Prayer in Christian preaching is depicted as a vital, faith-filled communication with God that fosters trust, revival, and spiritual breakthrough (Philippians 4:6-7). Illustrations often use images of persistent, humble petitioning, the power of agreement in 'amen,' and the transformative effects of prayer on individuals and communities (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
A Georgia evangelist tells of a pastor who had gone at night when the people were sleeping and prayed before every home in his town where there was an unsaved one. When the revival came it swept his town like a prairie fire. God loves a faithful servant, and if he goes forth with weeping bearing precious seed, he shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him.
Sir Walter Raleigh once made a request of the Queen, and she
petulantly answered, "Raleigh, when will you leave off begging?"
Walter replied, "When your Majesty leaves off giving." His
request was granted. But the God of all grace never grows weary
of our asking, and never rebukes us for coming. --Henry W. Frost
Lidia Vins, mother of Georgi Vins, has written concerning her
son: "When I saw him during the trial, tormented and pale, with
sunken eyes, I thought: he hasn't slept for nights. The trial
lasted five days. But when we parted he said, "I was able to go
to sleep peacefully every night. It was a very great mercy of
God. It is surely due to the many prayers of God's children.'"
Lidia Vins says that she herself has had the same experience in
prison, and so have many others. "Many who have been in prison
have testified that they felt people's prayers, and they knew
not simply those days when they were prayed for, but the actual
hours. This is the testimony of more than one prisoner. It
was the same with me, too. And it was the same with my son, who
said at the trial, 'I felt the prayers of God's children, and
these prayers gave me strength and brought me back to life.' We
are wholeheartedly grateful first to the Lord for His
faithfulness and then to the Christians of the whole world for
their prayers." (As translated by Jane Ellis)
John Wesley one day came upon a man who was down on his knees
breaking stones. Whatever the instrument was that he was using,
he seemed to be doing so with ease from his kneeling position.
As preachers are prone to do, Wesley made a spiritual application of
what he beheld, saying: "Ah, I wish I could break the hearts of some
who hear me as easily as you are breaking those stones!" Looking up at
Wesley, the man replied: "Did you ever try breaking them on your
knees?"
Newman Hall stood early one morning on the summit of Snowden, in
Wales, with a hundred and twenty others who had been attracted hither
by the prospect of an unusually grand sunrise. They were not
disappointed. As they stood watching the sun tinge the mountain peaks
with glory, and sparkle in the lakes, Dr. Hall was invited to preach.
He was so overpowered with emotion that he could not preach, but felt
moved to pour out his soul in prayer. As he supplicated, the tears
rolled down the faces of the people. A superhuman stillness possessed
them. Quietly, with solemn awe, they descended the mountain and
scattered. Afterward, visiting this region, the doctor was informed
that forty people were converted that morning and had joined the
church in that neighborhood. "But," said he, "I did not say a word to
them; I only prayed." "Yes, and more wonderful still, they did not
know a word you said, for none of them could speak English, only
Welsh." --Earnest Worker
A young man had been called to the foreign field. He had not been
in the habit of preaching, but he knew one thing, how to prevail with
God; and going one day to a friend, he said, "I don't see how God can
use me on the field; I have no special talent." His friend said: "My
brother, God wants men on the field who can pray. There are too many
preachers now, and too few prayers." He went.
In his room in the early dawn a voice was heard weeping and
pleading for souls. All through the day, the shut door and the hush
that prevailed made you feel like walking softly, for a soul was
wrestling with God. To his home hungry souls would flock, drawn by
irresistible power. In the morning hours some would call and say: "I
have gone by your home and have longed to come in. Will you tell me
how I can be saved?" or from some distant place another would call
saying: "I heard you would tell us here how we might find heart-rest."
--J. Hudson Taylor
Have you ever watched a bird sleeping on its perch and never
falling off? How does it manage to do this? The secret is
the tendons of the bird's legs. They are so constructed that
when the leg is bent at the knee, the claws contract and grip
like a steel trap. The claws refuse to let go until the knees
are unbent again. The bended knee gives the bird the ability to
hold on to his perch so tightly. From sleeping birds we can
learn the secret of holding things which are most precious to
us-- honest, purity, thoughtfulness, honor, character. That
secret is the knee bent in prayer, seeking to get a firmer grip
on those values which make life worth living. When we hold
firmly to God in prayer, we can rest assured he will hold
tightly to us.
The story is told of a man who promised Martin Luther that he would pray for him every day. And he did. One night he had a startling dream in which he saw a lone reaper in a huge field of corn coming closer and closer to him. Then he recognized his face. It was that of Luther. As the man reflected on his dream, he came to the conclusion, I must leave my prayers and go to work. Praying for the Lord's servant was the starting point for his own involvement.
