"The Widow’s Mite”:The Effective Fervent Prayer

James 5:13-18 says,

13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.


14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:


15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.


16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.


17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.


18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.


We need to pray effectively and fervently in order to stay focused on the Lord in the midst of overwhelming circumstances in the world today.


WHAT IS PRAYER?


Prayer is communication with God. In prayer we talk to God about ourselves, our friends, neighbors, family, the Body of Christ, our Nation, Government, or even our enemies. In prayer we give God permission to intervene on our behalf to change a situation or even the course of nature for our benefit or for the benefit of the Kingdom , or our loved ones.


TWO MAJOR KINDS OF PRAYER:


There are two major kinds of prayer-The public and the private or personal. The public prayer is usually said when there is a multitude or group praying together. We find a number of examples in the Acts of the Apostles. In Acts 1:14 we read,


These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.


We also read in Acts 4:23 we also read about a public prayer of the disciples.


23 ¶ And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.

24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:


Matthew 6:6 gives us an example of private prayer.


6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.


In Matthew 26:36 we have another example of private prayer.


Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.


HOW DO WE PRAY?


You can pray by calling on the lord or crying to him to save you from your troubles as in Psalm 145:18,19.


The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.


In the following prayer Solomon asks God for Wisdom.


1Ki 3:7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

1Ki 3:8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

1Ki 3:9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

 We are to know that when we pray according to God’s will he will answer us. Solomon has his prayer answered. God is so pleased that he also gives him riches in addition to wealth.


WHERE DO WE PRAY?


We can pray anywhere as long as we have the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ. The bible says in Psalm 34: 15,

 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.


WHEN DO WE PRAY?


We are to pray without ceasing. That is what the Word of God Says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

 Pray without ceasing.


Eph. 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;


POSTURE: You can pray either standing ( Mark 11:25), kneeling ( Luke 22:41), Lifting your hands ( Psalm 28:2; 1 Timothy 2:8), or in Bed (Psalm 4:4).



EXAMPLES OF EFFECTIVE FERVENT PRAYER:


Elijah is mentioned as having prayed this way in James 5: 17-18.

 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

 Another example is found in Acts 9:40.


But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.


Daniel Prayed this type of prayer in Daniel 9:3-19 and the prayer is answered in Daniel 3:20-22.

 20 ¶ And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;

21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.






Hannah in 1Samuel 1, Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20:2, and the Lord Jesus in the Gospels prayed effective fervent prayers that got immediate answers.


Why Pray According to His Will?


1 John 5:14-15 says

 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

 Can We Suffer When We Pray In God’s Will?


Yes! In Job 23:10 we learn that God tests his children in order to purify them.

 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

 God also allows his own to pass through the hot fire of tribulation in order to prepare them for the tas ahead of them as we find in Psalm 4:2.

 To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm of David. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

 When in doubt, difficulty, depression, denial, or full of joy pray. Pray anytime and anywhere. Pray without ceasing.


God Bless you---Priscilla.© frem.2009.

RESPONDING TO THE SUFFERINGS OF THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE

Gold From the Word

(A man told this story about Lazarus and Dives at a graduation ceremony in Cameroon).

A rich man lived near a very poor man. While the rich man feasted every day the poor man was hungry and covered with sores. The rich man took good care of himself and neglected the poor man.

When they died Lazarus had no one to bury him so that flies and maggots feasted on his corpse. The rich man died and was taken good care of with the best perfumes used on his body.

When both came before God the rich man was smelling good while Lazarus was stinking with his sores and maggots. God told both of them that since they had lived good lives on earth they should kiss each other’s bodies. Lazarus had no problem since the rich man was clean and smelled good. He went on to obey. But the rich man found it hard to kiss the maggots and refused. God sent him to hell for disobedience and Lazarus to heaven for his obedience.

Moral: Be your brother’s Keeper for Hebrews 9:25 says, “It is appointed onto man once to die and after that the Judgment.”

THE REAL STORY (LUKE16:19-31).

Lu 16:19 ¶ There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

Lu 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

Lu 16:21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

Lu 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

Lu 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Lu 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

Lu 16:25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

Lu 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Lu 16:27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:

Lu 16:28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

Lu 16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

Lu 16:30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

Lu 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Remain Blessed----Joshua.