Prayer is simply a two way communication between God and man. It is a relationship that exists between the divinity and humanity. Prayer is the primary assignment of a believer and it has a direct connection to every other area of a Christian life. A Christian life is built upon the altar of prayer. A prayerless Christian will ever remain in the pit of life…a prey.
No matter the situation we find ourselves, no matter the circumstances that surround us , prayer can bring such situation and circumstances under our feet and keep us on the path of advancement. Our Lord Jesus showed us the importance of prayer not only in His teachings but also in His lifestyle, and has committed unto us the ministry of prayer.
Mark 1;35:
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out and departed unto a solitary place and there PRAYED.
Luke 5:16
And He withdrew Himself into the wilderness and PRAYED.
Luke 6: 12
And it came to pass in those days that He went out into a mountain to PRAY, and continue all night in Prayer to God
In Luke 11: 1-13, He was teaching on the importance of unrelenting prayer life. And in Luke 18: 1 He said men ought always to PRAY, and not to faint. Prayer remains the most vital part of our Christian endeavour, without it, it is impossible to live right. Without it, it is impossible to pursue God’s given destiny.
Prayer brings anointing; prayer brings revelational knowledge into the word of God. Prayer is also a spiritual way of shedding weight. Prayer generates fire for the fulfilment of destiny on earth. Prayer is also the spiritual weapon used in arresting our enemies.
A close examination of the exploits of men in the Old Testament, you will agree with me that even though they didn’t have the Holy Spirit, a consistent prayer life was able to give them the testimonies we read about today:
Genesis 6:4 –Noah was a man of prayer and grace was upon him. Genesis 5: 25 And Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him. Hebrew 11:5 says by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him; for before his translation, he had this testimony that he please God.Faith is built on a deep rooted prayer life. Prayer is the strength of faith.
Abraham was a man given to prayer. He had a direct communication line with God and in fact God called him His friend (James 2:23.) .At a time, God commanded Abraham to pray for Abimelech and his household to remove barrenness. Gen. 20: 17 so Abraham prayed unto God; and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservant; and they bare children. Abraham had a place he met with God always Gen 19: 27: And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord.
David, the King of Isreal was a dedicated praying King, he prayed thrice a day. Psalm 55:17; Evening and morning and at noon will I pray, and cry aloud ; and he will hear my voice. Psalm 109:4 David said “for my love they are my adversaries but I give myself unto PRAYER.
We cannot forget the exploit of Daniel and his companions, the Prophets and the nation of isreal who survived the storms, subdued the mighty nations and possessed their possessions by the instrumentality of prayers.
In the New Testament, the Apostles of Christ had this written about them in Acts of Apostles 2;42: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowships , and breaking bread and in PRAYERS”.. They did it steadfastly and were not complacent. In Acts 6:1-4, when the Apostles began to face tough challenges enough to distract them from their core assignment, Peter said in vs 4 “But we will give ourselves continually to PRAYER, and to the ministry of the word”.
An illustration was given in Luke 9:28-32, that revealed how prayer can transfigure a man from one form to another, from one situation to another, from one level of glory to another to the amazement of all people.
“And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James and went up into a mountain to PRAY. And as he PRAYED, the fashion of his countenance was altered and his raiment was white and glistering. And behold there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias; who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep and when they were awake, they saw his glory and the two men that stood with him”
Prayer transforms lives if Christians take responsibility to pray. 2 Chronicle 4:9-10 told the story of Jabez who was operating under a curse placed by his mother during his birth. He took the bull by the horn by engaging the Heaven through the instrumentality of PRAYER. The God of isreal transformed his life from a cursed person to an honourable personality above all his brethren.
In 1 Samuel 1, Hannah endeavoured to pray and the yoke of barrenness was destroyed forever. Do not underestimate the place of prayer in your Christian adventure. I pray as you begin and continue to labour in prayers; your expectations shall not be cut short in Jesus name.
If there is any area of your life that the devil will constantly challenge, it is your prayer life. It is the stem that supplies other branches of life with nutrients and vitality to live.
This write up will be incomplete without making reference to Fasting. Fasting is the regular twin brother to prayer. They are both spiritual weapon to deliver destinies from the bondage of corruption. Fasting is the spiritual catalyst that speeds up the operations of prayer in order to deliver its dividends accurately and timely.
A sharpened knife is different from a blunt knife. A sharpened knife makes for easy cutting. So when you do your prayer with fasting, you are guaranteed accelerated result. Fasting is an expression of spiritual sacrifice that shows your seriousness about the matter of concern.it is also a spiritual obligation that must be undertaken to fulfil destiny.in Christ.
It is also a sure way to humble the flesh so that the spirit can have its way. Galatians 5:17 “For the flesh lusted against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. This battle goes on in us , so that we will not be able to do what we would”. Fasting brings the flesh under the control of the spirit, so that you can gain access to the treasury of God.
Engaging in regular fasting will grant you control over stubborn forces of darkness because this kind won’t go out but by prayer and fasting. Matt 17:21.
Take advantage of fasting and like Jesus you will return in the Power of the spirit -Luke 4:14.
In conclusion, the supernatural capacity of prayer is that it is ordained of God as the all in one solution to the crisis and need of life. It is the singular umbrella that covers all that man may need as long as he lives.
Jesus said in Mark 11;24
“Therefore I say unto you, what things so ever ye desire, when you PRAY, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them”.
Matthew 21;22
“And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in PRAYER, believing, ye shall receive”
Matthew 7:7-11
“ ASK, and it shall be given unto you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you; for everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask for fish, will give him a serpent? If ye then being evil, know how to give gifts unto your children, how much more shall you father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
Kindly pay attention to the key words ASK, SEEK, KNOCK in the passage above to give clearer understanding about the mystery of prayer. These are three different degree of praying:
ASK – is simply an act of demanding or raising a petition to the Almighty over a need in your life or that of another person
SEEK – means taking more serious steps in handling a matter of concern by creating more time and probably getting out of the confinement of pleasure and comfort to a solitary environment. It is done mostly when you need direction or God’s approval over a matter or thing.
KNOCK – this applies when situation gets tougher and you need to apply spiritual forces of fasting and sacrifices to get situation under control and having God’s name praised at the end.