I have often wondered why Jesus on the occasion described in \reference{Matthew 9}{Matthew 9} said nothing about witnessing to the lost. I believe I know why. Prayer must always precede activity. Efforts not grounded in a sense of compassion and complete submission to the Lord are doomed to fail. But when we care enough to pray, we will start working, witnessing, and giving.
The starting point is prayer. Therefore, let's pray to the Lord of the harvest.
E're you left your room this morning,
Did you think to pray?
In the name of Christ our Saviour,
Did you sue for loving favor
As a shield today?
When you met with great temptation,
Did you think to pray?
By His dying love and merit,
Did you claim the Holy Spirit
As your Guide and stay?
When your heart was filled with anger,
Did you think to pray?
Did you plead for grace, my brother,
That you might forgive another
Who had crossed your way?
When sore trials came upon you,
Did you think to pray?
When your soul was bowed in sorrow,
Balm of Gilead did you borrow,
At the gates of day?
Chorus:
Oh, how praying rests the weary!
Prayer can turn the night to day.
So, when life seems dark and dreary,
Don't forget to pray.
--Topical Illustrations
"Anna served God with fastings and prayers night and day." {Luke 2:37}
20th century author Samuel Chadwick told this interesting story:
When I was about 6 or 7 years old, I was sent on an errand to an elderly neighbor, Mrs. Davenport. It was around 9 o'clock in the morning, so after a quick knock I lifted the latch and entered her kitchen. There she was, kneeling at her fireside chair with a Bible open before her. She didn't notice my entry and kept right on praying. I stood there listening for a few minutes, then quietly stepped out again and closed the door. From then on, I knew she was a true saint of God just from the way she prayed." Through the years many others testified that Mrs. Davenport accomplished much by her earnest petitions.
A delegation one day called on Mr. Lincoln to ask the appointment
of a certain gentleman as commissioner to the Sandwich Islands. They
presented their case as earnestly as possible, and, besides his
fitness for the place, they urged that he was in broken health and a
residence in that balmy climate would be of benefit to him. The
President closed the interview with the discouraging remark:
"Gentlemen, I am sorry to say that there are eight other applicants
for that place, and they are all sicker than your man. --Rocky
Mountain Advocate
A lady who had forsaken God and the Bible for the gloom and
darkness of infidelity, was crossing the Atlantic, and asked a sailor,
one morning, how long they should be out " In fourteen days, if it is
God's will, we shall be in Liverpool," answered the sailor "If it is
God's will!" said the lady; "what a senseless expression! Don't you
know that all comes by chance?"
In a few days, a terrible storm arose, and the lady stood clinging
to the side of the cabin door in an agony of terror. " What do you
think," she said to the same sailor, "will the storm soon be over?"
"It seems likely to last some time, madam." " Oh!" she cried, " pray
that we may not be lost!" His reply was, "Madam, shall I pray to
chance?" --Christian Age
There was once an old man who would remain for hours before the
altar. Without moving his lips, he still seemed to be speaking with
God.
"And what do you say to him?" the cure' asked.
"Oh," replied the old peasant, "he looks at me, and I look at him."
\bold{God's Great Water Heater}
I Kings Chapter 18 Elijah was a great prophet of God who lived during
the times of the Kings of Israel . The kingdom of Israel had been
divided into two kingdoms, Israel in the north and Judah in the south,
because of the excessive extravagance and oppression of the people by
Solomon's son Rehoboam. Elijah lived in the northern kingdom Israel
and tried to bring the nation back to righteousness by his preaching
and miracles that were done in answer to his prayers.
Because of the strong and fierce neighboring nations who wanted to
overthrow the Israelite kingdom the kings of Israel entered into
military alliances with friendly nations. They often married the
daughters of the surrounding kings so that their fathers-in-law would
not go to war against them because the children of the Kings of Israel
were the grandchildren of those foreign kings. One of those
grandchildren would become the new king of Israel someday.
One of the descendants of King David who became king of Israel was
King Ahab. King Ahab had married Jezebel, a particularly beautiful but
especially evil daughter of one of the neighboring kings. Jezebel
brought statues of her false god Baal with her when she married King
Ahab. She established temples for the worship of the false god Baal
and brought four hundred fifty priests of Baal with her so that she
could entice the citizens of Israel to turn from the worship of the
one true God, the LORD God, to follow the prophets of Baal.
Jezebel was extremely selfish and encouraged her husband king Ahab to
do evil things so that he could take away the possessions of other
people and use them himself. For example, when a farmer named Naboth
refused to sell his vineyard to King Ahab Jezebel had her henchmen
kill Naboth so that King Ahab could confiscate the vineyard.
