Volume 26, Issue 8
The Power Of Prayer (Continued From Page 14) WisconsinChristianNews.com
Page 15
Fifth, we pray for God’s healing power to fall upon people. “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick per- son well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” – James 5:15. “This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.’” – Matthew 8:17. “He heals the broken- hearted and binds up their wounds.” – Psalm 147:3. “He said, ‘If you listen care- fully to the LORD your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.’” – Exodus 15:26. “But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds, we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:5.
anything, but in every situa- tion, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which tran- scends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7. “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love en- dures forever.” – Psalm 107:1. “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Ephesians 5:20. There are many other rea- sons to pray and to pray con- sistently. This is certainly not an exhaustive list. I’m reminded of the walls of Jericho falling down because the Hebrew people trusted God to march and shout. That marching and shouting was in obedience to what seemed foolish to some. But through prayer and certainly praise, the walls came tum- bling down. Do we believe God when He commands us to move forward into the bat- tle? Take it all to prayer. We are instructed that by prayer and petition – praying specifically for specific things – we must pray at all times in the Spirit. We are to pray ac- cording to the Spirit’s lead- ing. There has been much written about praying in the Spirit, as if it signifies some- thing unusual. There are other places in the Scripture where we are instructed to do things by the Spirit or in the Spirit. Here are a few: ™ Galatians 5:16: Walk in the Spirit. ™ Romans 8:13: Put to death the deeds of the body in the Spirit. ™ 1 Corinthians 12:3: Con- fess Jesus as Lord in the Spirit. ™ Philippians 3:3: Worship in the Spirit. ™ 1 Corinthians 14:16: Give thanks in the Spirit. ™ Galatians 6:1: Restore a wayward brother in the Spirit. The Greek meaning of the phrase “praying in” means “by means of,” “with the help of,” or “in connection to.” Many Christians believe that praying in the Spirit means speaking in tongues or in a prayer language. This could be true, but I think that un- derstanding is hampered by what Paul says in the same verse – pray at all times in the Spirit. I think a better in- terpretation of this verse might be that we are to pray always by the Spirit’s lead- ing. That means that we should be moved or directed by the Holy Spirit concerning what we are to pray about and whom we are to pray for.
This would eliminate our prayers from rote memory or form prayers where we sim- ply pray the same things over and over again. James 4:3 reminds us that our prayers are not an- swered many times because we ask with the wrong mo- tives. Perhaps we should consider that God wants to answer our prayers espe- cially when they are “other” focused. I think it is helpful to keep in mind that when we pray, we are communicat- ing with God. It is a holy exercise and requires our utmost attention and seri- ousness. It may be the case in many instances that we do not pray boldly enough. God has much more for us than we have faith to pray for. Romans 8:26-27 says, “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” We are to pray in this way while being alert and through perseverance. In the verse immediately pre- ceding the Romans pas- sage above, Paul encourages the same thing. “But if we hope for what we do not see, with persever- ance we wait eagerly for it.” (Romans 8:25). I want to make one final point concerning prayer. From this Ephesians 6 passage we read the Apos- tle Paul asking that the Ephesians pray for him to have boldness (verse 19) when speaking about the Gospel message. Not bold- ness for boldness’ sake,
but boldness to convey with- out fear the message of ever- lasting life through faith in Jesus the Christ. This is my request of you dear reader. When you pray for God’s servants, please pray that He would grant them boldness to speak His truth to everyone they meet. Not rudeness, not obnox-
iousness, not in a manner of moral triumphalism, but in humble servitude to the King we love and proclaim. In this, may Jesus be exalted. Dr. Mike Spaulding
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Sixth, we pray for God’s
leading in our life.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6. “Show me Your ways, LORD, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.” – Psalm 25:4-5. “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” – Isaiah 30:21. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth.” – John 16:13. “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” – Psalm 119:105. Seventh, we pray because we are grateful to God for His blessings. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” – Colossians 3:17. “Give thanks in all circum- stances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
“Do not be anxious about
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