Topic: God Answers Prayers [Saturday February 28, 2015]
Memorise: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: - Matthew 7:7
Read: (Psalm 5:1-3 KJV)
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.
3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 23:1-24:14, and Revelation 8:13-9:19
MESSAGE:
Prayer is ordained by God as a means of communication between God and man. Christians are commanded to depends on God completely for all their needs, hopes and aspirations by bringing all their requests to Him in prayer (Philippians 4:6). In today’s memory verse, God challenges anyone who believes in Him to ask and they shall receive, to seek and they shall find, to knock and it shall be opened to them. He went further in John 16:24 where He said;
“Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
This means that prayer is the means God has provided for Christians to have all of their needs satisfied. For this reason, God did not place any limitation on prayer; He tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). So, you can continuously approach heaven without any fear of disturbing God.
Prayer symbolises trust and total dependence on God. Dependence on God for help with spiritual and physical needs arises out of an awareness of human helplessness (Psalm 18:6, Mark 4:38). The word of the Lord to those who would not pray because they have alternative means of getting things done is found in Jeremiah 17:5:
“ Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.”
But for those who trust in Him, He sends this word in Hebrew 4:16:
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
God answer prayers because He is the one who commanded that we should pray and He cannot deny Himself. Because we have access to God through Jesus (Ephesians 3:12), and because Jesus Himself gave us the assurance that He will do whatsoever we ask the Father in His Name (John 15:16), you can therefore go ahead and ask so that your joy may be full. All power in heaven and on earth belongs to God; He is the owner of all things visible and invisible. He is a loving Father, and He is only waiting to hear from you.
Action Point: Ask God for 5 things you need Him to do for you, and trust Him to answer
Open Heavens Daily Devotional written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.