The question posed tonight was: If God already has everything planned, why do we pray?
First of all, testimony is so important here. Sharing those stories like we did tonight testifies to what God is doing and can do. Let's keep that up. Make testifying a part of your daily life. May it become such a natural part of our conversations with the world, that salt and truth come forth from our mouths!
I pose the question above because it has been posed to me. When it's posed, let's have a ready answer for the "hope we profess." The first answer may just be, when I prayed for this _______, God stepped in and made a way. Testimony can change lives.
Then let's turn to Scripture. 2 Chron 7:14: If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land."
Here we see that prayer MATTERS. Prayer opens the gate for God to move. Sometimes, I think, He is just waiting for us to ask - so we will know it was Him.
Let's look at James 5. A great chapter. Verse 13 and following....the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well. So here we see that sometimes (according to His will) it is the prayer in faith that brought the healing. Again, prayer MATTERS. God is allowing us here...even inviting us to be a part of His work so we will be blessed. What a pleasure. He wants to use us as vessels so He can get glory. Prayer confesses our faith, and that pleases God.
In Acts chapter 4, Paul and John prayed boldly....and "after they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." God responded to the passion in their hearts spoken forth from their mouths. God responds to prayer. We may not always see it, but He is faithful.
Speaking our faith outloud releases the faith from our hearts. It takes courage to say something outloud sometimes doesn't it? Because the spoken word is powerful. Even more powerful is speaking God's Word! So let's start praying Scripture! We can always pray boldly from His Word because His Word is truth.
Take home from tonight - "You have not, because you ask not." James 4:2
Let's ask for a sunroof! If a sunroof is not in His will, then His will be done. Just as Christ asked for the cup to pass but drank from it still. But let it not be that we missed out on an opportunity for a great testimony because we thought our want or need was too big or too small to mention. He already knows you want it. Let's give Him the chance to surprise us with goodness and give us a testimony. God is waiting to hear from you.....
2 comments:
Freeda Bowers says in "Give Me Forty Days for Healing"-----
Your walk with God is a progressive journey. As a believer in Jesus, you are already entitled to all things He has provided, but you only receive them as you are perfected in His love for you. God sees you in right standing with Jesus, but manifesting the fullness of that in your life requires trust and a willing obedience on your part, and the steps of that journey are always the same:
You hear(read) the word of God.
You speak the Word of God(prayer).
You believe the Word of God.
You speak the Word of God (prayer).
You receive the Word of God (blessings).
You testify of the goodness of God.
That's good. It's like inheritance. A child has a birthright, but the parent does not provide it until the child is ready for it. (Though the child may ask for it early - and the parent may provide it depending on the life the child has lived)
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