The LORD God became so angry at the evil that was being committed in
Israel that He sent Elijah to preach strong sermons against the evil
deeds of Jezebel and King Ahab. This made Jezebel hate Elijah with
such a raging fury that she vowed to have Elijah killed.
The LORD instructed Elijah to tell Ahab that there would be no more
rain until Elijah ordered it to rain. Then the LORD sent Elijah to
hide by a brook until it dried up while God sent ravens to bring him
food. In their beaks they would grab morsels of food, possibly from
King Ahab's table, then fly to Elijah by the Brook Cherith and drop it
into Elijah's hand to sustain him.
After the brook dried up Elijah went to live with a poor widow and
her son where God caused a miraculous refilling of the barrel of flour
and the jug of oil to sustain them throughout the remainder of the
drought.
After three years without rain God instructed Elijah, "Go tell King
Ahab to gather the prophets of Baal to mount Carmel where I will show
the nation of Israel my power."
King Ahab called the citizens of Israel to Mount Carmel which is
along the northern part of Israel, along the Mediterranean shore.
Elijah called out to the people, "How long will you falter between two
opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him, but if Baal, follow him."
The people were quiet, not answering a word. Elijah continued, "I
alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four
hundred fifty men.
"Bring two bulls. Give one to the prophets of Baal to cut up and
offer as sacrifice on the altar but put no fire under the sacrifice. I
will cut up another bull and build an alter of stone to offer unto the
LORD God but will place no fire under the sacrifice. Let the god who
is the real God answer by sending down fire from Heaven to burn up the
sacrifice. If Baal can do this let all of the people worship Baal. But
if Baal cannot do this let the LORD God send fire from Heaven to
consume the sacrifice and let the people worship the LORD God only."
The prophets of Baal placed their cut up bull on their altar of stone
and prayed all day for Baal to send down fire from heaven to burn the
sacrifice. They leaped about the altar. They cried. They cut
themselves with knives to get Baal to answer, but nothing happened.
After hours of prayer Elijah mocked them saying, " Cry aloud, for he
is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a
journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened."
Until evening they cried aloud for Baal to answer them without avail.
Finally Elijah selected twelve stones to represent the twelve tribes
of Israel and built an altar. He made a trench around the altar large
enough to hold a great amount of water. He ordered the men to pour
four large pots of water over the sacrifice and to run into the trench
where it surrounded the altar like a large moat. Three times the men
poured four large pots of water over the sacrifice until it filled the
trench.
At the time of the evening offering of sacrifice Elijah called out,
"LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be know this day that
You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all
these things at Your word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that his people
may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their
hearts back to You again."
"Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and
the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that
was in the trench." Never had such a water heater been seen in the
presence of the people at the request of the prophet of the LORD God.
The people were so astonished that they fell upon their faces and
cried out repeatedly,, "The LORD, He is God!"
Elijah ordered all of the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal to be
seized by the people and killed with the sword.
Then Elijah turned to King Ahab and announced, "Go up and eat and
drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain."
Elijah went back to the brook Cherith and prayed earnestly for rain
until his servant came and told him that clouds were forming over the
Mediterranean Sea. A great storm came upon the land and for the first
time in three years the drought was broken and the people once again
were able to grow their bountiful crops. This was because of the mercy
and provision of rain from the LORD God in answer to Elijah's prayer
of faith.
KEY CONCEPTS
1. God is not pleased when people become selfish and uncaring about
the rights and needs of other people whom God also loves.
2. God has promised to meet the needs of the people who love Him and
who believe in Him. Just as God was able to cause the ravens to feed
Elijah and to cause the flour and oil to remain so can He supply all
of our needs as we pray to Him and believe in His promises.
3. The LORD God is all powerful. When He is ready to reveal His power
to the people there is nothing on Earth that can stop Him. Even the
soaking wet sacrifice and the moat full of water could not stop the
fire from God from burning up the sacrifice, the stones, the dust and
the water.
4. God never changes. \reference{Hebrews 13:8}{Hebrews 13:8} states,
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." We can expect
Him to continue to meet our needs as we ask in faith.
This story is part of the Virtual Church
An Indian in Arizona was asked about his relation to God and
especially as to what he felt as he prayed. He answered: "When I
pray, it seems to me that my life is a little irrigation ditch leading
into a mighty river; and when I come close to God, it seems that the
water of that river is moving on down toward me and into the little
ditch, flooding my life. Then I feel the power and presence of God."
(Choice Illus." W.W. Clay pg. 56)
In a little hamlet in southern Wisconsin lived a blacksmith. He was
not specially gifted in speech, though always taking part in the
little church there. One dark night a man who was a staunch Catholic
got off the train and started to walk to his home a mile or two away.
