DECEMBER 9 - Adding Muscle to Our Prayers

DECEMBER 9 - Adding Muscle to Our Prayers

 

 

When you received the word of God . . . you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. — 1 THES SALO NIANS 2:13

 

 

Or flight was late, and the seats in the waiting area of gate D7 were full. Judy and Bunny stood beside me to pray — something we often do before flights. Bunny knew I needed a prayer lift. She knew I was pretty down over a number of things, including the sad news that a certain foundation had just turned down our funding request for a project to help disabled children.

 

 

Bunny reached for our hands and after praise and thanksgiving said, “Lord, send forth the corn and the wine and the oil. Send forth the early rains, the late rains, and produce a wonderful crop of blessings.” Her voice was soft, yet laced with confidence. I recognized in her prayer strains of Joel 2:19.

 

 

As we prayed, I felt the presence of a fourth and fifth person. A husband and wife, who had crowded close — together they punctuated Bunny’s prayer with amens. When we finished, the husband folded a hundred-dollar bill into Bunny’s hand, and they rushed off to catch their flight. You know . . . it didn’t really surprise me. When Bunny prays, things happen. “Joni,” she said, tucking the bill into my coat pocket, “this is the first fruits of what God will supply.” Bunny has learned how to pray using God’s own words, from the Bible. It’s a way of using God’s language when we talk to him — his dialect, so to speak. The Bible tells us there are two things God honors and exalts above all else: his name and his Word. Prayer that is spiced with his Word is exalted prayer. And it is powerful.

 

 

As you read the Scriptures, underline portions that speak to your heart, make them personal, and then pray them back to God.

 

 

Father, teach me to pray in the way that pleases you and touches your great heart.