Praising God is often associated with worship meetings. It is also associated with singing, dancing, clapping of hands or lifting up of hands in praise. Sometimes, enabled by the Holy Spirit, praise happens in languages foreign to the speaker which is understood as speaking in tongues. All this is part of praising God and generally … Read the rest
Prayer-Stand in the Gap
Many Christians want to serve God. But they do not know how to do it. The best way to do it is to stand before God on behalf of others. You can best serve God in this manner.
We often think much about our struggles and difficulties in life. But at the same time, we … Read the rest
3. Our Helper in Prayer
You go to meet the CEO of a big Multinational Corporation. You are to present before him an ambitious project of yours. You meet his secretary first. You brief her about your project and seeks her assistance in fixing up an appointment with the boss.
As you are inside his office you start explaining. But … Read the rest
What Is Prayer?
One cannot read the Bible and miss its frequent records of prayer. Can you imagine the Bible without any mention of prayer? No. Why?
Because prayer is not a duty but the most natural way one expresses oneself to God. In that way it is something personal. Prayer therefore is carried forward on waves of … Read the rest
Why Prayers Go Unanswered?
1. Sin
Sin is what separates God and men. Even though a believer does not lose his status of being God’s child when he sins; the sin he commits is an obstacle to prayer. As long as there is unconfessed sin in a believer’s life his prayers are not going to be answered. Without confessing … Read the rest
Start Praying Now
The simplest step of prayer is the most neglected one. That one single step is to start to pray. Planning to pray might not work. Finding the right moment to pray might delay the first step by years. The best thing is to pray now.
But if you find it difficult you need to ask … Read the rest
The Place Where He Had Stood Before the Lord
Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord (Genesis 19:27 NIV).
Why did Abraham return? It was to know the result of his standing before the Lord the day before. If you too have the habit of standing before the Lord you too will … Read the rest
For I delight in Your Deliverance
For I delight in your deliverance (1 Samuel 2:1z NIV).
It is that simple. Hannah delighted in God’s deliverance. What about you?
This simple proclamation of her source of confidence and her joy in God’s deliverance comes in her prayer after God had given her the answer to her earlier prayer. Her deliverance was birthed … Read the rest
From Inside the Fish Jonah Prayed to the Lord
From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God (Jonah 2:1 NIV).
Disobedience to God is costly. It not only puts you under His wrath but also causes others to suffer because of you. This is shown by the way the sailors of the ship in which Jonah sailed suffered.
But then God … Read the rest
For He Has Not Despised
For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help (Psalm 22:24 NIV).
The feeling of being despised can affect believers too. It need not be taken as a sign of lack of faith. But it … Read the rest
Morning, I Lay My Requests Before You and Wait in Expectation
In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation (Psalm 5:3 NIV).
God wants us to live life one day at a time. For the day is a God-given unit of time for man’s sake. Therefore it is best to begin each … Read the rest
May Those Who Hope in You Not Be Disgraced Because of Me
May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the Lord Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel (Psalm 69:6 NIV).
There are two possibilities for a prayer like this.
The first one can be sin. In the previous … Read the rest
As When Children Come to the Point of Birth
They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the point of birth and there is no strength to deliver them.” … Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives (2 Kings 19:3, 4z NIV).
This is a lesson about … Read the rest
Remember Me, O God, Strengthen Me Just Once More
Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “O Sovereign Lord, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes (Judges 16:28 NIV).
There is a God who remembers you when you cry out to Him. He is a God who … Read the rest
A Cloud As Small As a Man’s Hand
The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” (1 Kings 18:44a NIV).
One of the most valuable lessons on prayer is found here. It is perseverance. What does it mean? It means praying on and on, in spite of no sign of your prayer … Read the rest
The Sun Rose, He Was Limping
The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip (Genesis 32:31 NIV).
The man who wrestled with God touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched. Therefore, after the encounter with God Jacob was limping. Yet that limp was an outward sign that … Read the rest
I Will Not Let You Go Unless You Bless Me
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:26b NIV).
How many people wrestle with God to have Him bless them? Very few. But here Jacob said: “I will not let you go unless . . . .” Holding on to God is very important if you would like … Read the rest
Left Alone, A Man Wrestled Till Daybreak
So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak (Genesis 32:24 NIV).
There are God-impact moments in the life of His children. These can happen anywhere, anytime; since God is not limited by circumstances. But if you desire to have a God-impact moment in your life, better get alone with God.… Read the rest
Daniel, Just As He Had Done Before
Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before (Daniel 6:10b NIV).
Cultivating the habit of prayer is very important. Many people do not understand its importance until very late in life. The reasons for this are many.
So many think … Read the rest
Delight in the Lord, He Will Give Desires of Your Heart
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4 NIV).
This is a bold promise from God’s Word. It talks about our desires. We all have desires in life. But we often doubt whether they will be fulfilled.
One reason for the doubt is the wrong nature … Read the rest
A Day When the Lord Listened to a Man
There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel! (Joshua 10:14 NIV).
The miracle recorded here is unique in world history. The sun stood still and the moon stopped its movement. This happened at the prayer and … Read the rest
Sin, Failing to Pray
As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right (1 Samuel 12:23 NIV).
“Failing to pray” is a sin. Many Christians have not thought about failure to pray in this manner. … Read the rest
Make This Valley Full of Ditches
Make this valley full of ditches. For this is what the Lord says: You will neither see wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water (2 Kings 3:16b, 17a NIV).
God performs miracles only where there is expectation. Even when the need is pressing, many fail to expect God to do something … Read the rest
Before They Call I Will Answer
Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24 NIV).
Have you ever felt that the sky is like a bronze shield preventing your prayers from reaching heaven?
Have you ever felt that your prayers are falling into empty nothingness; reaching nowhere?
Have you ever felt no joy … Read the rest
The Lord Is Near to All Who Call
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them (Psalm 145:18,19 NIV).
Our calling on the Lord is never in vain. Though at times we never hear a response for … Read the rest
Call to Me
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know (Jeremiah 33:3 NIV).
This message came to Prophet Jeremiah while he was still imprisoned. This came in response to his earlier prayer. God was speaking to him the second time.
Surely this message was important. It … Read the rest
Search Me, O God
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23,24 NIV).
Can you pray this prayer with an honest and earnest heart? If you can do so you can be assured that … Read the rest
If I Had Cherished Sin in My Heart
If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me” (Psalm 66:18,19,20 NIV)!
The psalmist is here calling people to come and listen to … Read the rest
My Help Comes from the Lord
I lift up my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth (Psalm 121:1,2 NIV).
Where do our eyes look when we are in need of help? First of all it will look inside us. That is, we will try to look … Read the rest
Stand Before Me in the Gap
I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none (Ezekiel 22:30 NIV).
God looks for a man. But He finds none. God looks for a man who … Read the rest