UNDER PRESSURE â—½ ENCOURAGEMENT
The Prayer
by Debbie Haynes
Do our prayers really matter? How should we pray, anyway? Does God even hear us?
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Solomon prayed an earnest prayer, with a humble spirit, with his hands toward heaven. It wasn’t a wishy-washy, shot-in-the-dark, wish list type of prayer. It was a heartfelt, sobbing, targeted prayer, specific, and full of faith to the only God who could possibly forgive an incredibly long list of sins committed by God’s people.
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Hannah, a barren woman, prayed the same way when petitioning God for a child. No words would come from her mouth; only groaning, deep from within – pleading her case for a child.
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There were also two men in the bible, Ezekiel and Isaiah, who were given the job of being spiritual watchmen on the wall of Jerusalem.
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And God also gives us the same job to pray important prayers of supplication over our loved ones, and to plead for their souls to Christ.
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So what does a prayer of supplication entail? We can look closer at the prayer of Solomon to see:
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“There is no God like you, in heaven above or earth beneath…” is a good way to begin.
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“O Lord my God, listen to the cry and the prayer your servant prays this day” is a plea He hears.
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“We want your presence here in this place we’ve built for your name” acknowledges our need and the answer.
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“I ask you to have mercy, and forgive us” with hands lifted high is heartfelt, humble and sincere.
The next part of the story is God’s response to this prayer of supplication. God says he hears the prayer, will place his name there forever, and his eyes and his heart will be there for all time. Then he holds Solomon accountable as the leader for following God with integrity and devotion.
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Maybe we feel a bit like Solomon, Ezekiel or even Hannah, as we plead for the spiritual well-being of others out of our deepest heartfelt needs. We desire and plead for God to talk with us, to heal us, to teach us and to forgive us and give us abundant life in Him.
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Philippians 4 owns a familiar verse – telling us to not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication – with thanksgiving – letting our requests be made known to God. And when we do…the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
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We aren’t given all the answers about the twists and turns of life ahead. But we can have a peace that’s too big to even understand because our hearts and minds are guarded. Maybe our families have been overcome by lies, intruders and peace-breakers. But our prayers of supplication can cover our families, disarm the lies, and keep us all from spiritual damage.
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We should never ridicule ourselves and blame our weaknesses for unanswered prayers, or because we haven’t prayed “enough.” Answered prayers are not within our hands, but bringing God our needs in faith with pleading, is what is within our hands. We bring them to the all-powerful, all-knowing God that knows our hearts and hears our cries. We are just watchmen and watchwomen asking in humility and faith, with thankful hearts, and we leave the answers up to Him.