Just beyond the depot was a trestle over a creek perhaps sixteen feet
below. In some way the man slipped in the darkness and fell to the
rocks. He was seriously injured. His cries attracted neighbors, amd
when they came his first words were, "Send for the blacksmith who
prays." ("Choice Illus." W.W. Clay pg. 56)
In London more than a century ago there lived a godly woman. She was a
hopeless invalid and could not attend church, but she could and did
pray. It happened that a Chicago newspaper was put into her hands.
Her attention was drawn to the story of a young man by the name of
Moody who was having a revival in his church. Immediately she began to
pray for God to send him to England and to her church. Her church was
large and had many adherents but desperately needed a genuine
spiritual awakening. Many months passed. One Sunday her sister came
home from church, and said they had had a surprise at church; a young
man named Dwight L. Moody had attended and was asked to preach, and
the whole congregation was strangely stirred. They had asked him to
preach again that night. The invalid sister was thrilled at the
answer to her prayers. She told her sister of her previous prayer,
told her not to bring her any dinner, and asked her to join in prayer
that God would come in great victory upon her church that night. What
happened that night in history? Dwight L. Moody preached and then
asked if there was anyone there who was unsaved, and wanted to be
saved, to raise his hand. A sea of hands responded. The evangelist
thought they had misunderstood him, so he asked the unsaved to stand,
and almost the whole audience responded. "But," said Moody, "you do
not understand. I am not asking for the church members who are saved;
I want those who are unsaved to respond." Finally he asked all who
wanted to be saved to go with him to the large auditorium in the
basement, which they would use as an inquiry room. The room was
jammed and hundreds were saved. The revival went on there and them
spread over all England and back to America. The faithful intercessor
had not only brought a revival to her church but had thrust D.L. Moody
out on his great carrerr of evangelism that brought hundreds of
thousands to esus Christ. ("Choice Illus,." W.W. Clay pg. 58-59)
While you cannot understand His wonderful ways and His unsearchable judgments, rest assured that His intentions are always good and His purposes never falter. Learn to say with Paul: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.”
When Magdalene, the 14-year-old daughter of pious Dr. Martin Luther, lay sick unto death, her father prayed: “Lord, I love her very much and should like to keep her, but, dear Lord, since it is Thy will to take her away, I am glad to know that she will be with Thee.
*
ACTS Of Prayer
Read: Luke 11:1-4
Lord, teach us to pray. --Luke 11:1.
Jesus used the example method when His disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. Instead of going into a long dissertation on the subject, He said, "When you pray, say, ..." and He gave them a pattern that also included prayer principles.
That prayer has at least four elements we can learn to use when we pray: Adoration, Confession, Temptation protection, and Supplication. Let's consider the ACTS of prayer.
Adoration: "Hallowed be Your name." We need to give allegiance and respect to our great and awesome God.
Confession: "Forgive us our sins." God is "faithful and just to forgive us" (1 Jn. 1:9).
Temptation protection: "Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Ask for help to say no to sin.
Supplication: "Give us day by day our daily bread." We should not be afraid to ask God for His provisions.
There's the example. It's up to us to follow it. --JDB
Lord, thank You for inviting me
To come and talk with You;
Now help me to revere this time
And pray my whole life through. --K. De Haan
Spend time with the Lord and your day will be well spent.
Decades ago when T.W. Hunt was about to become a leader at a boys camp in Spain, he asked God to give him the type of biblical faith Paul, Timothy and Peter possessed.
“I expected to get zapped and then drive into camp with that same kind of faith they had in the New Testament,” said Hunt, one of the great prayer teachers of this generation. “But it didn't happen like that. God did give me faith, but it took years and years. And he did it by building five conditions into my life.”
Hunt said you should write these five conditions of faith down and put them in your Bible and pray about each one:
1) For Christians with faith, PRAYER becomes their very breath.
“You cannot help praying. Many times I've missed meals, and I hate to tell you this, I've even missed classes because I was praying,” said the former music professor at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth.
2) Christians with real faith see life from a SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE.
“You wake up in the mornings thinking about Jesus.”
3) For Christians with biblical faith, Christ is the source of their JOY.
“Joy in the Bible is not happiness,” Hunt said. “When the Bible talks about joy, it talks about joy in the Lord. Most people think joy is when you get credit for good things, but let me tell you, if God gets all the credit, there will be great joy.”
4) Christians with real faith keep their EYES ON THE LORD, not just what they are praying for.
The problem with some churches today, Hunt said, is that members don't let God take over. They don't keep their eyes on him. “They say, 'We know what to do. We're trained. We have methods, money and buildings.’ Some of the churches I go to, I even wonder if God is there.”
