PRAYER. PURPOSE. POWER!
"Be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you." 1 Samuel 12:23
"I will pray for you."
How many times is this statement used in a day? Do we actually follow through or has it become a a phrase to make others feel better?
How serious are these five words to God?
In the verse above, who does Samuel say we sin against when we fail to pray for one another? THE LORD GOD HIMSELF.
God calls us to pray for each other, lift one another up in prayer, and to cry out in pray for the needs of others. This was instilled in Samuel at an early age. Not able to conceive, Hannah, cried out to God for a son. In her pain and distress she made a vow to The Lord...
"If You will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son,then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life." 1 Samuel 1:11
God heard her cry, answered her prayer, and as a result she followed through with her promise. His mother's example left a "Prayer Imprint" on Samuel's heart. As a result, we find example after example of Samuel praying for others. I love the fact that when he says he will pray, he did it right then... 1 Samuel 7:5.
Do you believe your prayers make a difference?
Do you mean what you pray or do you just say the words out of duty?
Get ready to be blown away. James 5:16 says...
"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that YOU may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
Hold it! Praying for others heals me? This word in the Greek actually means "to make whole; to free from errors and sins." Now this is a new and fresh thought. When I take time to pour out my heart to God on behalf of others, I am affected. My relationship with Jesus is deepened. WOW! Praise God for His Word that teaches us all things.
LIFE CHALLENGE... When you tell someone you will pray for them... Do It! Follow through with that commitment to pray. In fact, here is a double challenge, when you tell someone you will pray do it right then... in the grocery store, on the phone, at work, at church, during exercise class, in the yard. I find when I pray right then, in the moment, I am more sensitive to the Holy Spirit's nudge to pray later.
From My Heart to Yours,
Carla McDougal