This week God began to bring a song to my mind written in 1956 by John W. Peterson entitled “It’s Time to Pray.” As I recalled the words of the song, it was confirmed to me that God is truly calling His people to pray at such a time as this. Here are the words of the song: Verse: “Enemies increase around us. Threatening constantly; Much there is that would confound us. So it’s plain to see—Chorus: It’s time to pray to the God who watches over us, It’s time to seek His face without delay. The world is dark, for the clouds of war still threaten, It’s time for all America to pray! If we would keep the flag of freedom flying, Secure the peace for which we all are crying, It’s time to pray, our sin and wrong confessing, It’s time for all America to pray!” Surely this song describes the state of our nation today. According to Genesis 2 we know that God created mankind for relationship with Him as He communicated with them in the Garden in the cool of the day. Adam and Eve freely spoke with the LORD face-to-face. The fall of mankind caused a separation in that relationship and God sent them out of the Garden. We read about the family strife between Cain and Abel that resulted in the murder and death of Abel and in 4:7 we see the first mention of sin. In verse 10 God confronts Cain and said: “The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.” They saw what sin was doing and they knew that they needed the help of God. It was after Adam and Eve’s son Seth (God’s appointed seed) was born and his son Enos according to verses 4: 25-26 that “men began to call upon the name of the LORD.” Notice, it does not say all men but God’s appointed line that knew that they needed to pray to God for help. The secular world believes that all our problems are external to humanity and that the answers lie within us. But the Bible says something very different. It says the problems are within us, and the answer can only come from outside of us—from God.
Prayer is spiritual communication between man and God, a two-way relationship in which man should not only talk to God but also listen to Him. Prayer to God is like a child’s conversation with his father. It is natural for a child to ask his father for the things he needs. There are many promises in God’s Word to encourage us to pray, such as: “He shall call upon me and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him” (Psalm 91:15); “And it shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24); “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). The Scriptures tell us that we are to pray for one another and also assure us that God hears and answers prayer. When we receive Christ into our heart, we become a child of God and have the privilege of talking to Him in prayer at any time about anything. The Christian life is a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. And best of all, it is a relationship that will last for all eternity.
Both the Old and New Testaments emphasizes the need to pray to God and is an integral part of worship. In reading the Bible, we see that prayer is saturated within God's Word. It impacts important events, interweaving with God's sovereign plan in history. The Bible refers to the word “prayer” or expresses a prayer in 61 of its 66 books, making close to 1,100 distinct references to and about prayer. In the Old Testament the petitions and supplications of God’s people are based upon His character and the divine covenants. Theses saints often acted in the priestly office of representing the people before the LORD, frequently appealing to the honor of the Name of God and the steadfastness of His word as they plead with the Almighty to fulfill on their behalf the promises that He graciously made to them as His Covenant People.
In the New Testament we see that prayer is based upon the relationship of God as the Father of all who truly believe in His Son according to John 16: 23-24. We read in scripture that Jesus often went aside to pray. His disciples in Luke 11: 1-4 and Matthew 6: 9-15 asked Him to “teach us to pray” and what is known to us as the Lord’s Prayer. While it does not specifically detail the complete doctrine of prayer for the Church, it is a pattern for us to follow. It begins with the attitude of worship—“Hallowed be thy Name”—an acknowledgement of the absolute holiness of all that God is and does. In the sense of petition, it is God’s ultimate plan for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. True prayer accepts in advance the will of God, whether known or unknown, whether to grant or to withhold—desiring His divine will and kingdom objectives be realized on earth. We must also trust God to provide for our present physical needs day by day. Prayer is hindered when the fellowship of the children with their Father is broken because of sin so we must pray for deliverance from evil and forgiveness as we forgive others. We acknowledge that our help comes from the Lord who is the power and glory forever!
Today we too are in need of Jesus to teach us to pray. Prayer is simple, yet at times we find it hard to practice. We must ask God to show us how to pray and His Holy Spirit according to Romans 8: 26-27 helps us in our weakness, especially when we do not know how to pray as we should. The Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, making intercession according to the will of God. His means that when we pray, the Holy Spirit guides our prayers and ensures they align with God’s will. The Spirit helps us to understand the Scriptures and directs us to passages and promises to claim and pray. “For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God… ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor. 2: 10-12, 16) By staying in the Word, claiming and praying His promises, God will teach us to pray the Bible way!
