When it came to prayer, I have to admit, I never used to think I was very good at it. It always seemed difficult for me and I always struggled with thinking prayer was for those really spiritual people who were obviously more in tuned with God than I was. I locked the idea of prayer up in a group study or a public worship service. Especially during extended times of prayer, the distraction and seeming competition of, “who can pray the most holy prayer” really began to annoy me. But then I discovered something, God didn’t care how holy I sounded or how many really cool theological terms I used while I prayed. He just wanted me to OPEN MY MOUTH! preferably in PRIVATE.
- Kneeling is a powerful position
- Getting desperate enough to pray is right where God wants us. He wants to teach us to open our mouths. In the car, walking the dog, sitting alone in a coffee shop, in a park, in a chair on my deck. It doesn’t matter where I am, prayer could happen at a moment’s notice. As a church this is an incredibly important week for us because we are going to rediscover as a church that prayer is a primary work of the people of God and He wants us to talk to Him.
“Restore us to yourself, O Lord that we may be restored.” Lamentations 5:21 (Jeremiah’s desperate prayer for the city)
Here are some simple benefits of Prayer…
- Character – God wants to restore us to him through building our character. Continual prayer builds character. So many times we only pray when we need something. Isn’t it annoying when the only time you hear from someone is if they need something from you? That is called manipulation and usury. The more time I spend with Jesus, the more my character deepens and increases. How you pray determines your character. How you pray defines your relationship with God. If you only approach God when you “need” Him, God is not your God, he is the last resort to bail you out. OPEN YOUR MOUTH OFTEN, He will never grow tired of hearing your voice. Your character depends on it.
- Confidence – Can we just keep prayer simple for a change? Here it is: Tell God what you think, how much you love Him and ask Him what to do. The next time you are tempted to do a “performance prayer” slap yourself and remind yourself God wants you to come to Him as you are. You can approach Jesus with confidence boldly! It’s not about your Vocabulary but your VOICE! OPEN YOUR MOUTH “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
- Clarity– Without the voice of God you will operate on the “best guess” system. You will be lost, always living in the FOG of the next decision . You will look to others first, yield to popular opinion and then most often take the path of least resistance. Jesus gives clarity and always is true to the Bible as the source of clarity. In Jesus’ own words, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4:4 OPEN YOUR MOUTH AFTER you have closed it long enough to LISTEN to Him!
So what does this mean for our community? This Sunday will be unlike any other gathering we have ever experienced at 217church. We will have the opportunity to boldly approach Him through the power of Jesus as a community in unity and ask for some pretty deep stuff…Healing will happen this Sunday.
Our church is heading into a season of praying some desperate prayers! We have so many decisions to make and God’s vision is getting clearer and clearer for us every day. Jesus loves this community more than we can possibly understand and we are on a mission to show people Jesus…Something Big is about to happen and it starts inside your heart. God wants to do something deep in you so he can do something HUGE through you.
Don’t miss this Sunday…
Don’t be shy, OPEN YOUR MOUTH!
Thank you… I really needed this!
Thanks Caryn for your ministry and love for the church and for being one of our translators! Be encouraged. Just prayed for you this verse:
“16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” 2 Thessalonians 5:16-17
Blessings! Josh
This really came at the right time. I really need this today.
Thanks Johana! Blessings on you. He is there ready to listen to you! Stay encouraged and know that he has your best interest in mind even when you don’t understand
Blessings on you, Josh
Fantastic article and SO true – especially relevant for me personally and I thank you for sharing!
Stumbled upon this! and i agree! i remember going to a prayer service where most spoke in tongues… i did not at the time… i felt like not going anymore…i felt i wasn’t good enough… i sat down to read my bible and the Lord showed me that he sees the heart <3! I still struggle sometimes with feeling inadequate in praying, but i realize it's not about me…its about others!
My husband was doganised with esophageal cancer in April. He has undergone chemo and radiation therapy. Through this, he has found a true relationship with our Lord Jesus and not just a mental knowledge. For that I am thankful. God has had him in the palm of his hand and he has tolerated this treatment with little side effects although this has not been easy. His last PET scan showed no hot spots or active cancer but it is still recommended that he have surgery to remove his esophagus. He is scared to death despite his faith and prayers. Our hope is that God would perform a healing miracle so that the surgery and life style change would not be necessary. If he should allow this surgery to be performed, we are standing in faith that all will be well and he will be cured. My husband is 58.Due to this disease, my husband was forced to retire; thankfully, he has been approved for disability. These payments will not begin until December and we have taken measures to reduce our financial load. So far, God has blessed us and provided but by my eyes and finite mind, this money will not last past another month or two. I feel maybe it would be best to sell our house, horses, and goats and downsize to a more affordable dwelling which requires less upkeep, time and would allow us more financial stability. I have a high pressure job but thankfully, understanding cohorts have been supportive and tolerant of my absences when necessary. The pressure I feel at this time is overwhelming and I feel myself succumbing at times into a place of just let me hide in a corner and let the world leave me alone. I have asked Jesus to guide me, strengthen me and show me the best course of action and to bless that action and give me the strength to do what I need to do. Please God, help us.In Jesus name.
I believe God has put you in his life for 2 rnosaes.1. God wants you to break upIf your reason for breaking up with your boyfriend is sincerely because he lacks the faith in God and the Christ-like leadership as a potential husband, a breakup should send him to God’s arms. If it doesn’t he’s not the man you need to be with anyways. If he’s not a leader for you now, he won’t be for you or your future children either without growth. Don’t be afraid to let a good thing go for God’s best. Being unequally yoked with your partner should be scarier than being in a relationship that doesn’t glorify God. I understand the men in the past have hurt you, but you need emotional healing of your wounds and the faith that there are plenty of wonderful men out there that have a heart for God that want to treat their significant others with the utmost Christ-like love possible. Pray about it and try to put your own opinions aside and follow Christ with your whole heart so you can end up with the man God truly has in store for you. 2. God wants you to stay togetherStaying together means obvious change on both of your parts is imperative. You need more open communication. You shouldn’t be asking an online forum of people for our opinions on this matter, you should be talking to your boyfriend about what you need from him in this relationship, and Lord willing, marriage, but since you asked, here’s my take on it. If you truly think he is God’s best for you, bring out the Christ follower in him. If he know’s who God is but doesn’t follow him, inspire him want to be more the man of God than he’s ever been. Do that by challenging him in his faith. Start small with little things like starting a bible study that you do on your own and talk about every day later. Don’t be overbearing about it, but give him the opportunity to really show you how much of a Godly man and leader he can be by needing him spiritually. Pray together, go to church together, go to bible study together, praise and worship God together, serve together. Focus on building a relationship with God as a couple. However, don’t let that be your only source of holiness. You both need separate relationships with God because you are both individuals. You should have your own quiet times and if he doesn’t, inspire him to start. Be weary not to be his crutch, but a reminder that he needs to step up and be a Godly man. If he is up for the challenge and sees that the changes are worth more than losing you, you’ve got yourself a keeper.These are the outcome of any relationship. Relationships either end broken up (or divorce unfortunately) or end in marriage . Either way, pray about all these things. Make sure you’re in tune with God on all of this. Seek first the kingdom of God. In the end, God’s will will ultimately be fulfilled. Have faith either way that God has amazing plans for you and your boyfriend regardless of your outcome as a couple. Best wishes and God bless.-Jeremy
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