THEY PRAYED

By Rick Mathes

Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

Christians and guests go to church on Sunday morning because they love the fellowship. They go on Sunday night because they love the pastor, but they go on Wednesday night because they love the Lord. Those who pray together stay together. Our Lord sent the Holy Spirit to intercede for our prayers. It’s a very personal experience to be in God’s presence with His full attention the words we utter. Without the comfort of faith, I would be terrified. In fact every time someone came into God’s presence of the Lord in the Bible, they fell down dead and trembled in fear. Even Peter asked the Lord to go away because he was a sinful man and we all know what happened to John in chapter one in the Book of Revelation.

You can’t help but worship when you talk to Jesus. An elder and I would go to church early Sunday morning and pray for an hour every Sunday. Our only rule was that we couldn’t ask God for anything, just worship. At first I could hardly pray for five minutes but in weeks to come we had to limit ourselves to intervals of fifteen minutes each. Try it. It isn’t easy at first because we are so used to praying “I, me and mine.” You need to replace those words with “He, Him and His” and you will have a wonderful prayer experience.

There is a very real expectation that He heard us and answered. He loves us so much that not one prayer, no matter how feeble, escapes His notice. It’s all a matter of submitting to His will and not ours. Lordship means that He is Lord not us. So all we can do is offer our petition for His consideration. He will always answer it to our best interests, you can count on it!

A good confession should precede a good prayer. Nothing pleases the Lord more than when you lift holy hands to him in supplication and worship. The hands you once used for sinful purposes become sanctified when you repent and use them for godly purposes.

Really all it takes is for a believer’s voice to reach the ears of God is our acknowledgement of total dependence on Him for all things. As a servant of His, a slave to His lordship, the rest of your life is none of your business. The fragrance of your prayer insures His perfect attendance to all your needs and wants that make Him happy!