Day 18 | Effective Prayer
January 26th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
1 Samuel 12:16, 18
Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes! Then Samuel called upon the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel.
Neil Anderson says, “What no human can do in eternity, God can do in an instant – and He does it in response to our prayers. Thomas Chalmers says, “Prayer does not enable us to do a greater work for God. Prayer is a greater work for God.” Samuel demonstrated this principle in our scripture reference when he called upon the Lord. We also see it in James 5:16-18 when James recounts Elijah’s faith and his prayer. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced it crops (vv. 17-18).
Both Samuel and Elijah were righteous, and that is why they were effective in prayer; but in every other way they were no different from us.
We will never be effective in prayer if we go to God in emergencies and then return to managing our own lives when the crisis passes. It’s not appropriate to ask God to bless our plans; rather, we should humbly ask God to reveal His plans. Prayer is not conquering God’s reluctance but laying hold of God’s willingness. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything in accordance to his will, he hears us…we know that we have what we asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15). Our prayers will always be effective if our petitions and intercessions are in agreement with the Word of God.
What are you praying for today? What are you praying for during this fast? Today, resist praying for your desires and ask God to reveal to you His desires.
