Pray Earnestly

Dear Sisters,

Good morning! What an amazing (and very muddy!) process to watch the winter snow be washed away by spring rains. Seems like our world is always in some kind of beautiful transition from one season to the next. And isn’t that also the way it should be with our hearts? We should always be transforming – becoming more and more holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1-2).

Have a wonderful week of transformation!

PRAY EARNESTLY

Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. James 5:17

The Bible is packed with the prayers of men and women who prayed earnestly to God.

Nehemiah prayed earnestly (Nehemiah 1:5-11). The cupbearer to the king mourned, fasted, and prayed that God would give him favor before King Artaxerxes so he could return to Jerusalem and rebuild its broken down walls and gates. God answered Nehemiah’s prayer and he stayed in Jerusalem twelve years to help rebuild.

Queen Esther prayed earnestly (Esther 4:16). She called all of the Jews in Susa to join her in fasting and praying for three days and three nights before she went before the king to plead for the deliverance of her people. God answered those prayers by showing Esther favor before the king. The king gave permission to have another decree written to offset the one that vile Haman originally put in place to destroy the Jews.

Hannah prayed earnestly (1 Samuel 1:9-20). She poured out her soul to the LORD out of her great anguish and grief in being childless. God answered Hannah’s prayer by remembering her. In the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the LORD for him” (1 Samuel 1:20).

Solomon prayed earnestly (1 Kings 3:7-9). When he became king, he prayed for a discerning heart to govern God’s people and to distinguish between right and wrong. God answered that prayer by giving him wisdom that was beyond what anyone ever had or will ever have (1 Kings 3:12).

Elijah prayed earnestly (1 Kings 18:36-38). He prayed that God would answer by fire on the water-saturated altar so that God’s people would turn their hearts back to Him again. God answered that prayer by sending fire that burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the soil, and the water in the trench. The people cried, “The LORD – he is God! The LORD – He is God (1 Kings 18:38-39)!

We may be tempted to think that only the spiritual “giants” get their prayers answered in such dramatic ways, but the truth is, these are men and women just like us (James 5:17).

In his book, Forgotten God – Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit, Francis Chan writes, “Let’s stop looking at the godly men and women in Scripture as through their prayer lives are unattainable! Pray fervently, knowing that Peter and Paul and Mary and Ruth were men and women ‘with a nature like ours’” (James 5:17).

Prayer Step: Pray earnestly to the same God who answered the prayers of Nehemiah, Esther, Hannah, Solomon, Elijah . . .

You must pray with all your might. It means fervent, effectual, untiring wrestling with God. William Booth

Grace and peace,
Lenae