Focus: Keep Praying

Text: 2Chron.30:27

"Their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, even unto heaven."

Have you ever felt like your prayer is in vain? Have you felt like there's no point in praying since nothing seems to be changing around you? Are you discouraged from or tired of praying because you see no results in sight? Are you sure that you are truly praying, because the Scripture says, "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us" (1Jh.5:14)?The Scripture also has it that "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (Jam.5:16). Are you righteous in your eyes or in the eyes of the Lord? Do you pray with fervency, frequency and efficacy?

God would not be asking you to pray if He's not willing to answer. Understand that every spiritual activity is a response to revelation - the word of God as contained in the Scriptures. In other words, what God says should be the standard of everything we do. So we must have faith in God and in His Word. The Scripture says that "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up…" (Jam.5:15). It is the prayer of faith that works, not just any prayer.

If not for prayer, I would not be where I am today. God has been merciful to me and responded to my prayers over the years. I live by prayer. Prayer is a divine means of practicing my dependence on God. Someone has said that "a day without prayer is a boast against God."

Trust God enough to know that prayer works. God answers prayer. It doesn't always seem so, but we had better believe God. Our text says that the prayers of God's people "came up to His holy dwelling place, even unto heaven." This happened under the leadership of king Hezekiah, who led the people into an unprecedented spiritual revival. The people repented from their sins and kept the Passover for the first time in a long while. It is recorded in the Scripture that God "hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people" (2Chron.30:20). Listen to me, God hears your prayer. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Pray, and keep praying - God is committed to hearing your prayers . Ask, and keep asking - you will surely get what you want. Seek, and keep seeking - you will find what you are seeking for. Knock, and keep knocking - doors will swing open for you in due time. God says, "And it shall come to pass in that day, I will HEAR, saith the LORD, I will HEAR the heavens, and they shall HEAR the earth; And the earth shall HEAR the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall HEAR Jezreel" (Hos.2:21,22). It is a kind of spiritual chain reaction. God is ready to cause a change in the atmosphere of your life, and it will flow from the point of heaven to your doorstep. Your life will experience the effects of prayer responses from the throne of heaven.

Don't give up on prayer. Satan wants you to, but you must not let him. Keep holding on to the horns of the altar; your salvation is guaranteed from there. You shall surely see the salvation of the Lord. God is gathering your tears in His bottle of remembrance, and He will remember you. Amen.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter