play in our lives as well.   Life is 20% what happens to you and 80% what you make of it. There are tons of stories about people who come out of difficult situations — gang life, in and out of jail, drug addiction, broken families, abuse – yet still seem to rise to the top.   And of course, there are many stories of those who have been given...
Read more

Control Yourself

When it comes to our life, we have nothing to say about our birth and little say about our death, but in between these two events most of the decisions are ours to be made. Are you letting life and circumstances control you, or are you controlling your own life and destiny with God’s help. Don't let life pass you by when you have the God-given ability to make things happen. I've heard it said: You can't control the length of your life, but you can control its use. You can't control your facial appearance, but you can control its expression. You can't control the weather, but you can control the moral atmosphere that surrounds you. You can't control the distance of your head above the ground, but you can control the height of the contents in your head. You can't control the other fellow's annoying faults, but you can see to it that you do not develop similar faults. Why worry about things you cannot cont...
Read more

Righteous Hunger

There is a saying that too much of something is not good for you. I’ve been told too much alcohol can make you drunk. This is true. I’ve been told too much smoking can cause cancer. That’s valid.   I’ve been told too much food can make you fat. I’m a witness to this fat fact. And, I’ve been told that too much Bible can make you crazy! Well, all things being equal, I guess that explains why so many who have a Bible don’t read it for fear of insanity. LOL! Mother Theresa once said, "Our progress in holiness depends on God and ourselves, on God's grace and on our will to be holy." The apostle Peter made this statement in his letter to Christians living under great persecution and suffering; “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy"— 1 Peter 1:14-16 . Every Christian is called to live a life...
Read more