5) Christians with biblical faith know JESUS IS REAL IN THE PRESENT.
“Most of us think of Jesus in the past or future, and that is important. But the most important thing about Jesus Christ is what he is doing right now. Jesus is real right now.”
Hunt said once he realized God was giving him the faith he asked for so many years ago, he also discovered it was a package deal.
“I began to realize that along with faith came two other things I was not expecting -- trust in the Lord and hope.”
Faith brings with it trust in the Father and hope in him -- not just hope he will fulfill specific wishes, Hunt said.
“Hope is never followed by the relative pronoun, THAT,” Hunt said. “It is always hope in God, not hope THAT it won't rain or THAT I won't have cancer.”
A Christian falling on hard times may have a difficult time with faith and hope, he said, “but he can still trust in the wisdom of God.”
*
[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #16465]
An aide of President Clinton expressed his humility when he said,
"I am the monkey; he is the organ grinder."
- John Brokhoff, {Pray Like Jesus, }(Lima, OH: CSS
Publishing Company, Inc. 1994), 45.
Some seem to think that technology can improve our prayer life. A
long-distance telephone company has established a fax (telephone
facsimile machine) outlet near the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, where
thousands gather daily to pray. This service allows a person anywhere
in the world to fax their prayers to Jerusalem to be placed in the
Wailing Wall.1
How thankful we can be that no technological assistance is needed
for our prayers to come before the throne of grace. The Lord
promises: "Call to me and I will answer you" (\reference{Jer. 33:3,
NIV)}{Jeremiah 33:3 NIV}.
- C. Bruce Revel
1. Andrei Codrescu, "Fax Your Prayers" {The Baltimore, Maryland
Sun, }13 March, 1993, A9.
A little boy knelt at his mother's knee and offered his bedtime
prayer. He spoke so softly his mother could not hear what he said,
When he finished she asked him, "What did you ask for?" He answered,
"I didn't ask for anything. I just told God that I loved Him."
John R. Brokhoff, {Pray Like Jesus} [Lima, OH: CSS Publishing
Co. Inc. 1994] 24.
A child was softly saying her prayers one night. Her mother said,
"I can't hear you, dear." "Wasn't talking to you," she firmly
replied.
John R. Brokhoff, {Pray Like Jesus, }(Lima, OH: CSS Publishing
Company, Inc. 1994) 24.
One time a Roman emperor was returning from a victorious battle. A
platform was erected for his family to watch the victory parade. When
the procession came near the viewing stand, the emperor's little son
jumped down and squeezed through the crowd toward his father's
chariot. One of the legionnaires picked him up and said, "You can't
run out there. Don't you know who is in that chariot? That's the
emperor. You cannot run out to him." The Littlle guy laughed and
said, "He may be your emperor, but he's my father!"
John R. Brokhoff, {Pray Like Jesus, } (Lima, OH: CSS Publishing
Company, Inc. 1994), 22
The point of prayer is not in order to get answers from God; prayer is
perfect and complete oneness with God. Prayer is not getting things
from God. Prayer is getting into perfect communion with God.
- Oswald Chambers
A western rancher asked the District Superintendent of his church
to assign a pastor to his community. "How big a man do you want?"
asked the Superintendent. "Well," the rancher replied, "we're not
overly particular, but when he's on his knees we'd like him to reach
heaven.
John R. Brokhoff, {Pray Like Jesus}(Lima, OH: CSS Publishing
Company, Inc. 1994), 44-45
One day Harry Emerson Fosdick met a couple of parishioners while taking a walk near his Riverdale church in New York City. He greeted the mother and her four-year-old daughter. When they parted, Fosdick said to the little girl, “Tell your daddy that you spoke to Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick this morning.” To which the child responded, “And you tell your mommy that you talked to Susie Smith.”
Lord I crawled across the barrenness
to you with my empty cup Uncertain
in asking any small drop of refreshment. If only I had known you
better I'd have come running with a bucket.
- Nancy Spiegelberg
The Father of our Country, was a man of noble birth. Mount Vernon was
his stately home, on fine Virginia earth. A dignified, impressive
man. With comforts to afford. But Washington could bow his head, in
reverence to the Lord.
Our sixteenth President was born, in Old Kentucky hills. His humble
home, his often needs, the books of history fills. From lowly stock,
he rose to fame, from tilling rocky sod. Yet when he reached the very
top, he bowed his head to God.
Each man came from a different clime. Each had a different road. But
each gave something to our land, that now we have and hold. But
greatest gift each gave to us, that will not pass away. They taught
that "great" could bow their head, and take the time to pray.
