A GOOD WAY TO START PRAYER: “LORD, WHAT DO THEY NEED THE MOST?”
When I’m scrolling on Facebook, I try to answer as many requests for prayer as I can. I do pray each time, but I can do better. How? By asking the Lord every time, what is it they need the most? He knows, and I don’t! I can speak my personal prayer language (speaking in or with tongues), but I also like to be able to get detailed specifics on what to target. Sometimes a person needs a body part repaired, sometimes they need for me to rebuke the fear. Sometimes prayer is needed for the doctor to get revelation in the middle of a surgery.
One of the preemie twins (weighing in at just a little over 4 lbs) was having open heart surgery. The mother of the little girls asked for prayer. I texted back that I’d pray. Then I went on to check my other texts, posts, and e-mails. A few minutes went by, and I caught myself, “Carolyn, you need to pray NOW!” It’s way too easy these days to go through e-mails, social network posts, texts, etc. and take the messages in as mental information without really engaging and DOING something about them. When it comes to prayer, we need to change this bad habit.
Prayer is a very powerful force God’s given us. It gets things done, and we need to take it seriously. Jesus tells us: “I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, WHEN ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24). WHEN we pray we are to believe – right then, not later, not pray and hope there will be an answer, not pray and wish, but focus enough when we pray – focus on the answer – the end result. If we ask the Lord what the person needs the most, that gives us a huge head start! Then when we pray, we know we’re praying for what the Lord wants most. Then it’s easier to believe for the best results.
Too much praying has been, “If it be your will.” If we spend time in the Bible, then we won’t have to say “if” all the time, because we will know what God’s will is.
When we pray for someone, it’s a serious matter. It means something. It is not casual or frivolous, or just words or thoughts in the air. According to God’s written word, prayer can heal, get people delivered from devil spirits, alter weather conditions and many more things. It’s powerful and effective.
Jane and I prayed about the baby’s heart surgery. We knew in our spirits as we began to pray, what was most important to the Lord in the situation. We believed what the Bible says about children being a blessing (Ps 127:3-5). We also believed in God’s ability to work through the surgeon’s hands. We knew that the parents were standing in faith for the little girl to live and grow strong. We knew that the Bible says if two agree in prayer, God will do it (Matt 18:19). We knew that our main focus in prayer was that the little girl would live. So, when we prayed together we were persuaded God would answer – and He did. She went through the surgery with flying colors, had a speedy recovery and all the tubes were taken out in only a few days.
Prayer works. But every once in a while, we need a reminder of how we can make our prayers more effective. The next time someone asks for prayer, we stop a minute, pay attention, ask the Lord for their most important need. And when we get His answer, (usually the first thing that pops into our minds) we pray and believe.
Let’s make this the most exciting year of prayer ever.
Love, Carolyn
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