Praying til Pentecost Day 34
What does praying do for a person? Why make an emphasis on "Praying til Pentecost? Why make prayer a daily discipline, and a personal priority? The Risen Christ called His disciples together and told them to go to Jerusalem and wait and pray until the promise of the Father was delivered to them. The waiting and the praying must have seemed as tedious to them as it does to us.
Perhaps the toughest answer we ever hear from God is not, "No!" It may be that the hardest answer to handle from God is, "Wait!" Let me suggest that while you are waiting, and praying that you allow prayer to give you a new...
Perspective = without the persistent priority of prayer, it is impossible to obtain an maintain God's perspective on intimidating people and circumstances. Prayer provides H.O.P.E when we Have Our Perspective Elevated. Prayer takes us above the noise of battle and gives us the confidence of our victory we have through consistent companionship with the:
- Presence of God
- Person of Christ
- Power of the Holy Spirit
Praying and waiting also provides the means by which God offers us the joy of our...
Relationship = without prayer it is possible to lose touch with our true identity in Christ. Believers are children of God.
My father has encouraged thousands of people to take hold of the hand of God while they walk down the paths of life. He has counselled that the joy is in the journey, not just in the destination. When we know who our Father is we are not concerned about what kind of a welcome we will receive when we come home to Him. Two quotes have guided me down this path.
"Believing prayer transfers the promises of God into the context of your problem." Don Miller
"Prayer is the intimate communication between the Heavenly Father and His child." Don Miller
Through prayer we experience:
- Rebirth...It is the way we come on board.
- Renewal...the way we keep on breathing.
- Rest...the way carry on the conversation.
"Come unto Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
The kind of rest that Jesus offers to us is found int the yoke relationship. He is the Captain of the yoke, and we are the Novice. He offers His companionship, His shoulders, and His strength. It is possible to be in the right position, but not experience the rest that Jesus offers. Straining for what we want will not provide rest. It is only when we lean into His will and His way that we find true rest.
R.E.S.T results by Releasing Every Single Thing into the hands of God by rolling it off our shoulders and over on the shoulders of Jesus through prayer.
Abiding = the abandonment of hope in anything or anyone else as the source of life other than Jesus. It is the unbroken fellowship with Him that allows His fruit to flow through you.
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you." John 15:7
- God's Accessibility through Christ
- Christ's Ability to believers
- Believer's Availability to Christ
Yet = the turning point in your prayer life...taking you to a whole new level of maturity and mission.
Before a believer ever comes to the real power of God that is available to them in prayer, they have to come to the end of themselves. It is not a matter of bringing more of themselves to the table. It is a willingness to admit an emptiness that can only be filled by God. It is not a matter of knowing more about God, but it is a matter of talking to God rather than about Him. David had the "shadow of death" experience that moved God out of the third person and introduced God to David in a more personal, face to face conversation. David's experience is not unique. Every believer who takes hold of prayer to have a face to face conversation with God will find that the kind of intimacy.
"Yea thought I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for YOU are with me." Psalm 23:4
"Yet, not as I will, but as you will." Matthew 26:39"Revival is a new act of obedience." Charles Finney
Every believer is a potential prayer warrior, but potential just means you haven't done it yet. Prayer is the tool God has chosen to bring about change in your life, your church, your community, your county, your country and your world. Will you use it?