- Bob Robin
A servant girl said that she prayed all the time. The preacher
asked her how she did this. She answered, "When I open my eyes in the
morning, I ask God to open the eyes of my understanding. When i am
dressing I ask God to clothe me with His righteousness. When I wash
my face, I ask God to wash all my sins away. When I begin my work, I
pray for strength equal to my tasks. When I kindle the fire, I pray
for God to revive the fires of my soul. When I sweep the house, I
pray for God to cleanse my heart of all impurities. When I prepare a
meal, I pray for God to feed me with the manna from heaven. When I am
busy with the little children, I pray for God to give me the spirit of
a little child." She had indeed learned how to "pray without ceasing."
- W. Hershel Ford, {Simple Sermons for Special Days and
Occasions, }(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1956), 20.
At a time of severe drought, a congregation gathered for a special
meeting to pray for rain. When the preacher saw that they came
without umbrellas, he upbraided them for their lack of faith.
- John Brokhoff, {Pray Like Jesus} (Lima, OH: CSS Publishing
Company, Inc. 1994), 40.
As always, Magic Johnson opened the postseason by changing his
phone number. It wasn't enough.
So being a businessman as well as a basketball player, he issued a
memo to his staff. The message: Don't bother me.
"I had to send a memo to everyone who works for me that they can't
call me, can't ask me about anything," Johnson said. "I'm not about
small talk.
"When everyone read the memo, they thought I was kidding . . .
until someone called me and I had to snap their head off."
The postseason brings a surly side to Johnson rarely seen. Smiles
turn to scowls.
"Being moody and crazy. I miss being in this mood," he said.
"(Wife) Cookie doesn't like it much.
But he's loving it.
"It's definitely all I thought it would be," Magic said of his
first playoff series since 1991. "And a little bit more."1
However, when we go to the Lord in prayer, He does not change His
number, He does not snap off our head instead He is faithful and just
to hear our prayers.
_______________ 1. {The Courier-Journal}, Thursday, May 2,
1996, F5.
A pastor asked a little boy if he prayed every night. "No, sir,
not every night, some nights I don't want anything."
John Brokhoff, {Pray Like Jesus} { - }Lima, OH: CSS
Publishing Company, Inc.
copyright 1994
A lone man rose when Circuit Judge Roy Moore asked prospective
jurors if anyone opposed a Baptist minister opening a court session
with prayer. As an atheist, "I'd like to object," Alfred
Faulkenberry replied before the hushed, crowded courtroom.
Faulkenberry exited before the prayer began and reentered afterward,
sidestepping a potential conflict. But the scene illustrated a
growing controversy over God in the courtroom, particularly when Moore
is on the bench. Moore has become a modern-day prophet for
conservative Christians and a pariah to civil libertarians because of
his display of the Ten Commandments on his courtroom wall and his
practice of opening jury sessions with prayer.
A tavern was being built in a town that until recently had been
dry. A group of Christians in a certain church opposed this and began
an all-night prayer meeting, asking God to intervene.
Lightning struck the tavern building, and it burned to the ground.
The owner brought a lawsuit against the church, claiming they were
responsible. The Christians hired a lawyer, claiming they were not
responsible. The judge said, "No matter how this case comes out, one
thing is clear. The tavern owner believes in prayer and the
Christians do not.
Early Christians secretly made the sign of the cross {by
crossing their fingers }to ask for divine assistance without
attracting attention of pagans.
- {Reader's Digest, }Oct. 1994, p.14
The ship was sinking and the captain was passing out the life
belts. Suddenly he called out to the passengers, and asked if anyone
there knew how to pray. A preacher among the passengers eagerly
announced that he did.
"Thank goodness for you," said the captain. "We are short one life
belt."
Hoover Rupert, {Why Didn't Noah Swat Both Mosquitoes, }(Lima,
OH: CSS Publishing, Co., 1994), 73
The key to a healthy heart is learning to pour it out continually
to God.
In order to be respectful to God when we're very, very upset about
something, we come up with all these pious platitudes to say in prayer
when we don't any more mean them than the man on the moon. If we're
open with God, all we really want to do is cry out, Why?!
If we hide our hearts from God and are not honest with Him, it will
become a cancer in our lives." It's heart healthy to scream it out
sometimes. That's exactly what Christ did on the cross.
If we don't have healthy hearts, we are at extreme risk for an
onslaught of problems. One thing you need to know about the heart is
this - that heart will lie like a dog.
Above all things, the heart is deceitful, and Satan will use it to
manipulate us. In order for you to trust your heart, it has to be
given over wholly to God.
There are four steps Christians can take to give their hearts
wholly to God. 1. Learn how to tattle to God 2. Learn to be
honest about your innermost struggles 3. Know God's mercy only
flows from His love 4. Learn to "wail" and "dance" before God.