Prayer cannot be reduced to a formula. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their manner of praying to be heard of men. He said in Luke 20: 46-47 to “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” Such prayer is not real prayer, but empty words as God knows our hearts and “The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.” (Proverbs 15: 29)
Prayer is on-going communication with the heavenly Father and involves listening, speaking, and acting on what we hear from Him. Paul in I Thessalonians 5:17 instructs us to pray without ceasing—that means always being aware of God’s presence and consulting with Him for all that we do. In Luke 18: 1-8 Jesus gives a parable on prayer. It is the account of the persistence of a widow before the unjust judge to avenge her adversary who had wronged her. The judge was weary and relented to finally grant her request. Jesus said, “Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?” Then He asks the question: “When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” The reference is not to personal faith but to belief in the whole body of revealed truth. Paul refers to this time as a time of apostasy in 2 Timothy 3: 1 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” This is an act of “falling away” of a professing Christian who deliberately rejects revealed truth. Apostates depart from the faith, but not from the outward profession of Christianity. He warns in 4: 3-4: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” I believe that we are seeing this occur today as there are scandals and disagreements being played out in churches and denominations even on social media.
God has promised to answer His children’s prayers, but He often waits before responding. He does so for many reasons: Preparation-Sometimes God has to make us ready for what He wants to give us. We may have attitudes or behaviors that aren’t’ aligned with His will. (James 4:3) Spiritual growth-The Lord may use delays to test our faith or deepen our relationship with Him. Timing-God’s timetable often doesn’t match ours. He knows what He wants to accomplish in and through us. Jesus calls us to a lifestyle of “asking, seeking, and knocking”—a lifestyle of trust in the Father’s promise to answer His children.
Prayer is the believer’s weapon and the most powerful means of affecting change. According to Matthew 28: 18, Jesus declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” This statement underscores Jesus’ supreme authority and dominion over all creation, as emphasized in various biblical teachings. It signifies that Jesus has been granted the ultimate authority by the Father enabling Him to grant us His supernatural authority to do greater things than He has done since He goes to the Father. (John 14: 12) In Luke 10: 19 and Mark 16: 17-18 Jesus gives us the power to cast out demons; speak with new tongues; take up serpents; and if we drink anything deadly, it will be no means hurt us; we will lay hands on the sick and they will recover. This empowerment allows Christians to pray with confidence and effectiveness, believing that our prayers have the potential to bring about significant changes, both in our personal lives and in the world around us. This authority is further emphasized in Matthew 18: 18 which encourages believers to use this power to overcome the enemy and to bind and loose in accordance with God’s will. We must put on the whole armor of God. (Eph. 6:12-18)
It's time to pray as we see enemies increasing around us with attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas, the drones in the skies, fires raging in multiple places in California, the daily threats from terrorists in our own country, wars and rumors of wars, tumult within the government and attempted attacks and assassinations of Donald Trump, extreme weather events that brought devastation, the assault on innocent children, the fog that brought new viruses to our citizens and much more that confound us! Yes, the world is dark and we must wake up and pray and seek God’s face, His mercy and His grace. The only hope for America is for the Body of Christ to repent and to lead this nation to repentance. The Body of Christ must get our house in order and pray like we have never prayed before! Our nation hangs in the balance. God makes it clear in 2 Chronicles 7: 14: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” This verse emphasizes the importance of humility, prayer, seeking God’s presence, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins and restoration.
Our prayers release God’s actions! We are to persevere in intercession against the spiritual forces of evil. Faith is the trigger for miracles—I believe You, God! When we walk in faith and obedience, God sends His angels ahead of us to make sure we arrive at a place of blessing! We must pray for God to send His warring angels to do battle against the forces of evil. (Daily pray Ps. 91.) We must pray for protection for our incoming President and leadership from all mental, spiritual, physical and emotional harm. We must pray for God to control people and circumstances to bring about His will, His purpose and His plan for America. We must pray for God’s divine justice and glory to be revealed!
The “Light Our Community” prayer initiative focuses on these prayer points for America: Removal of those in positions of authority who seek personal agendas instead of the good of the nation and its people. (Eph. 4: 18) God’s will to be done during the confirmation proceedings for the new administration’s cabinet and other leadership positions. May the Lord’s choices be accepted and allowed to guide our nation. (Mt. 6:10) U.S. Supreme Court justices to seek God’s wisdom and direction as they rule on critical issues for our nation. Pray their decisions will align with God’s word. (Prov. 2: 6-8) The “shift” in our nation, due to the national election, to bring forth spiritual awakening and revival among believers and a great harvest of people coming to faith in Jesus Christ. (Isa. 57: 15, Mt. 19: 24-26)