"He will call upon me, and I will answer him . . . and show him my salvation'' Psalm 91:15-16.The time we spend with the Lord in prayer can release the most dynamic, history-changing Power this world has ever know. The Bible describes many different operations of prayer, but in this lesson we are going to look specifically at the prayer of the individual. Our prayer as a Body together can only be as strong as our personal time with the Lord.
''But when you pray, go into your most private room, and closing the door, pray to your Father Who is in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret will reward you in the open'' Matthew 6:6 (Amp).We have been invited into intimate prayer by none other than the Lord Himself. This kind of ''secret'' prayer presupposes and ensures:
"As for me, l will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and noon, will I pray and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice" Psalm 55:16-17 (KJV) (see also Daniel 6:10; Acts 10:9, 30).The best example of a daily pattern of regular, whole-hearted prayer - prayer that was never just a meaningless rut - can be found in the Lord Jesus Himself:
''Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, 'Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.' And God granted his request" 1 Chronicles 4:10.
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other . . . " James 5:16.
"Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honoured, just as it was with you" 2 Thessalonians 3:1.
"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray . . . Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up . . . pray for each other so that you may be healed . . . " James 5:14-16.
"If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life . . . " 1 John 5:16.
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express'' Romans 8:26.Part of the Holy Spirit's purpose is to teach us (Luke 12:12) and guide us in prayer (Romans 8:27), and to help us in our faith (Ephesians 3:16-17). The Holy Spirit will sometimes anoint a believer's prayer in a special way, and this is called "praying in the Holy Spirit" (Jude 20; Ephesians 6:18). To help us in prayer, the Holy Spirit had also provided a special gift to the believer: the gift of tongues - speaking in an unknown language to the Lord in prayer (see 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 14:1-18).
" . . . the prayer of the upright is his delight . . . he heareth the prayer of the righteous'' Proverbs 15:8, 29 (KJV).
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Unless otherwise stated, all scriptures quoted in these studies are from the New International Version of the Bible, & copy; New York International Bible Society, used by permission. Other versions referred to are: KJV (King James Version), NKJB (New King James Bible), TLB (The Living Bible), Amp (The Amplified Bible) and The Message. All versions used by permission.
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