You need to keep talking to Him, no matter what happens, no matter
how tough the world gets, no matter how furious you are. Keep talking
to Him.
- Beth Moore{, Why We Need 'A Healthy Heart', } in
{Facts and Trends, } May 1997, pgs. 10-11
There was a little girl whose brother set a trap to catch birds.
She felt it was wrong and cruel to trap birds. At first she cried
about it but later became happy. Her mother asked her why she was so
happy. She explained, "I prayed for my brother to be a better boy."
"And what else?" "I prayed that his trap would not catch birds."
"And what else?" "Well, then I went out and kicked the trap to
pieces."
- John R. Brokhoff, {Pray Like Jesus} (Lima, OH: CSS
Publishing Company, Inc, 1994), 47
Jim Elliot has said:
God is still on His throne and man is still on his footstool.
There's only a knee's distance in between.
- Charles R. Swindoll, {Man to Man }(Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan Publishing House, 1996) 53
Consider the example of missionary Darlene Rose. During World War
II she served as a missionary in Asia and was imprisoned by the
Japanese when they invaded. Her weight soon dropped to a dangerous
low of 80 pounds. Making matters worse was the malaria that invaded
her system. She knew she was starving to death.
One day she watched the prisoners' courtyard from her small cell.
Rose noticed one woman sneak over to a fence that was partially
covered by creeping vines. Someone was handing bananas to her. The
woman then carefully hid the fruit under her sarong.
Extremely hungry and near the breaking point, Rose could actually
smeel those bananas. Desperately she fell to her knees and cried out
to God: "Lord, I am not asking for many - I want just one banana."
Then, Rose began to negate her desperate but sincere prayer. She
began to rationalize, and reasoned there was no way that God could get
her a banana.
But a short time later, the Japanese camp commander from her former
prison came to visit her. Rose had befriended the man and shared her
faith with him. The official had not forgotten her and visited her
while at the camp. After he left, the guards returned to her cell.
Opening the door they tossed inside a gift from the Japanese official
- bananas. God sent Darlene Rose 92 bananas.
- {The Lookout, }January 7, 1996.
A man who had recently bought a female parakeet with a salty
vocabulary got a call from his minister telling him that he was
planningt to stop by the following week. Worried about the bird's
language, he called a friend who had two well-behaved male birds. One
recited the Lord's Prayer, while the other held a rosary in its claws
and repeated Hail Marys.
"Would it be okay if I brought my bird over for a few days?" the
man asked his buddy. "Maybe my parakeet will pick up some good habits
from yours." The friend agreed, so the man took his female parakeet
over and put her in the cage next to that of the two devout males.
Suddenly, the first male parakeet stopped praying and turned to the
other. "You can knock it off now," he said. "We got what we were
praying for."
- Orvil T. Unger, in {Quote}
On the plains of western Canada, early in the fall of the year,
during the wheat harvest a three-year-old girl wandered from the yard
of her farm home, out into the tall grain and became lost. As noght
fell and the cold becmae more intense, the child's father and dozens
of neighbors searched frantically through the fields in a fruitless
effort to find her. Finally one of the men called the search to a
halt, and suggested that they all join hands and, like a giant
combine, comb through the field. This they did and finally in the
bitter-cold hours just before dawn the child's lifeless body was
found. The little girl had succumbed to exhaustion and cold. In
anguish, the poor grief-stricken father cried out, "Oh, God, if we had
only joined hands sooner!" That's what we must do.
- Paul W. Powell, { Basic Sermons on Handling Conflict,
}(Nashville: Broadman Press, 1992) 70
A little boy was saying his bedtime prayers with his mother: "Lord,
bless Mommy and Daddy, and God, GIVE ME A NEW BICYCLE!!!"
Mom: "God's not deaf, son.
Boy: "I know, Mom, but Grandma's in the next room, and she's hard
of hearing!"
Do you ever play the game "how far"? Its rules are really simple -
you fill up your gas tank and then drive to see how far you can go
before you fill up again. You watch the gauge nervously as it falls
closer and closer to big E.
What about you spiritual gas tank - do you play "how far" with it,
too, trying to see how far you can get on a single fill-up?
"Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire
nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or
laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom
of heaven on earth. God does nothing but in answer to prayer."
- John Wesley
Here is a great illustration I came across on prayer. Enjoy!
I love the story of the President and the little boy. During the war between the states, a young soldier in the union army lost his father and his brother in the battle of Gettysburg. The soldier decided to go to Washington, D. C. to see President Lincoln to ask for an exemption from military service so that he could go back and help his sister and mother with the spring planting on the farm. When he arrived in Washington, after having received a furlough from the military to go to plead his case, he went to the White House, approached the front gate and asked to see the President.
