Prayer
Priscilla Van Sutphin
10-29-01
"May God open our eyes to see what the holy ministry of intercession is to which, as His royal priesthood, we have been set apart. May He give us a large and strong heart to believe what mighty influence our prayers can exert." -Andrew Murray
Spurgeon said: If that roaring lion that goes about continually seeking whom he may devour finds us alone among the vineyards of the Philistines, where is our hope ? Not in our heels, for he is swifter than we; not in our weapons, for we are naturally unarmed; not in our hands, which are weak and languishing; but in the Spirit of God, by whom we can do all things. If GOD fights in us, who can resist us ? There is a stronger lion in us than against us.
" Give me one hundred preachers who fear 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
"Your life and ministry will never grow beyond your prayer life " unknown
"He who bends the ear of God, moves the hand of God. "
"Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray in a time when You may be found: surely in a flood of great waters they shall not reach Him." King David....Psalm 32:6
Psalm 10: 17-18 You hear , Oh Lord, the desire of the afflicted: You encourage them, and You listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
ACTS 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer....
Psalm 109:4 For my love, they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer...
Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open towards Jerusalem, He knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: casting all your cares upon Him, for He careth for you.
Thoughts on prayer from the Union Prayerbook for Jewish Worship:
And ye shall seek Me and find Me when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah xxix:13
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness Psalm xcvi: 9
The Lord is nigh unto all who call upon Him, unto all that call upon Him in truth. Psalm 114: 18
Know thou the God of they father, and serve Him with a whole heart, and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginings of the thoughts; if thou seek Him, He will be found by thee. 1 Chronicles 28: 9
From hebrew writings:
In the midst of a congregation at prayer, God's presence will be found Berachot, 6a
The Merciful One desires our heart Sanhedrin 106b
What is the service of the heart ? It is prayer Taanit 2a
We should not rise to pray in the spirit of gloom or of idleness, of levity, or idle talk, but only in the joy of religious duty. Berechot 31a
When you pray do not make your prayer mere routine, but a plea before God for mercy and grace... Abot ii:13
Prayer without devotion is like a body without a soul....Medieval proverb
It is proper for you to know my brother, that the aim of our devotion in prayer consists in naught save the soul's longing for God, humbling itself before Him, and extolling the Creator with praise and gratitude unto His name, and casting all burdens upon Him.
Bahia ibn Pakkudah, Duties of the Heart, iii
*** When you pray, pray in the synagogue of your city; if you are unable to pray in the synagogue, pray in your field; if you are unable to pray in your field, pray in your home; if you are unable to pray in your home, pray on your couch; and if you are unable to pray on your couch, meditate in your heart. This is the meaning of the verse: "Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. " Midrash Tehillim on Psalm iv:5
Prayer from a weekday morning service:
O Thou Who givest meaning to the strivings of men, attune our hearts for communion with Thee. In the stillness of the night, in the press of the crowd, in the agony of inner conflict, we bow our heads, and lo, Thou art in our hearts and we are at peace. We know not, O Lord, whether the gifts for which wwe ask are for our good, whether our trials and tribulations may not be blessings in disguise, whether even the fragment of our shattered hopes and love may not minister to the upbuilding of other lives and the fulfillment of Thine unfathomable plan. So we do not pray unto Thee to make our lives easy, to give us happiness without alloy. Rather do we pray Thee to aid us to be uncomplaining and unafraid. Teach us to face life with FAITH and courage that we may see the blessings hidden away even in its discords and struggles. Help us to wrest victory from the discipline of PAIN. May we realize that life calls us not merely to enjoy the fatness of the earth, but to exult in heights attained after the toil of climbing. Thus will our darkness be illuminated by Thy light and our weaknesses made strong by THY strength, lifting us above fear and defeat, and sustaining our steps with an immortal hope. Praised be thou, O Lord, the stay and trust of the righteous.
We gratefully acknowledge, O Lord, our God, that Thou art our Creator and Preserver, the Rock of our life and the Shield of our help. We render thanks unto Thee for our lives which are in Thy hand, for our souls which are ever in Thy keeping; for Thy wondrous providence and for Thy continuous goodness, which Thou bestowest upon us day by day. Truly, Thy mercies never fail and Thy lovingkindness never ceases. Therefore do we put our trust in Thee forever.
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Do not be deceived brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:16-17
For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing will be there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:16-18
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective fervant prayer of a rightous man avails much. Elijah was aman with a nature like ours and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. James 5: 16-18
1 Corintians 1:10 Now I plead with you brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
"You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. " "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life." John 5:39-40
Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.
Psalm 4:3-5 But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; the Lord will hear when I call to Him. Be angry and do not sin, meditate within your heart on our bed and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord.
Thought:
Lack of prayer is sometimes a lack of trust. If you don't trust God to answer, why pray? If there is covered over sin...you may lack the grace to pray. Or you may be under the oppression of witchcraft...which will snuff out your worship and prayer life, and devotional time. David said, search my heart Oh God, and see if there be any wicked way in me...don't fear to ask Him to open up your heart for inspection on a daily basis...He is like a refiner's fire and a fuller's soap...He is more gentle than most people I have known, to do this in a way to preserve your perception of His love for you. The trouble with PRIDE, is that one thinks there is nothing wrong in one's life...it's everyone else's problem. Or due to abuses in the church that have happened to them...they are too afraid to open up and trust someone new... People also often experience fears of disclosure or embarrassment, but sometimes these are linked to pretense...and wanting to "save face". God wants to remove the white-washed walls in our lives; not just to repaint them, not erase them...as we need boundaries:walls, but they just need to be clear...not white-washed...
The Lord has quickened to my heart for a long time, and especially of late that He is desirous of UNIFIED prayer - corporate prayer. No man can walk alone. We are interdependent with other brothers and sisters in the Lord. God made His church, giving out different gifts as the Spirit wills, it says, so that we need each other - even the weak He says are necessary. To think we don't need each other is contrary to His will lately - if I pray alone it is ok. I am an intercessor, but if I pray with others there is an even greater anointing. God once told me "the revival would come in the one-anothers"
In past revivals it was the same...People would stand up and pray for a loved one, and sometimes that same person just prayed for would show up at the meeting saying something compelled them to come. We need to pray for one another like we pray in our families at home. Join together, usually with some agenda, but let the Spirit be the agenda maker. God will orchestrate things to the blessing of all involved. If we can be REAL, and share what our REAL needs are, I believe God will release such power as to shake hell and the earth above it. A couple years ago at a church, the women started to pray.
It was the time right after the attack on the WTC. Instead of what is usually planned, we started to pray, and as we continued to pray, three of us felt the building shake. It was as if in a quake and we are used to quakes out here. God also wants to raise up prayer meetings in our neighborhoods where people from different churches can join together to pray for each other and our neighborhoods. Families praying together will shake hell ! NOW is the time God will arise.
Priscilla
Upstream Ministries
Recommended books: Dick Eastman: Love on it's Knees, Prayer Books by John Eckhardt
