Beep… beep…
Suddenly awakening from her engrossed thoughts, she quickly went to grab her phone.
“I hope it’s the police. Any news about my daughter?”
“Oh hubby!”
With the phone on her left ear, “Hi honey!”
Then a sweet feminine voice replied from the other end, “am I speaking with Mrs. Robin?”
“Yes please!” Who are you? Where is my husband?
“Your husband is with me at the State Teaching Hospital. He was involved in a car accident, and we rushed him down here some minutes ago. Please quickly come down to the hospital. Take care”, the lady replied.
Dead shocked to utter a word all the while, “Jesus! How? Where?” was all she could blurt out. The line was already disconnected.
She tried to quickly rush to her car and drive off to the hospital, but she was too weak, tired and confused to even take a step. She felt like everything in her life has been ripped apart.
Seven months ago, she was laid off at her place of work; for two weeks now, she has been on the search for her daughter who absconded with her boyfriend, and now it is her dear husband…
“Oh God, where do I start from? What should I do? Please help me!”
Then she remembered her mother’s words – “there is no problem so big that prayers cannot solve”.
“Prayers? How do I really start? Will God even hear me?”
Mrs. Robin was raised in a Christian home where they were taught to pray; but she didn’t see the need to really pray all the while. After all, her parents pray for her, and everything has been going on smoothly – her family, school, a good job, a great husband, and other necessary things she wanted.
But at that moment, she knew better. She’s left alone now and really needs God’s hand to intervene in her family; but to her God seemed so far away…
Girl, no one can live a joyful, fulfilled and satisfied life without God. Even if you think there’s no need to seek Him now, you’ll one day sure get into a tight box that no one else but God can get you out of. It may not come like that of Mrs. Robin, but the truth remains that – man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. (Job 14:1)
But what if you grab a key now; a key that can open and lock up any door. A key that ushers you into the throne of grace where you can “…obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need”. (Hebrew 4:16)
That Key is PRAYER!
When I say prayer, I don’t just mean rehearsing the Lord’s Prayer, praying over your meal, or the “thank you Jesus for a new day” or “Father please give me a sweet sound sleep tonight”.
I’m talking about a PUSH in prayer!
Pray Until Something Happens
You know, most times we see prayers as a religious exercise or duty. But it is much more than that.
And that is what I want us to explore together.
You have to be able to PUSH…
Because, just like in a labour room, there is no Birth without a PUSH; likewise, there is no Prevail without Travail.
And the time to begin is NOW!
Facts About Prayer
- We pray to a big, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, loving God who yearns for our fellowship with Him. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him”. (1 John 5:14-15)
- God knows what we need, but He wants us to ASK – Ask, Seek, Knock. (Jeremiah 29:11-14 Luke 11:9,10). “God will not rule without the consent of those over whom He rules! God is neither a Tyrant or Paternalist… And this is the point of prayer. By prayer, man consents to the rule of God in His life. By prayer, man seeks God’s will and yields to it. By prayer, man asks God for that which he needs and can only receive from God… Prayer is that contact man has with the Heavenly Father to satisfy the deepest needs of his life” (Richard Halverson).
- When we come to God in prayers with our needs, ours is to make request, His is to answer. (Philipians 4:6) Most times we come to God with both the request and a “Yes” answer, demanding that He just place a stamp of confirmation over it. But actually, an answer could either be “Yes”, “No”, “Wait”, “Another plan”. Just, trust Him! He knows better!
- Our receiving answers from God are hinged on some conditions – “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lordthy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day…” (Deut. 28:1).
Why You Must Begin the PUSH in Prayer Now
- It draws you closer to God and consecrated to His will and word. (Psalm 42: 1,2)
- It builds your confidence in God, and teaches you to call upon Him in all situations. When David remembered how he killed the Lions and the bears, he knew that God will also enable him kill Goliath, so he approached that enemy-giant confidently. (1 Samuel 17:34-37)
- It carries you into the realm of the spirit to have a view of God’s plan, and creates a better ‘you’ for the future. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3).
- It makes you take charge of the future, and changes negative things ahead. Our prayers are like seeds we plant, and vapour that accumulates in the sky. At the right time, the fruits will be harvested bountifully, and the water will pour like a mighty rain. So just keep mentioning everything you need now and in the future to God. Because just like Cornelius in Acts 10:4, “thy prayers… are come up for a memorial before God”, and at the appointed time, He’ll send an angel to you with the answers.
How to Develop Your Prayer Life
- Set time aside for prayers. If you leave prayer time to chance, the devil won’t give you a chance to pray. Plan to PUSH in prayers! It could be – during your quiet time, a day(s) for fasting and praying and/or night vigil, etc. Sometime late in my teen years, I picked a day in the week to personally fast and pray, and Gods’ helped me keep that till now. I can’t recount all the blessing borne out of those prayers – simply innumerable.
- Have a prayer journal. Personally, I write my prayer points on the back pages of the diary I use for my quiet time. They’ve been so helpful! It helps to remind you of the supplications and intercessions you ought to make, as well as to remember and be thankful for the answered prayers. Also, on days when you’re just so overwhelmed and kind of disconnected that you don’t even know where to start from, and maybe don’t even feel like praying, you could just open it, and one after the other, make those requests known unto God. When we feel least like praying is the time when we most need to pray (R. A. Torrey).
- Have a prayer partner. The bible tells in Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend”. So it’s really good to have a sister(s) friend, who you could pray together with, regularly or occasionally. It sharpens you to pray more.
- Pray without ceasing (1 These. 5:17). Anytime, anywhere, 5 seconds, whenever the need arises, with your eyes open, no matter how little or big the problem is – just PRAY.
Girl, rise up and PUSH!
I’ll love to hear from you – What’s your view about prayer? What’s your prayer life like now? What strategies do you apply to develop a stronger prayer life? And yes, any prayer requests? I’ll love to join you in prayers. Just drop your ideas in the comment box below.
Much love…
Remain Radiant!