WEDNESDAY IN THE WORD    May 31, 2023

 ‘THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER”

“O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” Nehemiah 1:11 NLT

What is Prayer? It is communion with God or a conversational relationship with our Creator, that can be made at any time or place. True worship begins at the altar of our hearts as we come humbly before God in prayer. Luke 18:1 says, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” In this parable of the Persistent Widow, she was focused, persistent, determined and faithful in her intercession. So, when we pray, we Experience Three things as we engage in it: The Presence, Pardon and the Power of God.

We must remember that prayer forces us to wait, and we must learn to wait patiently for His Timing. When we are in His presence, Prayer quiets our hearts before God and clears our vision, so we can see what His vision is. Prayer reminds us of the Cleansing from our Sins that we need daily. We must remember that God gave His only Son to Redeem and Pardon us, of our sins. (John 3:16). But He didn’t stop there. God gave us the gift of the “Holy Spirit” as our Power, Comforter, and Guide for daily living. I believe that the question we each need to address each day is, “Do I have enough Faith to believe God will really answer my prayer?”

We are told that when we pray, we can be specific in our requests. Nehemiah had that type of faith. When he asked God for his specific needs in order to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He had a reverence for the Lord, even in the midst of being fearful of the king that he served. Nehemiah prayed for success in his venture. Notice, the success he prayed for was not for personal advantage, position or acclaim. He requested success for God’s work. When God’s purposes are at work we should not hesitate to ask for success.

So, for those who are in a difficult situation, under pressure, up against a wall or facing a test, let me remind you all, that the Saint who advances on his or her knees never retreats. Because they know that God is still on the throne and is in control. In Nehemiah’s case the Lord answered his prayers, and gave him and the Israelite people the success they were looking for, although they had many burdens to deal with, they prayerfully pushed through. I hope, and pray that we can become people who pray. May we learn to leave our burdens with You Lord, rather than picking them up and carrying them with us, after claiming that we’re Trusting in You. Teach us that your hands are much more capable than ours to handle ALL that concerns us. So, let us pray in season and as much as we please, because it’s hard to stumble when you’re on your knees. Then we will realize the importance of becoming the committed “Prayer Warriors” who go to the Altars of our hearts, as we commit each minute of each day to God in prayer. To Him be All the Glory. Amen.

Rev. Andie