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Devotions > Preparation to Prevail in Prayer


3 May 2010

Prayer that prevails with God is prayer that follows specific preparation.    What preparation is required to bring about prevailing prayer; prayer that receives that for which it petitions?

In II Chronicles 7:14 we see an outline of preparation.    This passage tells the people of God that we should prepare in four ways.   First we shouldhumble ourselves.    This is no doubt written for our day since arrogance and pride prevail in every aspect of our daily lives both inside and outside of our churches. 

 In the Presidential Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln proclaiming a National Fast Day [ April 30th1863 ] concerning the matter of national pride, it was stated: “But we have forgotten God.  We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthen us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.   Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!”

We are clearly instructed in the Holy Word to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of our Throughout the revealed Word we find the clear teaching that God will not hear and respond to a man with a proud heart. God.  We are told that our God gives grace to those who humble themselves, but He opposes the proud.    We see from God’s own words:   “the prayers of a righteous man avail much in their working”. 

The next instruction from this passage is to pray.   It must be clear to all God’s people that in order to pray aright we must pray from a humble and sincere heart.   And yes, there must be a sense of desperation in our prayers.    We must be seeking from our God something that we desperately need and can in no wise provide for ourselves.    And we must pray in faith believing that the prayer of a righteous man that springs from faith will be heard in heaven.   Lastly to insure a positive response to our prayer, we must pray in accordance with the will of our Father.   O that we might develop the consistent and persistent pattern of preparing for prayer in these ways.

The third instruction we find is God speaking to His people calling them to seek His face.    This outlines for us the criticality of intimacy in our encounter with our God.  This means when we pray, we must not pray to a God who is far away.   But in humble, sincere and intense desire we must come cleansed and close to our Father who is our God.    This is very natural for those who have humbled themselves and prepared for and entered into authentic prayer.

Finally we are instructed that we must repent:  specifically this instruction is to turn from our wicked ways.   This step of our instruction is like a litmus strip for the previous three.    For when we come to God by humbling ourselves rightly, and praying truly, and seeking God’s face sincerely, we will not be able to restrain ourselves from turning from our wicked ways.   In the presence of our Holy God, sin must be put out.  It cannot and will not stand.   No more than a rope can stand upright of its own power or a water fall can flow upward, sin cannot stand in the presence of our Holy God.   [ Isaiah 6:5 ] And God has made provision for the forgiveness of all of our sin.  

 Now, upon this repentance, we have prepared to petition God for our families, for our communities, and for our Country.  Upon completion of these four steps of coming to God He promises that He will hear us from heaven, He will forgive our sins, and He will heal our Land.

May we come together to pray for our land this week on the National Day of Prayer.   Gather with other like minded believers to pray for our Nation, but do not just drop by and say a few prayers.   Please  come, prepared to meet the God of heaven according to His instructions.   

Men and women of God, is one day a year sufficient to come to the Lord with petitions to heal our land?   Is God calling you to organize a regular time to come together with other believers to pray?

Is God calling you to be a part of a movement to call on God to send His Spirit to bring a powerful awakening to His Church and to this Nation?    Are you willing to ask Him what He would have you do?

Jeff Williams