Put Your Heart Into Your Prayers

Acts 12:5

Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

Acts 12 records the story of a crisis situation in the early church. James had been put to death by King Herod. Peter had been arrested and was clearly next. So what did the church do? They prayed. But they didn't pray just any old prayer. They prayed with passion. We read that "constant prayer was offered to God for him [Peter] by the church." I love that.

 

 

 The phrase "constant prayer" could be translated "earnest prayer" or "stretched outwardly." It is reaching for something. Have you ever dropped an item that was just beyond your reach, and you were straining to get it? That is how the church was praying. Theirs was not a casual, yawning, Lord-help-Peter kind of prayer. This was a storm-the-gates-of-heaven kind of prayer. They were not backing down. And guess what? Their prayers were heard.

Prayers are forever most important in my walk with God. From my experience in my early days coming to Christ I never knew how to pray I was lost for words. I felt that God wasn't hearing me and I struggled for many years. Until God show me how to really pray in His word how to make this connection with Him in the spirit. Today I found myself uttering in tongue and tear falling from my eyes and my spirit yawning with passion making a deeper communication with God. Thank you Lord for showing me the way.

When a Gentile woman begged Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter, He told her, "It is not good to take the children bread and throw it to the little dogs" (Matthew 15:26).

She could have stormed away, but instead she answered, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table" (verse 27). Jesus was not pushing her away; He was drawing her in. He knew her faith was great. And because of her persistence, her daughter was healed the same day.

Sometimes when the answer to our prayer doesn't come right away, we assume that God is saying no. Maybe. But maybe He wants us to keep praying—with persistence.

This is the kind of prayer that prevails with God, the prayer into which we put our whole soul, reaching out toward God in agonizing desire. Much of our prayer has no power in it because we put so little heart into it. Pray with Intensity and Fire in your heart and soul. Our Lord taught men to pray to God as Father. That is the central fact of His teaching. "When ye pray say, Our Father, which art in heaven." He rebukes all parade and pretense in prayer. It must be in the secret place, and the door must be shut. Within the secret place there must be simplicity and sincerity. Our Lord Himself prayed with intensity and importunity. He rose early to pray. He spent all nights in prayer.

                                                                               
The Epistle to the Hebrews (5:7) tells us that He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears. The awe of Gethsemane is full of mystery. He called upon God as Father, but in His praying there was the sweat and agony of blood. "He kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done... and being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat became as it were great drops of blood falling down upon the ground" (Luke 22:41-44). Saint Matthew (26: 38-46) tells us that He prayed a third time using the same words. Prayer is a discipline and an education. Jesus spake divine wisdom when He forbade us to cast pearls before swine: it is contrary to the divine order. Intensity is a law of prayer. God is found of those who seek Him with all their heart. Brothers and Sisters and God bless you in your walk with Christ everyday. In Love!