The guard on duty told him, “You can't see the President, young man! Don't you know there's a war going on? The President is a very busy man! Now go away son! Get back out there on the battle lines where you belong!”
So the young soldier left, very disheartened, and was sitting on a little park bench not far from the White House when a little boy came up to him. The boy said, “You look mighty unhappy soldier, whats wrong?” The soldier looked at the little boy and began to spill his heart to him. He told of his desperate situation back at home with his mother and sister on the farm alone. He told of his recent loss. The little boy listened and said, “I can help you, soldier!” He took the soldier by the hand and led him back to the front gate of the White House. Apparently, the guard didn't notice them, because they weren't stopped. They walked straight to the front door of the White House and walked right in. After they got inside, they walked right past generals and high-ranking officials, and no one said a word. The soldier couldn't understand this. Why didn't anyone try to stop them?
Finally they reached the Oval Office - where the President was working - and the little boy didn't even knock on the door. He just walked right in and led the soldier in with him. There behind the desk was Abraham Lincoln and his Secretary of State, looking over battle plans that were laid out on his desk. The president looked up at the and the soldier and said, “Good afternoon, Todd. Can you introduce me to your friend?”
And Todd Lincoln, the son of the President, said, “Daddy, this soldier needs to talk to you.” The soldier pled his case before Mr. Lincoln and that very hour received the exemption that he desired!
*We have access to the Father because of Jesus Christ, who intercedes for us. Because of Christ, we have peace with God. We can come to Him anytime, anywhere. Dear people, don't forget to pray! Because of the Cross,
Michael Demastus
Putnam Christian Church (Putnam, IL 61560)
e-mail: demastus@juno.com
PRAY THAT YOUR CHILDREN WILL...
Become Christ's follower early in life (Psalms 63:1; Psalms 2; 1 Timothy 3:15).
Have a hatred for sin (Psalms 97:10).
Gratefully receive discipline (Psalms 119:71).
Accept responsibility for their sins (Psalms 51:1-4, Psalms 51:9,Psalms 51:10).
Be protected from the evil one -- spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, physically (John 17:15, 1 Thessalonians 5:22,1 Thessalonians 5:23, Matthew 6:13).
Be hedged in by God so that they cannot find their way to wrong people or places and that the wrong people cannot find their way to them (Job 1:10; Hosea 2)
Have an excellent spirit in all their ways and relationships (Daniel 6:3)
Respect those in authority over them (Exodus 20:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:13; Ephesians 6:1-3, Ephesians 6:5-7)
Desire the right kind of friends and be protected from those who would corrupt them (Proverbs 1:10-19).
Be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one (2 Corinthians 6:14-16)
Be kept pure while awaiting marriage (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).
Learn to totally submit to God and actively resist Satan (James 4:7).
Be single-hearted and wholly committed to the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 12:1, Romans 12:2).
Parents/Grandparents, why not put this near where you usually pray and go down the list in your petitions to God?
___________________
Glad Tidings, Jacksonville Church of Christ, Jacksonville, AL, 25 June 1998.
#15886
*
Lord, Forgive Me
Lord, forgive me for my cold, cold heart.
Fill me with Your Spirit afresh each day.
Remove these chains of doubt and fear.
Lord, please show me the way.
I know You are the truth and life.
I know You are the way as well.
Fill me afresh with Your Spirit, Lord.
Steer my course away from hell.
Lord, soften my heart as it were, like clay,
Malleable, not rigid and firm.
Mold me into Your honorable vessel, Lord.
Help me through this life's term.
Tear away at this cold heart of mine.
Lord, I choose to unconditionally love.
I want agape love to flow from my heart...
That which is inspired from above.
Let me look with eyes of love,
At each person I may meet.
Let me take Your gospel, Lord,
To those out on the street.
Lord, soften this hardened heart.
Let forgiveness flow from within.
Like merciful waters over a parched land,
Quench my soul again.
Lord, open up the doors for me,
Urge me to go through them.
Let me be Your minister, Lord,
To lead souls away from sin.
Lord, I yield to You as Your witness.
Lord, fill my heart with glee.
Help me to raise You up for others,
That they may come to Thee.
'Tis You that do the drawing in.
I can only show them You,
By testifying of my risen Saviour.
That's what I want to do.
Help me to not hide the light,
But place it on the table,
In clear sight of all I meet,
Testifying of the one born in a stable.
Under a bushel shall it not be placed,
But on a hill for all to see.
Jesus is the light of the world,
The one whose love saved me.
This unconditional love He has for me,
Led Him to His cross.
Shed His blood and died for me,
That I would not incur any loss.
Copyright 1997
Ronald E. Guilfoyle
rguilfoyle@juno.com
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