Wonder of Wonders

by Rocky Fleming

Day 2:  Great Prayer Precedes a Great Work of God

Jesus invites us to pray.  He said that He would hear our prayers and answer them provided we follow a few prerequisites.  Here are some essentials I found mentioned in the Bible:

Go to God through Jesus – See 1 Timothy 2:5 and John 14:6

Abide in Christ – See John 15:7 and 1 Corinthians 2:16

Trust and believe God – See Mark 11:22-24, Mark 9:23, James 1:6-8, Hebrews 11:6

Do not harbor sin – See Psalm 66:18 and Isaiah 59:1-2

Pray for something God wants – 1 John 5:14-15, Matthew 6:10, John 14:13

Along with the prerequisites mentioned above, there are a few more that can hinder our prayers, especially if there is something we personally hold on to and it must be removed to open our prayer lines.  But we can be assured that God answers our prayers, and He wants to answer your prayers if they are in line with His will and not hindered by those things He says will stand in the way.  

To that point, I mentioned that we should pray for things that God wants. For instance, when we read in the Bible that husbands should love their wives as Christ loves the Church, if our prayer is to get His perspectives with why and how to love her this way, I believe God will help us.  The same goes for wives.  Another example is if our mission is to make disciples the way He told us to do it, then we can be assured that because He wants us to invest our life into that mission and it is something He wants, He will help us do it.  If we can start with this as a foundation to build on, then our prayers proceed to that which Jesus said He would do, which is to answer our prayer.  Look how John the Apostle embraced that promise and exhorts us today:

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”  1 John 5:14-15 (ESV)

Now let’s make a personal application.  Are you praying for things He delights in, or are your prayers driven by selfish motives and desires?  Seems simple enough to ask this question of our self, doesn’t it?  If you are not sure how to answer this question, go to the Bible and find the things Jesus and the scriptures say to pray for and what to avoid.  Study the scriptures and apply them to your life.  Look at everything God delights in and make it a priority to pursue those things.  Look at those things He told His disciples to do, which includes you and me.  Discover for yourself His heart and mission and purpose, and then pray for His help and resources to do those very things.  I believe you will see His affirmation by blessing you with all you need to do a great work for Him.  

Prayer is the great work that we must do, for prayer produces a great work to God’s honor for those who have clear and open prayer lines to God.  God is a God of wonders.  I believe He wants to reveal Himself more than we realize.  The issue is not what He can do or is willing to do.  The issue is what He is waiting for us to do.  We live in troubled times.  We need God’s wisdom and empowerment to take advantage of this time, for a great harvest awaits His laborers.  Jesus told us to pray for laborers.  Let’s obey Him in that directive by being an answer to our own prayer by asking Him to help us be that person which He desires.  Let the big work of prayer begin by putting yourself before Him so He can do mighty things through your life.  This is where our prayer request for help begins, and it grows from there as He shows us what the next step will be.